#169: The Bronx Brewery » Bronx Black PA

Bronx Pale joins the dark side...

The Brewery: The Bronx Brewery (Bronx, NY)
The Brew: Bronx Black PA
Availability: Draft Only (Winter Specialty)
ABV: 5.7% | IBUs: 57
Rating: 8.9/10
Location: Felicia's Atomic Lounge

The Story? I'm still stoked that Bronx Pale has been in regular rotation down at Felicia's. On my last stop, Pale moved from draft to cans to make room for this deep, dark seasonal, Bronx Black PA.

The Beer? Bronx Black serves up with a tuft of mocha head and is, as it's name implies, jet black with a smooth, roasted and hoppy nose. Sharp, dark bitter coffee flavors quickly follow suit and dominate the first gulp. Medium body and soft carbonation are consistent throughout this black pale.

The dark, dry finish is quick at first, but quickly builds to linger relentlessly. Slight black licorice flavor begins to emerge with a mild earthiness and pine notes while deep espresso takes hold.

Overall, my best analogy is a Russian Imperial Stout getting aggressively intimate with a hop cone. Complex, bitter, and damn dark. One to go back for seconds.

#085: Bronx » Pale Ale

My first taste of Bronx...

The Brewery: The Bronx Brewery (Bronx, NY)
The Brew: Pale Ale
Availability: Cans & draft
ABV: 6.3% | IBUs: 50
Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Felicia's Atomic Lounge 

The Story? I found myself with an unexpected night free on Wednesday and hopped down to Felicia's after work to meet up with my partner and her sister. My partner recently started working at Felicia's, so I've been down there far more frequently then before. They have a solid bottle beer selection for a cocktail-oriented (make that delicious cocktail-oriented) bar - Dogfish Head, Oskar Blues, Liemand's, etc - and they typically have a half-dozen or so draft options with a rotating regional selection. Last time down they had Pumking on tap, so I was excited to see what lay in store this time.

Probably the last thing I expected to see was big, bold letters spelling "BRONX". Their flagship Pale Ale cans only recently made it into distribution in our area and I certainly hadn't seen it on bar draft in Ithaca yet. Easy choice. Sold.

The Beer? As seen above, Bronx presents a completely transparent, deep-amber pale with just a tip of head. The nose is dark and hoppy with a touch of citrus and muted floral notes.

Onto the tongue, it has a compelling, intriguing flavor for a pale ale - nutty, dry, and bitter. Not your typical pale, in regards to many more recent releases heavy on the citrus, rind, and bright hop flavor. There are caramel and biscuit notes I equate more with English-styles. This is solid.

All of that is finished and delivered with a smooth mouthfeel, med-high carbonation, and nice hop and slight booze heat in the finish that stays with you. I'm looking forward to doing a comparison to how the can may differ... and eventually getting my hands on any of their barrel age series.

Quickies!: Stone Imperial Stout, Ommegang Gnomegang, Lindemans Framboise

Quick pics and words from the weekend...

Stone Russian Imperial Stout: Superbly full of flavor. Sweet, dark, and creamy.  A robust, dark malt-lovers dream. Looking forward to doing a full review of this one down the line. On tap at Ithaca Coffee Co.

Gnomegang from Ommegang: this translucent gold beauty is finely carbonated and full of spice. A quality, fruity-yeasty Belgian-style from CNY. High marks. 

In my opinion, Lindemans' lambics are a must-try for anyone who enjoys a good alcoholic beverage. Sure, there are other pricier, funkier, more complex or extreme lambics out there, but for a no-second-thoughts drink that's this sweet & sour tasty, I'm always pleased with what they do. Their Pêche is probably my favorite, followed by the Cassis. This Framboise was an easy choice for something a bit different down at Felicia's Atomic Lounge.