We can’t storm Area 51 anymore so I stormed Area 2

beer, drink, Travel

I hate it when someone tells me something is overrated after I express interest in going. Let me find that out for myself. Or not. I felt that way about Two Roads Brewery in Stratford, CT.

Two Roads is Connecticut’s largest brewery occupying 10 acres of land for brewing, tasting, entertaining and growing. Pretty impressive. The building’s post-industrial aesthetic and the collection of branded Air Streams gave the OG Two Roads an injection of 2010s zeitgeist. The tattoo event and french fry food truck added to that millennial vibe. So yeah, I guess if you’re over that crowd, then this place isn’t for you.

However, who cares what the place looks like when the beer is this good. Now, Two Roads is fun and the standards are abundant whether you like IPAs, sours or even hard seltzer, but if you want a wild time head over to Area 2, Two Roads’ experimental facility accessible via walkway from the brewery. While Two Roads might be perfect for tossing a frisbee, crushing a beer and dog watching, Area 2 is ideal for finding something rare and new.

In my 5-beer tasting I tried a farmhouse ale, a saison and a “hard kombucha” among the long list of uniquely funky and off-beat varieties. Of course, this is a lot of beer to drink without having any food so be sure to grab some cheese and crackers while you’re sippin’ and maybe pack a snack so you aren’t like us, waiting for french fries to sober you up.

Now for the run-down of all the beers:

Norwegian Farmhouse Ale (5% ABV) – this beer satisfied a craving I had for months. After leaving the Hudson Valley, a land abundant with beers and wines that taste like a full on barnyard, I needed a refreshing beer that still delivered that sour, earthy stink. This was it.
Table Terroir (3.7% ABV) – table wine feels like a lost tradition. In Europe, it’s easy to walk into a restaurant or tavern and grab a cask of inexpensive table wine. It goes with everything in a complimentary way, not an overpowering way. This low ABV, easy drinking beer is a three-way crossroad between an IPA, a wheat beer and a saison.
Brett Saison (6.6% ABV) – dude, I know I love sours and fruity beers, but the french farmhouse saison is really rocking my world. As I constantly yearn for funky flavors, I find myself ordering saisons more frequently and finding more to love with each sip. You’ll want to tuck into a wheel of brie after taking one sip.
Hard Kombucha (4.5% ABV) – did someone say pink beer? This deep magenta rooibos and sour cherry concoction tasted just like unsweetened iced tea. My mom introduced me to rooibos years ago and it always had a magical quality to it: earthy and beet-like. This felt remarkably healthy to drink, justifying its name.
Crooked Roads (5.7% ABV) – AKA the fried chicken beer. Now, I’m not sure if its because this was our last beer of the day (after a full pour AND 4 tastes) but we took a loopy turn upon tasting this. “It tastes like fried chicken.” What? Nick said this and I was confused at first until it hit me. It tasted like fried chicken. A thigh. Right off the bone. I deduced that this was from the oak aging, giving the sour ale a woody, meaty flavor.

These were only five of the 16 possibilities and you bet I’m going back for more. Area 2 can abduct me into their spacecraft of dope beer any weekend of the year.

5 Beers You Don’t Want To Miss

beer, drink

A muddy tent, 12 beers and three hot dogs. That’s it, that’s the scene. I attended Tap NY at Hunter Mountain on Sunday, April 28 and that basically sums up my day to anyone interested in the short version. The rain couldn’t stop us from touring through tents filled with tons of attendees and brewers. Also hot dogs. There were so many hot dogs.

Tables were stocked with some of the best beers New York has to offer from Long Island and NYC to Western New York State. After rounding up all 12 beers (requiring some detective work) I’m here to give you my top 5 in no particular order. These are the beers you absolutely have to try.

Brown’s Brewing Company – Cherry Razz

Picture a Jolly Rancher. Now make it beer. That’s basically it. Cherry Razz is the adult version of Kool Aid and I’m not mad about it. This pink beer was refreshing and clean but also very sweet like candy. Drink this outside, maybe with a dog because this is just happiness in a glass.

Clemson Bros. – M-Town

Paying homage to their brewery hometown in Middletown, NY with the name, M-Town tastes like a damn mimosa. It’s the blood orange that does it. It’s light and fruity with enough bubbles to make you giggle at brunch. Drink this with a cheesy omelet and don’t forget to wear a wide brimmed hat and a sundress.

Equilibrium – Peregrinas

Another Middletown brewery! Equilibrium has a scientific edge to it’s beers and this peachy saison perfectly balances sweet and sour notes. It looks like Sunny D but is worlds better and should be enjoyed out of a stemmed glass with some cheese (because cheese would be great).

Interboro – Fluff & Stuff

The only Brooklyn brew I tried at Tap NY. Fluff & Stuff, another pink beer, was a dry style kinda like a rosé. It was fruity but not super sweet and really more akin to a wine. It even looked like rosé in color with its pale pink hue. I definitely would drink this at a barbecue but like a fancy barbecue with steaks or something.

West Kill Brewing – Please Acknowledge Me

Probably one of the best names for a beer – this was light and floral. Maybe too pretty to drink because it looked like pure sunshine in a glass. Another saison but unlike the Peregrinas this was a little earthier and tasted like kombucha. If you could do yoga and drink beer at the same time this would be the beer to drink.

While these are my top 5, all 12 beers were satisfying in their own right. Here’s the rest of the beers I tried during my day at Tap NY:

Barrier Brewing – Shadows and Dust

Catskill Brewery – Barrel Aged Barleywine

Gilded Otter – Blueberry Gunks

Industrial Arts – Spring Landscape

King’s Court – Mind Bender

Mill House Brewing Company – Cucumber Blessings

Roscoe Beer Company – Brown Ale

PINK BEER IS HAVING A MOMENT AND SO AM I

beer, drink

The words “pink drink” evoke infamous memories of college parties: standing before a cooler with a spout dripping pink liquid. The bastardized amalgamation of pink lemonade, sprite and vodka fill the red plastic cup again and again. When was the cooler last cleaned? Who did I hand $5 to for this cup? I don’t know, but I’m having fun until the morning.

While “pink drink” has been tucked away to a secluded corner of my brain, pink beer is top of mind lately. I’ve been feeling my 2019 Barbie girl fantasy lately ordering and pouring beers that are all coincidentally pink. It’s no surprise that pink beer is having a moment when everything seems to be coming up rosés.

Most pink beers tend to fall into the sour or farmhouse ale categories as those funky, farmy styles are experiencing an undeniable renaissance. Hudson Valley Brewery added a strawberry sour to the family of Silhouette beers and, damn, it tastes like strawberry ice cream. The hazy pink brew resembles a strawberry smoothie. Sloop Brewing Company is re-releasing the first ever Sloop Jam series beer, Razzle Dazzle, by popular demand. The raspberry and cherry sour beer appears jammy and bright. The ever inventive Plan Bee Farm Brewery special released breakfast, a beer brewed with blueberry and coffee and aged in bourbon barrels (ya know, like breakfast). All I can say besides delicious is MAGENTA because in a glass this was a gorgeous jewel tone.

Of course these beers would be delicious straight from the can (sorry, mom) but watching bubbles rise through the deep pink beer really completes the experience. The truth? I’m sure social media has made pink beer explode this season. Berry lambics and cherry lagers have always existed but the craze is picking up now as every layman and blogger has romanticized the pink drink via Instagram alone. More truth? I’m not even mad.