But! Decent beer in a great little spot- apparently there’s also trivia night! Since it’s only 3 blocks from my apartment, I may be coming here quite a bit.

Tuesday I’m off to Amsterdam, where I plan on biking and drinking and relaxing, but I’m really saving up my liver for Brussels this weekend- I can’t wait for all that lovely lovely Belgian beer!

all of that bullshit out of the way, if you live in new york, go to bierkraft on 5th ave in Park Slope. its soooo good dude. their sandwiches are amazing, and the beer selection is really varied if not monstrous. Good advice, good growler prices, and good cheese. What else does a girl need in life?

More coming soon, not like those postcards that your "dad" promised he’d send.

<3 beergirl.

Moving on…. In the past, i’ve ranted about not liking IPAs, based on their hoppy-ness. Older, wiser beer lovers warned me that someday, like a young child learning to eat their veggies, i’d come to love and appreciate the character and taste of hops, and take back all of my slanderous accusations of bitterness and imbalance. Well, they were right. Recently, i’ve had several ipa’s that are downright incredible, this being one of the most outstanding. (Stone ipa too, but that’s another day).

This beer is a nice golden color, with an aroma that’s like a forest- fresh and woodsy and flowery and citrusy all at the same time, but without dampness or animals. The taste is crisp, floral and bitter as hell. There’s a bit of bready malts, and a grapefruit-esque essence that gives a nice little pucker to the beer. i wouldn’t say the flavors are super complex but the beer is interesting throughout. Very drinkable, once you get past the bitterness, and at 6.9% abv, a good choice for almost any sort of drinking session.

Super annoyed by my lack of an i key. Drnk ths beer, end of story.

Love,

Beer Girl

Love, Beer Girl

First, the porter:

This is a dark chocolate dreamboat. Take like the sexiest, darkest African man (or woman) you can picture, and imagine drinking them. While that imagery may not best communicate what I’m trying to say and, in retrospect, is a little gross, the beer is anything but gross and definitely deserving of a better shout out. It tastes very roasted and toasty, with dark berry hints that impart fruitiness but not any overwhelming sweetness. There’s a good hit of cocoa and coffee, especially at the end, and a nice bitter note to balance it all out in the middle. It’s very drinkable, and you get a hint of alcohol, but only in an encouraging way. My verdict? Drink it. Responsibly? If you must.      (just kidding, always drink responsibly, and take a cab if you have to. you can’t read my blog if you’re dead or in prison!)

Dark Horizon

Now this. This is a beer. For people who like to drink whiskey or sip other hard liquors. Primary, most outstanding feature of this beer, not necessarily it’s best or worst: 17.5% ABV. That’s right. more than most wine, and almost as much as Malibu rum. Actually, though, for having such a high alcohol, it’s really quite drinkable. I didn’t have any problem (of course, you know, I wasn’t too discerning by that point). It kind of tastes like a really dark, sweet coffee, with some drinking chocolate drizzled in. Oh, and a little burn. Everything about the beer is dark, color and flavors- molasses and roasted, toasted everything. I’d like to try it again, but at well over $20 a bottle in stores and even more in bars, it’s a bit out of my price range. Which is why it works out well that as a cute, young girl, free beer isn’t very hard to come by.