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Posts Written ByGibson Campbell

Ithaca Beer Company “Ground Break” American-Style Saison

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Ithaca Beer Company is one of my go-to brewers when I’m upstate (anywhere north of Westchester for us Long Islanders). They have a solid lineup, yet the brown ale and “Flower Power” IPA are always my favorites. This saison pours a dark yellow to orange color with champagne-like froth. There’s more haze and sediment than I would have expected from an American Saison, although its European counterparts are well known for it. Whatever particles aren’t stuck to the bottom of the bottle slide happily into the bath of ale (it’s ok, yeast is packed with vitamin B and B12). The…

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Brooklyn Brewery Black Ops (2013)

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According to Brooklyn Brewery’s website: [box_light]“Brooklyn Black Ops does not exist. However, if it did exist, it would be a robust stout originally concocted by the Brooklyn brewing team under cover of secrecy…Supposedly Black Ops was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented with champagne yeast.” [/box_light] This stout is a limited production, vintage-labeled beer that is fervently sought after by Brooklyn Brewery enthusiasts. The Imperial Stout’s short supply and known aging potential creates a demand that evaporates Black Ops before it hits the shelves. I’ve had the opportunity to drink a 2008 vintage with four…

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Moustache Brewing Co. Ocelot 2.0 IPA

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I recently visited the Moustache Brewing Co. during their ribbon-cutting ceremony and was able to taste through three of their current releases. The One Drop Pale Ale, Everyman’s Porter and Ocelot 2.0 IPA were all impressive, but the IPA filled my growler and made the ride back home with me. The ale pours a bright orange-copper hue that just looks delicious. A bit too cold at first, the nose shows orange blossom, grapefruit rind and lemon. Once warmed, the aromatic hops are even more prevalent with a piney character taking over. A slight caramel note hints that the palate will…

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Oyster Bay Brewing Company IPA

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Reviewing IPAs can become quite redundant. They’re all hoppy, bitter, citrusy, whatever. I love the style, but it’s prevalence at the beer store can be overwhelming. There are multitudes of styles, with brewers using varying amounts and varieties of hops and malt. Why so many of them can taste so damn similar is a mystery to me. For a beer that is meant to knock you over the head with hops and malt, there are some rare exceptions when an IPA can bring subtlety and balance to the table. This rant was inspired by Oyster Bay Brewing Company’s IPA. It…

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Long Island Welcomes SingleCut Beersmiths

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Last week SingleCut Beersmiths of Astoria, Queens started selling its beer on Long Island. Although there was no bridge separating Long Islanders from the in-house brewed beers of SingleCut, it took them a couple of years to establish themselves in the borough that has become a hotspot for small, start-up breweries. In 2012, Singlecut was one of the first breweries to open in Queens since prohibition and has since been joined by names like Rockaway Brewing Company, Finback Brewery and nano-breweries Big Alice Brewing and Bridge and Tunnel Brewery. Last Wednesday, Hoptron Brewtique celebrated SingleCut’s arrival by bringing in seven…

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Upcoming Long Island Beer Events: February and March Edition

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These days Long Island is laden with breweries, taprooms, wine bars and a ton of strip malls. Most nights there’s no shortage of tap-takeovers or tasting room events for the beer lover. There’s also been a huge spike in the number of formal beer dinners taking place across the island — way too many to list here. So, every so often I’d like to introduce beer-centric events that bring something different to the table. I also plan on attending some of these events and writing about them. Even if you aren’t able to attend, this will hopefully slake your thirst…

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Blue Point Brewery Sold to Anheuser-Busch

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If you’re from Long Island or live here now, there’s a good chance you’ve gulped down a few Blue Point Brewing Toasted Lagers in your day. Heck, it may have even been your introduction to craft beer. According to brewersassociation.com, Blue Point Brewery was #36 in beer sales by volume amongst American craft breweries in 2012. So for Long Island beer drinkers, the fact that Anheuser-Busch today announced its purchase of the first craft brewery opened on Long Island (according to their website) is big news. The transaction is definitely a mixed bag of emotions for most Blue Point fans. …

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Upcoming January Long Island Beer Dinners

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Do you drink beer? Do you eat food? Do you enjoy aforementioned activities? Well, you’re in luck if you’re ready to forget that dreamy beach body and drop all New Year’s resolutions for these calorie-filled local beer-events. Several Long Island restaurants have put together winter beer dinner series to fix the stir-crazy in all of us. Wednesday, January 15 7 p.m. – The Riverhead Project hosts Captain Lawrence Brewing Company for their rotating “The Beer Project” series. These informal, family-style pairings conducted at a communal table facilitate fun beer conversation with brewers and brewery representatives. At $40 a seat, these tickets…

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Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace

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This little 750 ml beauty comes from Brooklyn Brewery. One of the brewery’s regional sales reps and I were discussing local distribution on the East End of Long Island at an event back in the spring. He mentioned that some accounts were dropping their Brooklyn tap lines because they “weren’t craft enough.” This struck me as odd at first, but then I understood. Once a small upstart brewery, opened in 1996, Brooklyn Brewery can now be found in 25 states and 20 countries. This means your favorite sports arena, restaurant and even gas station probably has at least one of their beers. Some of…

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New York-Grown Beer: Will Brewers Support Farmers… Who Will Then Support Brewers?

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Originally, this post was going to be about locally grown hops, and what Long Island breweries were doing with them. But after talking with a handful of people in the industry — mainly brewers and hop farmers — I was left with more questions than answers. The craft beer industry is growing at a rapid rate, that’s no secret, but can New York farmers keep up with the demand for local ingredients? You may wonder why it matters. If you are a microbrewery it might not at all. Hops and grain will always be available from sources around the world, sources…

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