Captain Lawrence Pale Ale (Bohemian Hall, Astoria)

It's officially warm out, which means it was time for us to hit up Astoria for the famous Beer Gardens. The Czech-run establishment boasts a large outdoor drinking area, a fantastic array of taps, and enough patrons to never be boring. It can be difficult to find a table but let's not get into the details here, we'll save that for a profile. Onwards, then, to yonder brew.

It seems that many individuals that own ships also enjoy brewing beer or, in the case of one very famous captain, rum. This here is Captain Lawrence Pale Ale, brewed by the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. As far as I can tell this seems to be their only brew. Too bad, because its got one hell of a unique taste. To begin with, the initial taste is a sledgehammer of hops. Not quite Hopstoopid, but still a shock to the taste buds. Then, to the surprise of the Beerventure and their respective mouths, the taste transformed to a piney, outdoorsy type taste as we waited. More interestingly, you could actually feel the taste transforming. Fascinating, unique, and tasty. Unfortunately, the drawback was the initial hop blast as it mars the more complex aftertaste with its own. Nevertheless, its a quality beer and we gave it a 3.5 out of 5 for its unique-ness and overall flavor. I'd suggest a pint of it to any serious beer drinker, but if you're not into bitter, stay away.

http://www.captainlawrencebrewing.com/beer_list

Playing with Hops is like playing with fire, it might ruin your day but it's essential if you plan on doing anything except beating your chest.

Profile: Beer World (Sunnyside)

We decided it was time to shed some light on some of our favorite beer-providing locales. Whether it be a store, bar, or a beer-raining fountain, they have provided a plethora of ales, lagers, and stouts. Armed with these suppliers, we have been been able to continue our journey through rain, snow, wind, and cold.

The best place to start is the beginning, so let's talk about our local favorite: Beer World. Located in Sunnyside, Queens, this magical corner shop is part of a Russian Supermarket located on Queens Boulevard just off the 40th and Lowery Street stop on the 7 train. It's labeled well, but can look a little put-offish from the outside. Don't be dissuaded, go inside. The grocery store is a grocery store, but the Beer World section is a force to be reckoned with. Those shelves house some of the strangest beers from the furthest locations you can think of, and there is a never ending supply of single bottles that you just can't find anywhere else. You might be tempted to say, "Well, that doesn't look like that many choices". I would say to you, "But no, yon skeptical reader. See those bottles? Each one is a different brew." Needless to say they don't keep a large stock of any beer (save those that come in 30s), but the endless choices and reasonable prices make it a worthwhile location.

We're not in the business of rating bars or stores, so we'll keep the profiles to our favorite places. Though I may consider rating one of the aforementioned fountains...

Smoked Porter (Beer World, Sunnyside)

Rain is a pain, especially in New York City. Maybe it doesn't rhyme nicely, but it did drive us back to local and trusty Beer World in Sunnyside. Their vast selection never ceases to disappoint, though when your choosing at random you're bound to be disappointed with your own selection.

Enter Stone's Smoked Porter. Despite its badass gargoyle and promising name, the porter failed to even remotely live up to its promise of a smooth blend of chocolate, coffee, and "peat-smoked specialty malt". To start with, the head on the pour is massive. Although I've seen excitement over this, in reality it proved to be nuisance as I had to wait a full 5 minutes before I could drink it. This is a porter, not a stout. If I wanted the pour to be an art, I would have picked up something much darker, drier, and more expensive. The Smoked Porter has delusions of grandeur, and I ended up finishing it out of the bottle.

The taste only further added to my frustration. The porter is a smooth blend of malt and chalk balanced with the subtle character of dish water. To be fair, I was able to finish it thanks to the sheer complexity of its taste, so it manages to squeak out a 2 out of 5.

Stone Brewing Company's "Smoked Porter"

If you want to try it based on the label, I understand. Do yourself a favor, though, grab a six pack of something else too. You're going to need it while you wait.

Red Barchetta Ale (John Harvards, Manchester CT)

It's been a month, but we're back and kicking off round 2 with a sample from a new State: Connecticut, home of John Harvard's. John Harvard's is a microbrewery located in the northern part of the state. A trek to say the least, but a welcome change of pace from the Big Apple from time to time. In this case, a welcome change to the bank account. With $3 pints of home brews on weekdays, it's hard to find a better sampling place in the Tristate area when you take selection and cost into account.

Fending off Red Sox fans with one hand, I ordered the Red Barchetta Ale with the other. Named after the song by Rush, the Red Barchetta promised smooth, malty taste with a hop finale. It delivered. Very mild caramel starts the taste, with enough tingle to say, "yes, I am an Ale", while a rather abrupt hop taste finishes. It's an ale of extremes, which certainly leads to an interesting pint. What it doesn't lead to, however, is prolonged enjoyment. I lost taste for this guy after just two pinits, despite thouroughly enjoying my first, and had to order something else to continue the night. Quality? Yes. Drinkability? Eh, not so much. That doesn't mean it didn't wrack up enough points to grab a 4 out of 5 though.

No website for the beer, since its a microbrewery that changes its selections daily, but if your interested in the joint: http://www.johnharvards.com/index.shtml

Drinkability is a shwag quality anyway...

Farmhouse Ale Moo Thunder Stout

I first heard of Farmhouse Ales from a friend of mine who noted that he had just picked up a fantastic variety pack of great beer in CANS!

Being skeptical I couldn't seem to find it

anywhere to try it for myself, but did manage to try the Pork Slap Pale Ale at a friends once. Upon entering my local Sunnyside Beer World I found a whole cornucopia of Farmhouse Ales (actually the Butternut Brewery), so I decided to take a shot with the Moo Thunder Stout. First off, the can designs look like they were designed by someone

much too young to purchase adult beverages.

They are cartoony and put a smile on my face right away. Moo Thunder is a milk stout

and while being carbonated as opposed to nitrous

(like a Guinness or Old Speckled Hen) it still is remarkably creamy, no small wonder. The taste is pure malty stouty goodness with an abundance of chocolaty finish. This would go great with with the classic "meat and potatoes" type dish, or better yet, with a chocolate dessert.

I'm giving it a 4.5 outta 5, it's not my favorite stout out there(Young's Double Chocolate Stout), but it's pretty damn close. (and at a $1.50 a single at in NYC not bad either)

Sunset Wheat (Whole Foods, Upper West Side)

The Upper West Side is home to a long list of bars with taps of excellence, but sometimes you run out of money. When that happens, there's Whole Foods. With a beer selection rivaling many liquor stores and blowing the rest out of the water (not to mention their"fill your own Growler" section), the wholesale grocer allowed us to continue our journey.

With our day saved, we found this guy and had a taste at our Master Brewer's apartment. Leinenkugel's "Sunset Wheat", although a year-round brew, says "Hi, I'm Spring" then smashes you in the face with a bag of fruit. You've got to like wheat and citirus to like this one, but if you do then go snag a pack because your all set for tonight. Definatley a wheat-lover's beer, this guy is pale as a horseman and has a not-so-suble fruity aftertaste. It can be overwhelming at times if your not in to coriander, and definatly cannot be mixed with stouts. Overall, though, I liked it enough to give it a 4 out of 5.

http://www.leinie.com/sunset_wheat.html

Website suggests serving it with cheese. I suggest serving it with 65 degree weather and the month of March.

Island Creek Oyster Stout (Amsterdam 106, Upper West Side)

We made the trek out of Sunnyside to an old faithful named Amsterdam 106. Profile to come, lets get down to the beauty on the screen:

The picture does it no justice, but this is Harpoon's "Island Creek Oyster Stout". To be fair, it's really Kate Tame's "Island Creek Oyster Stout", as it is part of the 100 Barrel Series that was inspired either by a divine revelation or a group that really loves making beer. Essentially, they've invented Russian Roulette for beer except losing only means a trip to the porcelin god, while wining is a taste explosion. Every couple of months one of Harpoon's brewers gets to spin the chamber and invent their own brew which is then, in turn, fed to the general population. The result? Our first 5 out of 5.

The dry stout is a thick mix of smoked hickory, coffee, and chocolate perfectly blended to give it a smooth, warm taste. The coffee taste dominates, though not so much as to burn out the taste after a few. If you want my opinion: grab a four pack, shelf the Guiniess, and enjoy this St. Patrick's with a new taste (if not a new look).

http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28515

Boston is good for something it seems...