New York Cork Report

Middle Ages Brewing Company Wizard's Winter Ale

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

One of the more underrated breweries in New York resides in Syracuse. Middle Ages Brewing Company opened in 1995 and makes only British style ales, all with Ringwood yeast.

Middle Ages Brewing Company's Wizard's Winter Ale poured a clear, maroon color with a thumb width of off-white head. The aroma is deep, with biscuity malt and spices.

The body is smooth with a little bready malt and some light spices. The finish is crisp and leaves a yeasty dryness on the palate. Wizard left a small amount of lace on the glass.

Overall, not a bad beer, but certainly not Middle Ages' best. The middle is a little hollow and thin, and the spices are a bit too apparent up front.

Producer: Middle Ages Brewing Company
ABV: 6.8%
Price: $2.75 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating: (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

One of the more underrated breweries in New York resides in Syracuse. Middle Ages Brewing Company opened in 1995 and makes only British style ales, all with Ringwood yeast.

Middle Ages Brewing Company's Wizard's Winter Ale poured a clear, maroon color with a thumb width of off-white head. The aroma is deep, with biscuity malt and spices.

The body is smooth with a little bready malt and some light spices. The finish is crisp and leaves a yeasty dryness on the palate. Wizard left a small amount of lace on the glass.

Overall, not a bad beer, but certainly not Middle Ages' best. The middle is a little hollow and thin, and the spices are a bit too apparent up front.

Producer: Middle Ages Brewing Company
ABV: 6.8%
Price: $2.75 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating: (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

Southern Tier Old Man Winter

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Old Man Winter is Southern Tier Brewing Company's winter seasonal. Southern Tier is known for their huge-flavored beers in 22 oz. bottles but their line of twelve ounce beers are just as good.

Old Man Winter poured a clear, light brown color with a finger width of off-white head. The aroma was hoppy with light malt underneath and hints of raisins.

The body is thinner, with malt up front, and a faint sweetness. A crisp, hoppy bitterness comes in towards the middle, leading to a lingering hop finish that leaves a very pleasant dryness on the palate.

Winter seasonals are not normally hoppy and there is nothing overly bold or daring but I like this offering from Southern Tier. Overall this is a very good sessional winter beer. It is easy drinking and well balanced.

Producer: Southern Tier Brewing Company
ABV: 7.2%
Price: $2.50 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:    (3 out of 5 | Very Good, Recommended)   

Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY has established itself as one of the premier Belgian-style beer companies in America. Its ales are enjoyed across the country, and one of my favorite beers from Ommergang is their Belgian-style Amber ale, Rare Vos.   

Rare Vos poured a clear honey color with a thumb-width, frothy white head. The nose is interesting with fruity esters that result in a candy-like aroma, with yeast and spices mixed in.

The body is smooth with lots of malt and some sugar with more spices, orange notes, and light hops underneath. The finish is not to long or overwhelming but has a nice dryness that does a good job of balancing out the big front.

The beer has a nice effervescence and leaves some hanging lace on the glass.  

Overall, this is a really nice amber ale. The malts and sugar up front outweigh the hops, which might offend hop fans but I love the rich, deep body of this beer. The spices, malt and fruit make this my ideal Spring/Fall beer. Another gem from Ommegang.

Rare Vos will pair well with lots of different foods. In a past beer dinner I paired this amber ale with a chicken sausage and mushroom ragout which turned out to be one of the best dishes all night.   

Producer: Brewery Ommegang
ABV: 6.5%
Price: $3.00 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating: (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious)

Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Brooklyn Brewery is widely considered one of the best breweries in New York State, and with good reason.

In addition to making great craft beer, the brewery is credited with being one of the pioneers of craft beer in the empire state. And, while their Brooklyn Lager is their flagship beer, one of my favorite beers is their Brooklyn Brown Ale.   

Brooklyn Brown poured a dark brown color with a tan head. The nose was nice and clean and gives off light malt and hops.

The first sip was sweet with a hint of caramel. The middle is where the malt sugars dominate and give off a nice mouthfeel. The malts eventually give way to a herbal note and the finish is mild on the hops, but very nice. The flavors transition nicely from start to finish. 

Overall, this is a very good American brown ale that can be used as a stand alone or session beer. It is smooth and easy drinking yet fairly deep and complex. The beer is well balanced and the flavors work well together.

Brooklyn Brown is one of my all-time favorite beers to pair with a bacon cheesburger. The body is deep enough to work well with the meet and the hops on the back end should work well with the bacon.    

Producer: Brooklyn Brewing Company
ABV: 5.6%
Price: $2.10 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating: (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive )

Keegan Ales Mother's Milk

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

One of my favorite breweries in New York is Keegan Ales in Kingston. In addition to making great beer, they are the closest microbrewery to my hometown of Ellenville. I have previously reviewed their Joe-Mama's Milk Stout, which was created from their original stout, Mother's Milk.  

In a past interview, I asked Owner Tommy Keegan to talk about Mother's Milk's origins. “There’s a lot of dry stouts out there, so we wanted to be different. We actually started out making an oatmeal stout, but then we added a 50 lb bag of lactose to the first batch. It was an experiment, you could say."

The lactose is a sugar that yeast can’t ferment (eat) so it remains in the brew, giving it its sweetness, and a creamy finish, hence the name.

Mother's Milk pours a dark black color, with a big head. The aroma gives of hints of coffee and chocolate with a big roasted malt backbone.

The first sip is sweet, and the malt becomes very apparent in the middle, with a very nice mouthfeel. The finish is short but pleasant. The beer is sweet throughout but holds up well and does not fall apart. The head dissolved fairly quickly, but left a tan, thin lace that is further proof of the wealth of malts in this beer. 

Overall, this is a great, great beer. The lactose adds a certain creaminess to the beer which works extremely well with the dark malt. The beer is able to balance complex flavors, lactose sweetness and an great mouthfeel, all without being overwhelming. 

I have found Mother's Milk to be one of the more diverse stouts around when it comes to pairing with food. It can be enjoyed anywhere from the first course with a black bean soup, all the way through dinner with a rich strip steak and finished with a chocolate tort for dessert.  

Producer: Keegan Ale
ABV: 5%
Price: $2.25 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating: (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive )

He'Brew Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Shmaltz Brewing Company is one of the more interesting breweries in the country. The Jewish-themed company is based in California, but the beer is brewed in Saratoga, New York, so it's technically a New York beer.

The brewery produces two lines of beer, the He'Brew line and the Coney Island Craft Lager line. The He'Brew line consists of Jewish-themed beers such as Messiah Bold and Genesis Ale, while the Coney Island Lager line consists of strong lagers whose names and labels feature members of the world famous Coney Island Freakshow. 

The He'Brew line also features the Jewbelation series, which consists of a new beer released each year in celebration of the brewery's anniversary. The line started with Jewbelation Eight and has now moved to Jewbelation Thirteen.

Of course, when your beers are Jewish themed, you don't name your 13th birthday beer Thirteen, but instead it should be named Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah. Shmaltz encouraged fans to mail in picture of themselves at their own Bar Mitzvahs to be featured on the label.  

Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah poured a very dark brown-blackish color with a finger width tan head. The nose is deep and complex, sweet with aromas of dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, coffee and tons of dark malt. Alcohol is slightly noticeable.

The body is fairly complex, smooth and thick, sweet and tons of chocolate up front. There is a huge roasted malt backbone and the alcohol is lightly noticeable again in the middle of the body. The finish is harsh, overly bitter and the alcohol runs wild.

Overall, this is an interesting beer. It is phenominal up front and bad on the finish.  It has amazing potential but it needs to age for awhile, at least a year. 

Shmaltz is pushing the limits with this beer and I cannot wait to taste it after it matures a bit. I almost did not rate it, but it is available to drink now. I highly recommend buying this beer and letting it sit for 12-18 months. 

This beer will is too young to pair with food yet, but in the future it would need a strong chocolate dessert or steak.  The true pairing for Bar Mitzvah is not food though, but rather a rich cigar. This beer is strong and the roasted malts would compliment tobacco nicely.   

Producer: Shmaltz Brewing Company
ABV: 13%
Price: $5.99 (22 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (2 out of 5 | Average)

Brown's Brewing Co. Dunkelweizen

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

One of the more interesting beer styles that American craft brewers have experimented with is the Dunkelweizen. Dunkelweizens are brewed as darker versions of wheat beers (Dunkel means "dark") and usually brown and cloudy from the yeast. They are brewed with complex malts and a light sweetness with low levels of bitterness. The common wheat and banana flavors are also present in this style.

Brown's Brewing Company in Troy, NY has just started to bottle their Dunkel and I decided that this week was a great time to review it.

Brown's Dunkelweizen poured a dark brown color with a thumb width, light tan head, The nose was is deep, with a ton of malt, bananas, cloves, sweetness and some notes of alcohol.

The body is smooth and rich, with a sweetness up front and a big malt backbone. There are chocolate notes in the middle and the alcohol is noticeable. The malts dry out on the finish and leave a faint lingering dryness. There is no real hop presence.

Overall, this is a good Dunkel. I thought it was a little rich for the style, but the chocolate was a nice touch. The flavors really start to come out as the beer warmed but I thought it could have been a little more balanced.

This beer just begs to be paired with a tasty dessert. Give me a slightly bitter chocolate fudge to pair with this beer and you will find one happy beer drinker.

Producer: Brown's Brewing Company
ABV: 6%
Price: $4.00 (22 oz. Bottle)
Rating:    (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious)

Brewery Ommegang Hennepin

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

After this week's very beer heavy edition of "What We Drank", I decided to review Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin. 

Hennepin is a Saison-style beer, which is a Belgian style that is also referred to as a farmhouse ale. This is a complex style that is meant to be drank primarily in the summer, but can really be enjoyed year round. I have found that wine lovers take a particular liking to the Saison style, as the nose and body have wine-like earthy tones. 

Hennepin poured a hazy, golden yellow color with a huge, frothy, white head. The aroma has ripe green apples, a lot of yeast, and a little funkiness. 

The body is crisp, with some light spices, and bananas. There are a noticeable amount of hops that give the beer a nice dryness to complement the abundance of flavors. There is a lot of carbonation in this beer and the alcohol is faintly noticeable. 

The finish has a lingering tanginess and the carbonation dies out which is a nice touch. There is some hanging lace left on the glass. 

Overall, this is a phenomenal beer. The aroma and finish are nice and the body is light on the palate, yet is complex and has a nice profile.  This is a must try for anyone who truly loves beer. 

The diversity of this beer allows it match flavors with a wide variety of dishes. The texture is light and crisp but the body is sturdy enough to support its strong ABV and the spices beg for a dish that is bold enough to match. At an upcoming beer dinner I will be pairing Hennepin with a chicken, apple and leek roulade with a potato puree.  

Producer: Brewery Ommegang
ABV: 7.5%
Price: $6.99 (25.4 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive )

Blue Point Brewing Company Oktoberfest

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Last week's review featured a Marzen-style beer and this week is no different. We're being seasonal here, after all.

This week I decided to try Blue Point Brewing Company's take on the Octoberfest style.

Blue Point's Oktoberfest pours a clear amber color with a thumb's width of off-white head. The nose is pleasant, with a light sweetness and malt underneath strong aromas of bready yeast.

The body has pale malt and a light sweetness up front before thinning out a little in the middle. There are faint hops underneath before a mild, dry, yeasty finish. There was a decent amount of lacing left on the glass.

Overall, this is a decent take on the style. The beer gets a little thin in the middle but is not overly sweet, and the malt and yeast work well together.

Like Saranac's Octoberfest from last week, this beer would pair well with a seasonal soup, but my ideal pairing here is a seasonal loaf of bread. Blue Point did well not to make this beer to sweet, which has me thinking of a pumpkin bread and Oktoberfest pairing.

Producer: Blue Point Brewing Company
ABV: 5.01%
Price: $2.25 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

Saranac Octoberfest

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

The leaves are changing and the weather is getting cooler. While these signs mark the arrival of fall to many people, I know it is Fall when Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Ales start to show up on the shelves of beer stores.  

This week's beer review is fo Saranac Octoberfest Lager from the F.X. Matt Brewing Company.  

Saranac's Octoberfest poured a dark copper color with a two-finger width of white head. The nose is pleasant, and well balanced with malt up front and distinct hop aromas underneath. There is a faint trace of spices as well. 

The body has a smooth malt flavor with crisp hops underneath, and a spicy characteristic. The finish was pleasant, with mild hops and a mild bitterness.  There was some lacing left on the glass.

Overall, this is a really good beer. It is fairly complex for the style but blends well together and very well balanced. The finish is nice, and there is a distinctic difference from the body which was nice.  This is a great seasonal beer that is perfect for a typical Fall day. 

This beer would pair very well with a rich, smooth soup.  Any type of potato soup would match nicely texture wise, with a sweet potato soup being ideal to match flavor wise.   

Producer: F.X. Matt Brewing Company
ABV: 5.4%
Price: $1.75 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive ) 

Custom Brewcrafters Double Dark Cream Porter

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

One of the more interesting breweries in New York is Custom Brewcrafters in Honeoye Falls, NY. In addition to brewing beers for their own label, Custom Brewcrafters partners with local restaurant and tavern owners in to brew signature beers for each establishment. 

Double Dark Porter is one of the beers that CB brews under their own label. 

The beer poured a pitch black color with a finger width, tan head. The nose had a lot of coffee, roasted malts, and a faint hint of chocolate. 

The body was sweet up front with a lot of dark malt and really really strong notes of coffee. The mouthfeel is silky but thins out a little in the middle. The finish is dry with a light lingering bitterness.

Overall this is a pretty solid porter.  The creaminess is there and the beer is really good up front and on the finish. The coffee might be a little overwhelming for a beer that is not made with any and the middle thins out a little bit to much for me

This beer will pair well with a any smooth dish that has dark flavors. My pick would be a chocolate mocha pudding.  

Producer: Custom Brewcrafters
ABV: 5%
Price: $2.00 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

Brown's Tomhannock Pilsner

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Our latest beer review comes from the Brown's Brewing Company in Troy, NY.

Tomhannock Pilsner poured a clear, golden yellow color with a pen width, white head. The aroma was hoppy with pale malt underneath. T

he body has a smooth mouthfeel up front with a fairly low amount of carbonation for a pilsner. The light hops and pale malt from the nose stick out on the palate. The hops start to come on stronger at the end and add a crispness to the beer before dying out and leaving a dry finish.

Overall, this is a very good pilsner. There is decent depth and plenty of flavor here and the hops are very nice. A must-have pilsner for all craft beer fans.

This beer will pair well with a romaine salad, but my ideal pairing would be a piece of mahi mahi cooked in a lemon, white wine and garlic sauce

Producer: Brown's Brewing Company
ABV: 4.75%
Price: $5.00 (22 oz. Bottle)
Rating: (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive )

Southampton Double White

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Our latest beer review comes from the Southampton Publick House on Long Island. Wheat beers are usually my favorite style for the summer, and Belgian wheats are known for the citrus, so it's not surprising that the brewers tout this Southampton Double White as "a stronger version of the classic Belgian white ale style."

The Southampton Double White poured a hazy, light golden yellow color with a pen-width white head. The aroma had mostly wheat with strong citrus and spice notes.

The body is smooth on the palate but crisp around the edges. There is a lot of wheat and a light sweetness up front. Bananas are apparent as well as citrus notes that lead to a very nice light finish with a light tart/sour aspect.

The beer left a small amount of spotted lace on the glass.

Overall, this is a great beer, a refreshing white ale that is perfect for hot summer days. The ABV is fairly high for a wheat so downing a six pack is not likely.

This beer is fairly versatile when pairing with food. Southampton Double White would go great with a light romaine salad made with pairs as well as a flaky white fish cooked with some white wine and garlic.

Producer: Southampton Ales & Lagers
ABV: 6.7%
Price: $2.25 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:    (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious) 

(Ratings Guide)

Saranac Caramel Porter

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Saranac Caramel Porter poured a dark brown color with a finger-width tan head. 

The aroma had a light roasted character, sweet malt, toffee, and caramel. 

The body's carbonation is light and the texture is syrupy with a sweetness throughout and very noticeable caramel flavoring up front. 

The finish is subdued with a light sweetness lingering. 

Overall this beer is just ok. This is a sweet porter with the caramel nose offering promise that the body fails to deliver on. There is a nice twinge of flavor in the middle but the beer just falls flat in to many areas.

If I were to pair this food with anything, it would be dessert. Chocolate would work fine but I think this would go really well with a piece of pecan pie.

Producer: F.X. Matt Brewing Company
ABV: 5.4%
Price: $1.95 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (2 out of 5 | )

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Saranac Caramel Porter poured a dark brown color with a finger-width tan head. 

The aroma had a light roasted character, sweet malt, toffee, and caramel. 

The body's carbonation is light and the texture is syrupy with a sweetness throughout and very noticeable caramel flavoring up front. 

The finish is subdued with a light sweetness lingering. 

Overall this beer is just ok. This is a sweet porter with the caramel nose offering promise that the body fails to deliver on. There is a nice twinge of flavor in the middle but the beer just falls flat in to many areas.

If I were to pair this food with anything, it would be dessert. Chocolate would work fine but I think this would go really well with a piece of pecan pie.

Producer: F.X. Matt Brewing Company
ABV: 5.4%
Price: $1.95 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (2 out of 5 | )

Blue Point Blueberry Ale

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Dan, one of this blog's most loyal readers, pointed out that all of my reviews up until this point have been big, hoppy beers. 

He's right, so this week I decided to review Blue Point Brewing Company's Blueberry Ale.  Fruit beers are not my all-time favorite style but I do enjoy certain fruit beers that are well made.   

This particular fruit beer poured an amber color with a nice white foamy head.  The nose is fruity with lots of blueberries and some light malt. 

The first sip is more blueberry fruit along with a light amount of malt and almost no hops. The finish is short and light without  much of an impact on the palate. 

This beer has a very light body is almost more like a lager then an ale. 

Overall, this beer is just okay, as there is nothing that really stands out to me at all. I have a feeling that this beer is made more for lambic or lighter beer fans, but there is a real lack of hop character.

The simple pairing here is a light romaine heart salad with fresh blueberries.  A dessert pairing would match this beer with a sweet blueberry cobbler. 

Producer: Blue Point Brewing Company
ABV: 4.39%
Price: $2.50 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (1.5 out of 5 | Not Recommended-to-Average)

Saranac Imperial IPA

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Saranac Imperial IPA is produced by the F.X. Matt Brewing Company and Saranac brand stirs up mixed feelings amongst the many self-proclaimed "beer geeks."

While all knowledgeable beer fans recognize the contributions that the Matt family have made, there are some who love this line of beer and others who think the line is nothing more than average. 

This particular beer pours a dark amber color with a finger width, off-white head. The aroma is sort of cloudy, with nothing more than muddled hops and malt showing through. The body has some malt up front with a very faint sweetness before the beer starts to become very dry. 

A decent amount of hops come in through the middle and the finish is very dry and lingers for quite awhile. 

Overall, this is a very nice Imperial IPA. While the beer is bone-dry it is not overwhelming at all and the nose is the only aspect of the beer that holds it back from being an all-time great. A very, very good beer.    

The beer's bone dry, very hoppy body coupled with the high ABV call for a spicy, yet hearty dish. The first thing that popped into my mind is chili, although this can go very well with spicy Thai or Mexican dishes. 

Producer: F.X. Matt Brewing Company
ABV: 8.5%
Price: $2.25 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive )

Keegan Ales Joe-Mama's Milk Stout

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

A few weeks ago I reviewed Ithaca's TEN which won the 2008 gold medal of the F.X. Matt Memorial Cup as the best beer in New York State.

Well this week we decided to review the 2009 winner of F.X. Cup, Keegan Ales' Joe-Mama's Milk Stout, their latest draft-only release. It's a coffee stout that blends coffee from the Muddy Cup Cafe with Keegan's wildly popular milk stout Mother's Milk.

Joe-Mama's poured a pitch black color with a finger width tan head. The aroma has some light roasted malt, but is dominated by coffee beans.

The body is smooth with a fairly low amount of carbonation. There is a huge blast of coffee up front before dying out slightly and allowing the creamy texture, and flavors of roasted malts to show through. The finish is short with a light bitterness.

This is a really, really well-made beer as the coffee blends nicely with the rest of the beer. Beer fans who do not drink coffee may be turned off by this beer but I really enjoyed it. The depth and complexity are amazing and the beer is extremely well balanced.

This beer is worth the trip to St. James Street in Kingston.

Producer: Keegan Ales
ABV: 8%
Price: $15. (64 oz. Growler)
Rating:  (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious)

(Ratings Guide)

Southern Tier unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

Southern Tier's unearthly is an Imperial India Pale Ale that checks in at a huge 11% ABV. Southern Tier states that unearthly offers and "an uninhibited infusion of hops."

unearthly poured a semi-hazy, golden-orange color with almost no head.

The aroma has some really ripe fruit, with a huge blast of hops. The body is creamy and smooth, with a decent amount of malt and strong sweetness from fruity esters. The hops start to show through in the middle and become stronger leading to an extremely hoppy finish that thoroughly dries out the palate.

Overall, this is a a very, very good beer. unearthly is a wonderfully balanced, excellent example of what an "Imperial" beer can and should be. The beer is smooth, has plenty of flavor and the alcohol is barely noticeable.

When pairing food with this beer, one needs to think big. The body and flavors in this body are huge so a dish with big, robust flavors is needed. My recommendation is any sort of Indian food with meat included. I would personally lean towards either green curry or spicy vindaloo with chicken.

The label reccomends that unearthly should be served at 42 degrees which is a little colder than most craft brews but is the perfect temperature for this beer. The beer started to become a little harsher as the temperature warmed and the flavors fell apart a little. Nonetheless, this is just a great beer from Southern Tier.

Producer: Southern Tier Brewing Company
ABV: 11%
Price: $7.99 (22 oz. Bottle)
Rating: (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive )

Olde Saratoga IPA

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist

While debating what beer I should review for my ignaugural LENNDEVOURS post, I decided to combine Lenn's love of India Pale Ales and my location in Albany, NY.

With that in mind, I came up with the recently released IPA from the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company. Olde Saratoga may be best known for all of the contract brewing that they do for both local and out-of-state breweries, but they produce their own line of tasty brews.   

The Olde Saratoga Brewing Company IPA pours a clear, orange copperish color with a thumb-width white head. 

The nose offers up a strong blast of hops with a little caramel malt sweetness underneath. The first couple of sips reveal a malty taste with a decent amount of the sweetness from the nose returning. 

Hops start to make their trademark appearance in the middle of the body and grow more apparent as they lead to a really dry finish that lingers for quite a bit on the palate. 

Overall, this is a nice, solid, really dry, big hopped IPA. There is a big backbone and the body is fairly heavy which is a trademark of those higher ABV IPAs. This is a decent stand alone beer, but would be best with a hearty, spicy dish that can stand up to the beer. 

Producer: Olde Saratoga Brewing Company
ABV: 7%
Price: $2.15 (12 oz. Bottle)
Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

(Ratings Guide)

Kevin Burns Joins the LENNDEVOURS Team

As often as I write about New York wines, I probably drink as much New York beer. But, when it comes to actual beer knowledge, I don't know a ton beyond my own tastes (I love hoppy IPAs and Saisons).

That's why I'm happy to announce today that the beer staff here on LENNDEVOURS has expanded by one with the addition of Kevin Burns.

Kevin owns The Foaming Head, a great resource for anyone interested in New York beers, and has worked hard to become an emerging voice on the craft beer scene. Kevin is also currently the bar manager at Aroma Thyme Bistro in the Hudson Valley. In 2009, Kevin was a judge on The Matthew Vassar Cup panel at TAP-NY where he helped to select the three best beers in the Hudson Valley.

Unfortunately, Kevin is a die-hard fan of the Cleveland Browns, which almost disqualified him from this position, and also roots for the New York Yankees and Syracuse Orange. He graduated SUNY Cortland in 2007 with a B.S. in Sports Management and a B.S. in Business Economics. He is currently working on his M.S. in Business Education at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY.

Kevin will be writing beer reviews and, hopefully, doing some food and beer pairing projects as well.