Rocky Point Artisan Brewers

With Halloween upon us and Thanksgiving on the way the Long Island beer enthusiast has much to look forward to in the coming season. Right now we are up to our ears in pumpkin ales that range in quality from spice rimmed amber ales to beers that actually use pumpkin in their recipe. Both John Harvard’s and the Brickhouse will have their pumpkin ales on tap from now until December. Southampton’s pumpkin ale is available in 22oz bottles.

Last year at John Harvard’s I talked with headbrewer David Deturris about his pumpkin ale. “It outsells by volume all other beers we brew here. Even the beers we brew all year. I’ll brew more pumpkin ale from September to December than I brew of the John Harvard’s Pale ale in twelve months,” he told me.

I think what most people like about these pumpkin ales is the “gimmick factor.” Pumpkin ale (at John Harvard’s and the Brickhouse) are served with a cinnamon sugar rim (think about the salt rim on a margarita and you know what I’m talking about). So that first taste of pumpkin ale delivers a mouthful of cinnamon and sugar which masks the flavor of the beer and moderates the spicy/floral nature of most pumpkin ales. Also, the aroma is dominated by that sugary cinnamon layer on the rim — that’s the gimmick. My guess is that you could put cinnamon sugar on the rim of a Pabst Blue Ribbon and it would taste like pumpkin ale.

As we move past pumpkin season things will start to get more interesting. Here’s a few brews to look for in the coming months:

John Harvard’s in Lake Grove has my favorite locally brewed holiday ale, the Holiday Red. The best thing about this ale is that it’s full bodied, malty, and isn’t a spice tea. I would probably like spiced beers more if the spices were used more subtly to finesse the beer’s natural flavor rather than as decongestant. This Holiday Red is a solid amber colored brew with a balance of malt and hops that makes the beer both interesting and refreshing.

Over at the Brickhouse in Patchogue you’ll usually find the Blitzen on tap in the winter months. This is a spiced up version of their red ale with the malt bill ratcheted up to give this winter warmer a decent kick at 7.3 percent alcohol by volume. If you are having two of these make sure you call a cab.

When the Blitzen is fresh this beer at its best. What you’ll taste is a scoop of malt and a dash of holiday spice. While I understand the reason for the prominence of the spice character (namely, so that the novelty seekers can get a smack in the tongue even if their palates are fatigued) I find the spice in the Blitzen a little over the top for my taste. The spices end up being a little harsh in the back of the throat after you’ve made it halfway through the pint.

If you can’t make it to a Long Island brewpub this winter, keep an eye out for the Blue Point Winter Ale. It’s available in fine bars, pubs, and restaurants (and at grocery stores and beer stores in the bottle) all across the Island. This beer is dark and malty and has no spices in it. (If you are interested, check out the review of this beer that I wrote a couple of years ago.) In fact, the Blue Point Winter Ale is a good seasonal drinking beer. I usually keep several bottles in the beer cellar to enjoy with a home cooked meal or to relax with in front of the fire. If you have a keg system at your house, take a keg along to the brewery. They’ll be happy to fill your keg while you wait.

Don’t overlook the seasonal offerings from Southampton. During the winter months I like to open a few bottles of their higher alcohol beers. The Grand Cru and the Abbot 12 are good fireside sippers. Any of their XXII series will work in the colder months, the Tripel and the Imperial Porter being my favorites.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 8:50 am and is filed under reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.