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Good People, Good Craft Beer, Great Night at Rattle n Hum
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Recently I was in midtown because I had an appointment at the Apple store (59th st. and 5th ave.), and afterwards had a craving for some craft beer. So I hopped on the 6 train and went to my go to craft beer bar also known as Rattle n Hum (12 E. 33 St. Between 5th and Madison). My usual routine upon arriving there is to go towards the back of the bar to see which regulars are hanging out there. The first person that I ran into was one that I least expected to be there. That person was Alex Hall, otherwise known as the Gotham Imbiber. He is also known in New York City for his expertise in cask ales and is often asked by bar owners to help organize cask festivals through out the year. From then on it was a night to remember.
After sitting down at a table with Alex and catching up with some other regulars, I was approached by a waitress and asked if I wanted to order my first beer to which I quickly obliged and ordered Troegs (Harrisburg, PA) Javahead Stout on cask (rather than tap). Having not had this beer in bottle or on tap before I was a little skeptical at first, but upon my first sip all those concerns melted away. First off, the beer had a opaque black body with a decent light brown which dissipated quickly. The aroma was of bakers chocolate, java coffee, and also some citrus hop notes. For the first few sips the taste was mostly your typical stout flavors of coffee and chocolate, but as the beer's temperature crept closer to room temperature hop flavor and bitterness took front stage to the roasty characters of the beer. However, the blend of the two was quite enjoyable. The mouthfeel was nice and smooth, which is typical of cask ales and aided in the beer's drinkability. While there was some hop resins that lingered on my tongue, the finish was quite nice. Overall, the Troegs Javahead stout was a very enjoyable craft beer that I would highly recommend. I did see it in bottle at New Beer Distributors recently, but since it's a limited release beer I hope you can head there soon to grab one of the last few bottles.
The next beer I had was one that I've enjoyed many times in the past and was overjoyed to see it on the tap list. That beer was Green Flash West Coast IPA, a 7% ABV west coast style India pale ale. What I really liked about this fine craft beer is how balanced it is. Meaning, like many of the my favorite IPAs this beer had the perfect amount of malt flavor to balance out the bitterness of the hops without taking away from the hop bite that "hopheads" like me crave. With 95 IBUs (International Bittering Units) the balanced flavors are a testament to the talent of Green Flash Brewing Co.'s head brewer Chuck Silva. The hop flavors were more on the citrus side rather than the pine or floral sides, as was expected since the four hop varieties present in this beer (simcoe,columbus,centennial,cascade) are known to contribute citrus flavors to the beers they're brewed with. Beyond the hops, the malt flavor was mainly a honey-like sweetness that enhanced the complex citrus hop notes and helped the hop bite fade just enough so that it would not be overwhelming. Lastly, I think the Green Flash West Coast IPA is one of the most balanced west coast India pale ales that I've had and continues to stand out as one of the best example of its style. Green Flash beers can be found in bottles at the Whole Foods Market Bowery Beer Room (95 E. Houston St.), Whole Foods Upper West Side (corner of 97th st. and Columbus ave.), and New Beer Distributors.
The third and final beer that I had that night was from a brewery that I had never tried and also started distributing to NY just recently called Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project. The beer I had was their Jack D'or Saison, a 6.4% ABV Saison / Farmhouse ale with a lot of character. What made my mind to pick the Jack D'or Saison was Alex's recommendation because I trust his taste in craft beer and I like to keep up with the large number of craft breweries that have been making their way to Manhattan recently. While I have to admit that I do not drink Saison ales that often, they are one of the styles of beer that I enjoy from time to time. Overall I enjoyed this beer, but wouldn't buy it if there was another Saison that I've enjoyed more in the past on tap or on the store shelves. The dominant flavors were bubble gum sweetness. some citrus tang from the hops and yeast, and some peppery spiciness in the aftertaste. Although Jack D'or Saison did not make it onto my list of favorite Saison / Farmhouse ales I would still recommend it to those who both haven't tried this style of beer before and those looking to try newer craft breweries.
Through out the night I was able to have a bunch of great conversations about craft beer with various people at Rattle n Hum, which definitely added to my overall experience and enhanced my appreciation for the craft beers that I drank that night. To me a complete craft beer bar experience consists not only of a good selection of beers, but also of having people to share those beers with and an atmosphere that is conducive to doing so. Living in Manhattan has provided me with many such experiences and I am proud to know that there are so many other craft beer drinkers who also seek them out on a constant basis. Cheers!
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