Posts Written ByJulia Burke

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor While discovering several great beer spots on a trip to Rochester last week, I was given a sample bottle of this house IPA (they had run out of the draught version) at The Old Toad after two of the bartenders raved about it. I had never heard bar staff talk about a house beer with such enthusiasm, but barkeep Rob Adamthwaite assured me it was a must-try: “We went through six kegs in the first week!” Made by Custom Brewcrafters in Honeoye Falls, NY in commemoration of the beloved pub’s 20th anniversary, OT 20 features…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Think “great beer towns” and Rochester, NY may not immediately come to mind — but perhaps it should. I’ve heard whispers of Rochester’s status as a craft beer diamond-in-the-rough for years, from bar customers, tasting room guests, and fellow beer lovers, so a spontaneous trip east seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a stop and find out what all the fuss is about. Rohrbach Scotch Ale was one of my early “gateway” beers, so I made the brewpub my first stop of the day. Friendly bartender Dana peppered me with samples, the best of…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor I dig brettanomyces in beers as long as it’s not overpowering, so I picked up the 2009 edition of this “Funkhouse Ale with Brettanomyces” from the self-proclaimed little slice of Belgium in Cooperstown, Brewery Ommegang. A yearly specialty brew, it was cellared at the brewery; Ommegang recommends aging this and many of their beers so I had no qualms about trying it at 13 months old. Ommegeddon pours a four-finger head with fair lacing retention and a cloudy peaches-and-cream color.    The nose doesn’t show a lot of brett – mostly citrusy yeast esters and a…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor I enjoyed this summer seasonal from Lake Placid Brewing, a member of the F.X. Matt family of beers, for the first time on a kayak on a gorgeous summer evening last week. Though I enjoy all of Lake Placid’s beers, this one impressed me as a solid example from my least-favorite beer season. Honey Rye pours a lovely reddish-bronze with a two-finger head, delicate lacing, and good retention sipped from a wheat glass. The nose shows buckwheat honey, orange peel, and almonds with the sweet bready rye and crisp hops standard for the style. A…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor I’ve encountered consistent quality and creativity from Ithaca Brewing Company’s high-end Excelsior line. Now into the third week of my attempt to make up for lost time drinking all the craft beer I missed while abroad, I shelled out $10 for Ithaca’s 12th Anniversary release knowing it was a special-occasion beer. This Belgian quadrupel-style beer pours a toasty four-finger head with clearly stratified lacing into a goblet, ruddy, muddy and murky with a tinge of butterscotch color. A malt-fest of hazelnut and oatmeal cookies, the nose opens up to some lovely citrus notes reminiscent of…

By Julia Burke, Niagara Correspondent A while back I wrote about the difficulties of being a single wine taster in South Africa’s wine country, arguing that New York has a general edge when it comes to tasting room service for singles. In the interest of balance, I’d like to discuss something we can learn from the South Africans: the art of supporting local wine. Here in New York, we look for restaurants that have one or two local wines on the list – and by “local,” we’ll settle for “within the state.” Winery employees hit the road relentlessly in an…

By Julia Burke, Niagara Escarpment Correspondent Editor's Note: Julia left for South Africa yesterday, but we're hopeful to get some stories from her down under experience. For the next few months, my NYCR contributions will be few and far between and will include words and phrases that don’t normally show up in New York wine industry parlance, such as “bush vines,” “pinotage,” “Cape blends,” “sun damage” and “penguins.” This is because I ship off to Stellenbosch, South Africa this weekend, where I’ll be a harvest intern at Blaauwklippen Vineyards for the 2010 vintage. Feeding both my South African wine obsession…

By Julia Burke, Niagara Escarpment Correspondent “I learned from the school of hard knocks,” chuckles Don Demaison when I ask him about his viticulture education. It’s no joke – after purchasing a farm with a vineyard full of hybrid and native vines, trying to make it as a commercial grower, and ultimately selling the farm only to buy it back and convert it to a vinifera-only vineyard, Demaison’s journey has not been easy. Taste his wine, however, and it’s clear his extensive experience has paid off: he’s producing excellent fruit for his own use and for other Niagara winemakers, and…