Posts Written ByJulia Burke

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Flying Bison Brewing Company's "The Herc" pours a hazy amber/russet into a 12 oz. goblet with a delicate and thin but persistant head. Initially the nose is all caramel and banana cream pie, but with a few minutes to warm up it opens to cedar, clove, allspice and vanilla bean. The palate is a play between incredibly creamy richness and surprisingly sharp hop character. Buttery, mouth-coating layers of root-beer-flavored rock candy and caramelized brown sugar pulse on the palate between stabs of impressive bitterness. This batch must certainly have been quite hoppy to start, because…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Quick — name the perfect pairing for a “deconstructed English breakfast” of fried pork belly, roasted bangers, chive scrambled eggs on toast, a slow-roasted tomato and stuffed mushroom. Having trouble coming up with a wine that would not only stand up to such a meal, but actually elevate it to new heights of deliciousness? That’s because it’s a beer meal — one that was featured recently at a blockbuster Mikkeller beer pairing dinner at The Old Toad Pub in Rochester. The astounding six-course dinner did Mikkeller’s world-famous brews plenty of justice, but more importantly for…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor When I asked the beer goddesses at The Old Toad pub in Rochester what to pair with my gorgeous blue cheese, bacon and onion-ring-topped burger, they didn't hesitate. "Blackheart Stout!" I was all kinds of up for a nice stout with this delicious meal. Midnight-oil black to befit its name, this Middle Ages Brewing Company offering pours a half-finger toasted-coconut-colored head into a lipped pint glass. The nose is milky hot cocoa, marzipan, roasted almonds and coconut rind. Malt is king, in other words — no hops to speak of on the nose and only…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor An amber is always great for late fall, so I picked up a growler of this southwestern New York brew (labelled "German Red" at the store and not to be confused with EBC's new German steinbier – more on that to come) to share with some friends. A festive, clear dark sienna color appropriate for this style, it pours a two-finger airy head the texture of light meringue.  The nose is quite hoppy and less malty than expected for the appearance, showing notes of toasted hay and orange peel. On  the palate the hops are…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor This offering from Chelsea Brewing Company in NYC isn't seen too often in the Buffalo area, so when I saw it on tap at Blue Monk I had to give it a shot. Pouring a murky amber red into a pint glass with barely a one-finger head and no lacing whatsoever (likely a factor of the bar rather than the beer – I always give the benefit of the doubt with draft pints). The nose has a rather locker room-esque funk and a musky, grainy hop presence, with little other flavor.  At first sip the…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor A year ago, for my first-ever NYCR post, I wrote about the Niagara Escarpment's first modern commercial hop grower, Mike Sieczkowski, who planted two rows of hops on Budd Road in Niagara County and found unexpected success. This week, I tried a Flying Bison Brewing Company pilot batch beer made from Sieczkowski's hops. "It is a fresh-hopped american pale ale made with my locally grown Nugget hops and has an ABV of 6.2%," he explained in an email. The beer is the first in a series that Flying Bison brewmaster Tim Herzog will brew to…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor In the past I’ve found some of Brewery Ommegang’s Belgian-style offerings a tad hit-or-miss, but lately the Cooperstown brewery has been blowing me away. I enjoyed a bottle of this Tripel Perfection at my resident beer geek watering hole and was immediately seduced by its buttery mouthfeel and head-to-toe class. Tripel Perfection pours a gently hazy golden blonde into a goblet with a three-finger head that maintains throughout the drinking session with elegance. The nose is apricot, pineapple and tangerine, and hints of clove and coriander, with a seductive leesy richness, giving way to a…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor To the delight of a very thirsty crowd of Buffalo beer lovers, Blue Monk finally opened its doors this week after months of agonizing delays. The newly renovated bar on Elmwood Avenue was bursting with patrons almost immediately when it opened on Saturday evening, and as the joyful assembly of Belgian beer lovers took in the warm, friendly vibe of the city’s newest gastropub, one drinker said it well. “This is a great night for Buffalo.” After months of crossing fingers while Blue  Monk dealt with liquor license frustrations and massive renovations, the successful opening…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor More fall seasonals are trickling into my local shops, so the search for the best examples continued this week with another opposite-ends-of-the-state comparison: Blue Point Oktoberfest and Southern Tier Harvest Special Ale. I’d heard raves about both from beer friends, so it was amazing to find them as different as they were. Southern Tier harvest pours clear amber into my awesome Old Toad Pub tulip glass from an epic dinner there on Wednesday (stay tuned for that story!) with a delicate head and minimal lacing. The nose is hops. Yup, hops. No nutmeg, no clove,…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Genesee Brewing Company in Rochester, New York recently announced the installation of a $3.5 million production line for the purpose of packaging beer in 24 oz. cans. Explaining the decision, the brewery’s press release cited customer demand for canned beers as well as sustainability factors and the visual impact of cans on retail shelves. Expect to see more of the brewery’s classics including Genesee, Genny Light and Genny Cream Ale in the can at your local beer retailer.  From large macro-owned breweries like Genesee to tiny craft breweries, cans are popping up more and more…