#171: Shmaltz Brewing Company » He'Brew St. Lenny's (Belgian Rye DIPA)

The immaculate collaboration...

The Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Co. (Clifton Park) &  Cathedral Square Brewery (St. Louis)
The Brew: He'Brew / Cathedral Square - St. Lenny's (Belgian-style Rye DIPA)
Availability: Bottles (Limited)
ABV:  10%
Rating:  9/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? This one was an anniversary gift from my partner while we were out camping earlier this winter. I decided to save it for a few weeks for the right occasion. Repairs at the house were finally complete and having spent the day painting, relaxing after she returned from work as the house was slowly returning to normal seemed as good a time as any.

St. Lenny's is a collaboration, giving He'Brew's lauded Bittersweet Lenny's Rye Double IPA a Belgian spin from Cathedral Square Brewery out of St. Louis, MO. He'Brew's Jeremy Cowan and CSB's brewmaster are longtime friends and what better way to continue celebrating He'Brew's new brewery after 17 years than an immaculate collaboration?

The Beer? A thick, creamy cream-color head starts this one off atop a hazy, deep copper body. The nose is quite complex, full of rye, yeast, and raisin aromas. Dark and alluring.

The flavor kicks in with firm, hot hops. A beautiful blend of dark fruit slammed with smooth grapefruit. St. Lenny's reigns in the intensity of the original, still packed with hops, but in a bit more distinguished manor, with soft notes of pepper, caramel, and apple. A wonderful balance and synchronization of earth, spice, sweet fruit and bitterness. There's a nice booziness throughout with a wonderful mouthfeel of soft carbonation. Big, robust, and beautiful and never heavy.

Overall, a solid addition to the "Lenny's" line and worth going back to.

#170: Victory Brewing Co. » Helios (Belgian-style Farmhouse Ale)

Victory's funky farmhouse...

The Brewery: Victory Brewing Co. (Downington, PA)
The Brew: Helios (Belgian-style Farmhouse Ale)
Availability: Bottles & Draft
ABV: 7.5%%
Rating: 9.0/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? I must have passed by this beer several dozen times. Why? I haven't the slightest. Maybe the old green/yellow/brown label just didn't strike me the right way. Victory has my trust with long-standing staples such as Golden Monkey and Storm King, plus their impeccable draft-only offerings, so again, I have no idea why this never made it to my beer basket.

Last week, I was having a few close friends over, whom I hadn't seen in months, for movies. While shopping for some session brews to share and on my way out, I saw Helios staring back at me from the cold case, rebranded and for just $4.99. I figured if nothing else, it'd be a nice way to ease into the session beers, unknowing the pleasant surprise I was in for.

The Beer? Nice and funky right out of the gate! Golden, pale yellow color with fluffy white head presentation with a complex, Belgian-style nose, prominent in wheat and yeast.

Helios is brewed up with Brettanomyces and a blend of specialty yeasts from the Victory vault, yielding a bustling, wide flavor palate of mild barnyard, basement must, soft red apple, wet hay, grass, smooth citrus, peppercorn, and lemon peel. Way too drinkable at surprising 7.5%, this year-round bomber may have just be come one of my new go-tos.

For a beer I wasn't even planning on blogging, this peaked my interest with it's lovely, smooth, and drinkable funkiness on first sip. Kudos to Victory on the new, eye-catching label too.

#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.

#168: Hopshire Farm & Brewery » Amber Glass (American Amber Ale)

Malty harvest ale from Hopshire... 

The Brewery: Hopshire Farm & Brewery (Freeville, NY)
The Brew:  Amber Glass ((Amber Ale)
Availability: Draft
ABV: 5.0% | IBUs: 35
Rating: 8.9/10
Location: Ithaca Coffee Company (Triphammer)

The Story? After a long day of last minute holiday and paint shopping, my partner and I headed over to Ithaca Coffee Company for a pick-me-up. We planned on two rounds to rejuvenate with, so I eyed Triphammer's typically hefty offerings for a starter that would still allow me to accomplish our remaining errands. 

Earlier in the season, Hopshire issued two new offerings, 'Round Yon Virgil (spiced Brown Ale) and Amber Glass - an American style Amber brewed with whole, local Willamette and Cascade hops and New York barley malt and British amber. Granted, Amber Ale's aren't my favorite, but getting a disappointing brew from Hopshire seemed unlikely. 

The Beer? Bringing my beer to the table, I'm met with a firm malt nose that is roasted with a distinct coolness. 

Right off the bat, this is a very tasty beer. It's creaming, warming and quenching with just a hint of spice. Far more complex than most 5.0% Ambers I've run across. Notes of rosehips, pepper, orange zest, rosemary abound amidst smooth malts and toasty caramel finish. 

Overall, this is undoubtedly in the Top 5 Ambers I've ever enjoyed, if not one of the best singles. Kudos to Hopshire for taking an unassuming style to new heights. 

#167: Galaxy Brewing Company » Andromeda IPA

New, awesome local brewery alert...

The Brewery: Galaxy Brewing Company (Binghamton, NY)
The Brew: Andromeda IPA
Availability: Draft Only (rotating)
ABV: 6.2%
Rating: 9.2/10
Location: The Westy

The Story? Galaxy Brewing opened their doors this summer just downstate in Binghamton, having founded in 2011. They're a father-son gastropub, dedicated to bringing quality beer and food and being a part of revitalizing the downtown area. From the looks of it, they're well on their way, already offering adventurous brews like Mint Chocolate Stout, Galaxy NY Harvest Ale, Solar Flare (Belgian-style w/ Citra hops), Honey Lemon Mate Ale, and more, Galaxy have future plans for spontaneous fermentation and barrel aging. Needless to say, I am elated.

After finishing up T"The Desolation of Smaug", my partner headed down to draft night at The Westy. Making my way through a round of Hop Sun (coming next) and one of my new go-to's, Pantius Dropus from Ellicottville, Galaxy Brewing's Andromeda IPA came on tap. Tim, my partner, the gang and I all took a sample taste. I immediately ordered a pint and started feverishly taking notes.

The Beer? Incredibly fragrant. The nose is aggressively pungent, like huffing hop cones - grapefruit, dry pine, and lemon aromas all fight for attention.

Surprisingly, Andromeda light bodied, dispute it's fearsome aroma. It goes down smooth, but it's bite is just as big as it's bark. Huge plumes of bitter hop heavy bursts through each sip. Grapefruit rind and pith, blood orange, lemon, pine flavors are all mightily present... while still walking the line of powerful, but well-balanced and any-time enjoyable. I pretty much need a growler of this. West-coast, your move.

An incredible offering for such a new brewery. Way to knock it out of the park.

#166: Victory Brewing Co. » Old Horizontal (American Barleywine)

Old Horizontal returns...

The Brewery: Victory Brewing Co. (Downington, PA)
The Brew: Old Horizontal (American Barleywine)
Availability: Bottles & Draft
ABV: 11.0%
Rating: 9.3/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? After a couple years off, Victory's Old Horizontal has returned to much acclaim. This was one of my gateway barleywines towards the end of my overzealousness with IPAs. Last year, I was lucky enough to get a half-growler of their 2009 batch from our friends at Fingerlakes Beverage Center, which was literally one of the best beers I'd ever enjoyed up to that point. Let's see how this fresh new batch measures up.

The Beer? Old Horizontal pours out with a plentiful, lively manila head over a deep, reddish-amber body. Surprisingly lively for an 11%. Firm hop aromas follow up.

Burly, powerful, and hardy, this sipper is packed full of boozy goodness, but goes down silky smooth. Creamy flavors of dark fruit, caramel, and toffee are immediately apparent, with subtler notes of bitter hops, chocolate, and a touch of spice heat arrive on the follow through. A bit chewy further through. Tougher than the elegance I remember from the aged version, but still very delectable.

Overall, a solid, mediu-body barleywine with extra points for how well this one ages.

#165: Southern Tier Brewing Co. » Krampus (Imperial Helles Lager)

A lil seasonal evil for the naughty ones...

The Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY)
The Brew: Krampus (Imperial Helles Lager)
Availability: Bottles, Draft (limited)
ABV: 9.0%
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? After hauling out the last of the furniture from half our first floor for some refinishing, I pulled out this bottle of Krampus to join me a few hours of serenity in our big empty room. Of course, this was after I found my car battery completely dead and jogged to go pick this up. But for now, serenity, while I wait for the Autoworks guy to show up. It's been an interesting year.

The Beer? The off-white head that kicks this one off is thick and lacy with plenty of staying power atop the crystal-clear amber body. The nose is full of sweet grapefruit and other citrus notes and sugary malts.

Two of the characteristics I love the most is how utterly smooth and impeccably well-balanced Krampus is. Roasted malts, caramel, and smooth citrus flavors all working in harmony backed by a slight earthiness and touch of hop heat and spice. All wrapped up with that refreshing lager drinkability. I often forget this one kicks at 9%.

Overall, a regional seasonal I always look forward to. Accessible and original, which is a feat in itself.