Blue Point Brewery - Long Island's Best Beer

Recently, I took my annual trip back to Long Island. A stop off at the Blue Point Brewery to enjoy some locally brewed beer is always on the agenda. The brewery's Toasted Lager, Hoptical Illusion and Oatmeal Stout beers are pretty much legendary by now, but I was hoping we would get a chance to try something new. With a healthy-thirst, my friend Glenn and I hopped in the car to make the trip to Patchogue.

We walked through the back entrance, past the fermentation tanks and into the insanely crowded tasting room. You just have to love a brewery that allows its patrons access to all of the equipment used in making their tasty beers.

We opened the door to the tasting room and blam! Wall-to-wall people! We fought our way to the bar, and checked out the selections on the board.


Whoa! To our delight, they had added a Dunkel Weiss and a Cherry Imperial Stout!

We quickly ordered up some of the Dunkel Weiss. Wow! A beautiful chestnut-brown fizzy head, and notes of caramel, cloves and a hint of orange. The first sip was sent from heaven ... delicious, malty goodness, a touch of bitterness and a clean, crisp finish. The Dunkel Weiss had the perfect amount of carbonation, and for me, that's quite a bit when you're talking wheat beers. Full-flavored, but not over-powering, the Blue Point Dunkel Weiss is one of the best American wheat beers I've ever enjoyed.


Next up was the Cherry Imperial Stout. My smile was ear-to-ear when Glenn handed me mine. An abyss-like darkness at first glance, followed by a crimson, dark-cherry red when I held the glass up to the light and gave it a slight tilt. A light foamy head on top, and aromas of chocolate and black cherries popped from the beer.

The first sip ... ahhhhhhh. A winter warmer for sure! The Cherry Imperial Stout was filled with rich flavors of dark malt, bitter chocolate and sour cherries ... absolutely wonderful. You could enjoy this with a slice of German Black Forest cake and probably never need to have another thing to eat or drink again. Amazing stuff.

Due to the ridiculous number of people in there, we decided to bolt, but before we did, we made sure to grab a jug each of those two outstanding Blue Point Brewery beers. I sure hope they get some distribution out west very soon!

Overall Score of the Blue Point Brewery Dunkel Weiss: 4.75 out 5.0

Overall Score of the Blue Point Brewery Cherry Imperial Stout: 4.5 out 5.0

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays, and I wish you all a wonderful New Year!

Cheers!

Xmas in New York and New Year's Eve in Gainesville

Well I missed yet another Weekend Beelz report due to running around from place to place in Long Island. Oh well.

My trip to New York was fantastic and filled with trips to Blue Point Brewery, Brick House Brewery and Restaurant, and my local beer distributor for other tasty treats. I even got to sip some suds at Madison Square Garden with my sister while watching my beloved Rangers beat up on the Carolina Hurricanes. Awesome.

Unfortunately I did not get to spend as much time at the breweries as last year, but I did have the chance to sample the luscious Oatmeal Stout at Blue Point and it may just be the best damn Oatmeal Stout I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. I couldn't find it anywhere other than at the brewery, and they did not have six packs to go for that flavor. Bummer. So all I can tell you is that if you are on Long Island or in the New York Metro area, seek out that beauty from Blue Point. It's worth the search.

I also had the chance to drink their Imperial I.P.A. This beer, known as "No Excuses" was a beast. It came in at 10.2 % ABV, and came correct with a wallop of hops and a sweet full flavor that made me sure I only needed one. They charge a hefty $7.00 US for a pint, but it was well worth it.

I have a special place in my heart for Blue Point Brewery, not only because of Long Island pride, but they consistently produce some of the best ales and lagers I've ever had. Between Blue Point and Brooklyn Brewery, I think it is safe to say that the New York Metro area can go toe-to-toe with any other brewing region in terms of flavorful beelz.


I also made a stop in at the Brick House Brewery & Restaurant in Patchogue, NY, just a short drive from Blue Point.

I just had my fill at the other watering hole, so I only sampled one beer from Brick House. It was their Rye Pale Ale. It wasn't as tasty as the Terrapin Rye Pale Ale from Athens, GA, but it was a fine beer just as well. A nice dry finish from the Rye malt, with a nice kiss of hops made it a pleasant follow-up to the heavy hitters over at Blue Point.

All in all, my trip to the breweries was a success. I had the chance to spend some time with my sister again, and enjoy some of the fruits of the hardworking brewers on Long Island.

In fact, one of my last nights in New York was spent enjoying a case of Toasted Lager and a case of Hoptical Illusion, both from the Blue Point Brewery with some old friends. The two cases ran a bill of $71.00, but there wasn't an unsatisfied customer in the house.

So now it's New Year's Eve. God only knows what's in store. Well until next time...

I wish you all a Happy New Year and Happy New Beelz for 2008!

Prost!