NYC Tastes

It's mind blowing to think that five years have passed since Other Half opened up its doors in Brooklyn.  Mr. T and I had been lamenting the nonexistent beer scene in NYC; then that tiny little tasting room opened up and voila, IPA's for everyone!  Of course it wasn't perfect at first.  The tasting room was so small, only one table fit inside and a single fan spun slowly in the corner, almost mocking us with its false respite from the scorching hot weather.  But today the tap room is much bigger, release lines much more manageable and although I miss the single hop series that kicked off their fame, it's really great to have such an awesome brewery in the city.  Cheers to Other Half's Anniversary and New Brew Friday! Other Half Brewing 195 Centre Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

2016 was another fantastic year for craft beer especially in New York City.  New breweries have been popping up at an amazing pace and the demand for local beer is at an all time high.  Of course with such quick, rapid growth comes growing pains which can be witnessed at a Saturday morning Other Half can release where lines start as early as 1:00 AM or the crazy race for Grimm cans that fly off the shelf in minutes.  Hopefully things in 2017 will bring a bit more calm to the beer chase but it's wonderful to have so many great brews in our own backyard along with these five fabulous beauties.  Cheers to  the New Year! Hill Farmstead - Clover I probably could have written a"Best of List" for 2016 with just Hill Farmstead beers and there would be little to argue about.  Shaun Hill is a master at brewing and his recent bottle of Clover was one of my favorites to date.  A blend of three different saison's Ann, Art & Flora, aged for 12-22 mont...

It's been a looooong week to say the least but luckily I've been getting through it with my favorite Other Half beer to date- Like Whoa their collaboration brew with Trillium Brewing. This Double IPA pours a hazy golden orange with a small fluffy white head that quickly dissipates.  The smell is an explosion of tropical fruit-  mango, pineapple, orange peel and sweet papaya with big juicy flavors that remind me of biting into a crackly bruleed orange slice with more mango, a creamy mouthfeel and dry hoppy finish.  I absolutely love this beer-  Cheers to the weekend! Other Half Brewing 195 Centre Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

We're coming back onto the local beer scene this weekend with Other Half's newest can release created with the incredible people over at Arizona Wilderness. City Slickers is an American IPA brewed with Arizona prickly pear, lemon zest, Citra, Galaxy and Equinox hops. This beer pours a phenomenal ruby red color that looks just like the sunset bottom on the label.  Aromas of lemon zest, grapefruit and prickly pear jump out of the glass; it's so fruity I almost wish I could bite into it.  The flavor is more subdued lots of soft lemon, grapefruit and pine with a smooth finish.  I was expecting a bit more prickly pear flavor since the aroma is so strong but overall this beer is fantastic. It's the perfect easy drinking brew for Spring.  Cheers to the weekend! Other Half 195 Centre Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

Making the trek out to Other Half Brewing for a beer release every month could seem like a hassle.  It's a long subway ride with weekend service delays and the beers usually sell out early afternoon so a morning trip is the only sure way.  I prefer to use it as an excuse to find an excellent brunch in the neighborhood.  Of course there's the original location of  Court Street Grocers  and their AMAZING breakfast sandwiches right around the corner and the sleeper favorite  Dover  up the street but right smack in between these two is another fabulous spot- Prime Meats. This place is well known for its fantastic burger and Cote de Boeuf dinners, but did you know they also make an incredible Biscuits & Gravy with sunnyside up eggs and Benton's Farm bacon. A monstrous Sausage, Egg & Cheese biscuit with the thickest slab of sausage I have ever seen... ...and a pretty insane Turkey Club piled high with thick cut bacon, bibb lettuce and f...

It's New Brew Friday and I really can't think of anything better than a crisp refreshing IPA on this scorching hot day.  Luckily Other Half just released their newest batch of Galaxy cans so I'm all set to face the heat. This dark orange beer gives off aromas of pine and citrus with a super fresh grassy flavor with just a hint of malt at the end.  This is just one of many fantastic Other Half single hop offerings and they continue to crush the NYC beer scene with clean styles like this.  Cheers to local beer and happy birthday to Mr. T! Other Half 195 Centre Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

Taking a quick break from the Memorial Weekend recap for a New Brew Friday!  This time we're back at Other Half for their newest can release Hop Showers. This American IPA pours a hazy, murky orange with a nice frothy head.  The aroma is sweet citrus with orange, tangerine and honey while the flavor is more big, juicy citrus fruits and dank pine with a creamy, slightly chewy mouthfeel and a bitter hop finish.  It's yet another solid offering from Brooklyn based Other Half.  They also just debuted some new glassware yesterday that looks exactly like my Prairie glass above but with the Hop Showers logo on front.  Looks like I'll be swinging by the brewery again tonight- Cheers! Other Half Brewing 195 Centre Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

Today marks the end of NYC Beer Week but really the fun has just begun.  That's because all those wonderful breweries have started to bottle/can their beers.  So it's entirely possible to crack open an amazing NYC beer in the comfort of your own living room.  Here's a few I'm especially excited about. The Finback Barrel Aged BQE is a big espresso imperial stout brewed with chocolate from Mast Brothers in Brooklyn and coffee from Native Coffee Roasters in Queens.  It's a pure NYC original and the thick bourbon flavor is perfect for this cold winter weather.  The two cans on either side are from Other Half Brewing, a session pale ale Super Fun on the left and the Double IPA Green Diamonds on the right.  These will be a permanent addition to my picnic supplies once spring finally arrives.  Cheers! Other Half Brewing 195 Centre Street Brooklyn, New York Finback Brewery 78-01 77th Avenue Queens, New York

This was a crazy and amazing year filled with lots of great food, friends and travel.  It began in January with a fantastic trip to San Diego with my parents.  They learned more about beer on that trip than they probably ever cared to know hitting up spots like Alpine, Ballast Point  and Societe Brewing .  Then Mr. T and I spent a few days in Florida  before embarking on an absolutely incredible trip to Copenhagen  and Brussels  with our close friends and certainly the best beer festival of my life the  Copenhagen Beer Celebration .  Add in a few trips to Buffalo,   Vermont  and Nashville  and I would say we've been pretty busy.  But in the end it's always NYC that holds the biggest spot in my heart.  This year the food was better than ever and with new breweries like  Third Rail  and  Other Half  joining the leagues of Peekskill, Kane and Barrier there's never been a better tim...

I love visiting breweries.  We've been known to travel a ridiculous amount of miles just to get a taste at one of our favorites. Now I'm happy to say there's a great one right in our own backyard- Other Half Brewing. Just off the F train in Carroll Gardens, this 4,000 square foot operation is easy to miss.  The brick exterior is covered in graffiti and the small communal table inside the tasting room and lack of AC means you'll most likely be standing and sweating a bit; but these are just minor inconveniences (it is a brewery after all).  The reason you should be going  is for the beer which is simply spectacular.    IPA's dominate most of the list...the Hop Showers and All Green Everything are both outstanding but my favorite would have to be the Green Diamonds; a double IPA with a bitter mango, orange bite.  Flights are available for $5 and the staff is more than happy to talk beer as you sample your way through the list. You can also fi...

One of my favorite little stops in Queens is right off the N/Q train on Broadway and filled with two of the greatest things in life...beer and cheese.  Astoria B&C is both a beer shop and bar; a place to grab a couple of bottles to take home or a quiet environment to enjoy a pint.  The rotating draft list is small but well selected with an array of different beer styles and a significant amount of local brews like this crisp Other Half IPA. The food menu boasts a lineup of sandwiches that sound absolutely amazing like the Bacon & Blue Grilled Cheese made with Cambozola Black Label Blue, Berkshire Bacon and Vermont Maple Syrup on Raisin Fennel Semolina. I was just feeling like a snack on my last visit and ordered a small cheese plate and a side of prosciutto.   The cheese recommendations were spot on as usual and the bartender was great about explaining the elements of each one. I was having such a lovely time I decided to swing o...