A Dispatch from Beer Week 2018

Friday 2/23

We started our beer week at Bier Wax. It seemed fitting to begin with the opening bash collaboration NE IPA from Finback and the Brewers Guild, which was juicy and delicious. With hits from George Clinton and others spinning on the turntables, it was a great place to relax on a Friday night. We also enjoyed pours of hoppy goodness from LIC Beer Project (Echoes from the Well), KCBC (Jetsetter), and a special treat from Virginia, Aslin beer’s Johann and the Giant Peach.

Photo belongs to BierWax. Go check them out!

The vinyl, the atmosphere and the outstanding beer list all helped BierWax earn high marks, but one thing we really enjoyed was the pour sizes. You can get 4, 8 or 12-ounce pours, which is really helpful when you’re choosing from high gravity IPAs like we were on Friday. The list was hop, and imperial, heavy, which is right up our alley but being we went before dinner, it was a treat to be able to sample responsibly.

Many times I want a full pint, but the 8-ounce option was our go-to at BierWax. On a food note, we highly recommend hitting Bier Wax and then following it with a fried chicken dinner from Mitchell’s across the street. This no-frills family joint has been around forever, and at $10 for a plate of dark meat fried chicken, two sides and cornbread, it has to be the best deal going. The chicken is crisp, and flavorful, the corn bread just a hint sweet and the collard greens are just the right kind of smoky. There really isn’t anything better to soak up the IPA.

Full and slap-happy we decided to hit Hops Hill for a nightcap of Other Half’s Mylar Bags IPA. What would beer week be without a favorite from New York’s IPA kings? We are happy to report we were home, tipsy and full, by 10:30 p.m., which was a good call considering our Saturday plans.

Saturday 2/24

On a gross, rainy day, we found ourselves at the Wilky Bar, in Bed-Stuy, enjoying their “Beers of the Hudson Valley” event. We had delicious beers from Hudson Valley Brewery, Sloop, Rushing Duck, Equilibrium, Industrial Arts and Transmitter (not the Hudson Valley). In fact, the group we were with tried just about every offering they had that day. The favorites included Equilibrium’s Fractal which was citrusy, hazy and smelled delicious as well as two other juicy IPAs, Wrench by Industrial Arts, and Pixie Dust by Sloop. All three packed huge flavor and tropical aromas.

For the sour-oriented, Hudson Valley’s famous sour IPAs were a huge hit, balancing hops and tang beautifully and we’d be remiss not to mention the clean, earthy beers from Suarez. Definitely start with those, as the flavors and subtle excellence won’t hold up after blasting your taste buds.

What really put one of us (James) over the top was a 16-ounce pour of the Rushing Duck Ded Moroz imperial stout. Why a 16-ounce pour of an imperial stout you ask? Great question, we say! When you sign up for the Wilky’s newsletter you get a coupon for a free pint and golly they are going to honor it. Even if you barely remember sitting through dinner after.

As usual, we didn’t get to many formal events as we would have liked to, but we sure crammed a lot of fun and beer into a weekend. Until next year, my friends!