In the past year or so, I have had 87 different varieties of beer (no exaggeration!) just at this one bar I frequent (Croxley’s Ale House in Farmingdale, NY) that is known for its absurd selection. I’ve had many a new beer at various friends’ houses, other bars, and stuff I’ve found at the local supermarket/beer distributor/stolen from a homeless. It lately occurs to me that I have quite a large amount of content that I’ve written and photographed that’s pretty much ready to go for this site, and I’ve not posted any of it. Let’s rectify that, shall we? Starting right now, I’ll be posting a different beer I’ve tried almost daily, until I’ve caught up with all the backlog. Once that happens, look for the mini beer reviews to become a nearly weekly event as I am at the aforementioned bar nearly weekly. *coughIcanstopanytimeIwantoIjustdon’twanttocough*
Starting things off, here is Founder’s Dirty Bastard!
From the Founders website: “So good it’s almost wrong. Dark ruby in color and brewed with seven varieties of imported malts. Complex in finish, with hints of smoke and peat, paired with a malty richness and a right hook of hop power to give it the bad attitude that a beer named Dirty Bastard has to live up to. Ain’t for the wee lads.”
(I enjoy adding the description from either the beer menu, the bottle itself, or the brewery website because they make the beer sound like a perfectly crafted work of art. I feel like I should have a flavor orgasm in my mouth. This… does not often happen and I usually note when the given description is way off the mark.)
ABV: 8.5%
My thoughts:This is a darker beer that has an almost sweet flavor to it. Maybe its the smoke and peat, but it seems to me like a hint of molasses, similar to Grimbergen, along with some bitterness that I can’t identify. It’s pretty good, although I think the first time I tried it, I wasn’t a fan. I found that it went really well with very spicy wings as that almost sweet flavor cooled my mouth off nicely. Don’t have it with barbecue wings or other strongly sweet foods as that will completely ruin the taste of both the beer and the food! I usually avoid sweet foods with beer anyway, since it usually makes the beer taste odd, but its worth mentioning here because the effect is not only very pronounced, but also seemed to work in reverse and make the food taste bad.
Rating: 3.5/5
Number of times I’ve had it: 2
Location:
Croxley’s Ale House
Farmingdale, NY