NYC Tastes

There's nothing better in life then sipping a delicious beer in the sun on a gorgeous summer day and on my recent trip to Western New York I got to spend the entire afternoon doing just that at Southern Tier Brewery. Located in the town of Lakewood, Southern Tier is probably best known for it's seasonal beer Pumking, a strong pumpkin ale that seriously tastes like a slice of fresh baked pumpkin pie with cloves and vanilla.  This is thanks to the huge amount of real pumpkin puree they put into each batch.   But don't just stop at the Pumking, this brewery has so much more.  Take for example the Hop Sun, a pale wheat ale with such a crisp lemon flavor and dry mouthfeel I would swear it was an IPA.  Or the deliciously dark Mokah; a rich imperial stout brewed with chocolate and roasted coffee. Obviously these guys brew A LOT.  Just take a look at those amazing tanks.  Southern Tier produces over 100,000 barrels of beer a year and distribute their brew...

Let's stick with another local beer for this week- the Oak Aged Unearthly from Southern Tier.  If you remember I loved this brewery when I  reviewed  it last year. It's an Imperial IPA, similar to the  Double Trouble  in style and strength.  The aroma that hit me upon opening the bottle was bananas and citrus.   The flavor was also of banana but with a round sweet end of caramel, vanilla and oak.  There were great hops but I found the beer to be surprisingly creamy and smooth...a very enjoyable Imperial IPA.  Cheers! Southern Tier Brewery

"Super Saturday Success Day" lead into "Shit I Overslept Sunday".  I woke up 10 minutes before I was supposed to met my friend for lunch...too bad she lives over an hour away :(  Luckily Christine is the best and after a quick call we readjusted our meeting time and she even took me to check out one of my favorite breweries- Southern Tier. I was absolutely in love with this place!  All my favorite beers were on tap, the sun was tanning our backs as we lazed on the outdoor patio and this... I don't know why but I loved this cute little wooden stage.  Everything was made of wood right down to the pegs that held it together.  I could have stayed here all afternoon but a delicious dinner was beckoning at the Brick Room in Fredonia. I really enjoyed bunch here last time I visited but dinner was even better.  My halibut was cooked to perfection with a creamy pea risotto, sharp balsamic glaze and beets on top. Christine had the salmon...