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Keeping My Head Above Water

Nightmare Brewing Company
Mizuharitsuke
Triple India Pale Ale brewed with Moshio Salt
Triple Dry hopped with Pacific Sunrise, Talus and HBC 630 hops
11.3% ABV
North Haven, CT
Founder and Phantom Brewer: Billy Powell

Deep hazy orange-golden with a white head that fades. Before even pouring, I can smell pineapple! After it’s in the glass that pineapple is still persistent, and then mango, and tangerine. It’s crisp and fresh and super nose friendly. Sipping that mango and pineapple along with papaya, lychee, and melon…it’s a delicious tropical fruit bowl with a shake of salt (I always put salt on fruit. Makes the flavor pop more). There’s also a little grass hanging out in the back This would be so good with pulled pork or actually pour it over the pork before you start slow cooking it. Yum!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: GROSS! If you could only see how scrunched up my face is.

I’m a saltaholic, but I did not know the history of Moshio salt that ranges back 2,500 years. The labor intensive production had kind of been lost until a 1984 dig on Kami-kamagari isle unearthed a treasure trove of pottery, shakers, and clues to how the salt was derived from the seaweed/seawater process. There’s a modern adaptation now, but it’s still a whole lot of work. Now, to address Mizuharitsuke’s label. That’s a whole other can of worms or seawater. It’s a really truly gruesome form of crucifixion (from Japan) where you’re tied to a cross during low tide and then here comes the waves and then high tide. If lucky you pass on day one, if not…well you might be there a while to think about your transgressions. I think I’ll stay on good behavior while sipping my IPA and keeping my head above water.

#beer #tripleipa #ipa #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #beerlife #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit #Nightmare #NightmareBrewing #NightmareBrewingco #Moshio #pairswithcheezits #northhaven #ct @nightmarebrewingco @BeerBoutiqueNYC @twelve.percent.beer.project @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @worldbyglass @cheezits

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Long Dreamy Drinker

Timber Ales and Casa Agria collaboration
Lost Memories
Imperial Stout aged on coconut and almonds
12% ABV
North Haven, CT
Brewer: Jason Stein

Darkest black coffee with a small caramel head. Smells like several boxes of assorted Girl Scout cookies have been opened, and I want to go wild in them. There’s rich chocolate, toasted coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and shortbread (my fave cookie). Oh this baby is thick and dense. Tastes like all of the scents and tons more coconut. This is a long drinker, and is better than a slice of chocolate cake or shall I go so far as to say a 4 tiered flourless chocolate cake. Heavenly and devilish at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Ack! Blerg! NOPE!

Lost Memories is a perfect name for this beer, since it stirred all sorts of cookies from the deep depths of my brain. Cheers to Timber Ales and Casa Agria’s working together and blowing my mind on how good an Imperial Stout can be.

@timber_ales @BeerBoutiqueNYC @twelvepercentbeerproject @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #timberales #imperialstout #jasonstein #worldbyglass #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #northhaven #CT

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Brotherly Love

Nightmare Brewing Company
Sororicide
Imperial Stout with Honey Roasted Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Ecuadorian Cacao & Indian Vanilla
15.5 ABV
Brewed & Canned by Nightmare Brewing
North Haven, CT
Founder and Phantom Brewer: Billy Powell

Deep dark of night thick black coffee with a small brown head that runs away as fast as possible. Chocolate charges out of the can and up your nose during the pour along with coffee, creamy peanut butter, smoky burnt brownie edges, and a wiggle of vanilla. Oh man, first sip and second and then third and damn that’s good! Seriously! It’s like someone smashed chocolate peanut butter cups with brownies coated in espresso and then the vanilla hits you. Also a lick of the honey roasted peanuts. I’m in trouble now that this is 15.5%. Big trouble!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: NOOOOOOOOOO! I’d rather the Reaper come find me.

My last Nightmare was their “Colombian Necktie” back when they were still in search of new artists and Billy’s sketches were still being used. From this can alone, the open call really worked. Alexandros Pyromallis’s seriously intricate art rocks! Billy and his sister must have a very loving and mischievous camaraderie, for him to have her depicted doing what she loves (broadcasting on B95.5 FM  Albany from Poughkeepsie to Vermont.) and getting impaled by Death’s arm with a blood splattered garden gnome hanging out nearby. Just beautifully twisted. That being said, he did also create Matricide and Patricide brews for his parents. I guess you’ll know you’re truly and dearly loved by Billy if he dedicates beer and art to your potential demise.

@nightmarebrewingco @BeerBoutiqueNYC @inkrituals @twelve.percent.beer.project @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #imperialstout #stout  #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #beerlife #northhaven #ct

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A Graceful Collaboration of All Parts

Public Access (in collaboration with Root + Branch)
Grandeza
Gose style ale w/pineapple + dragonfruit
8% ABV
North Haven, CT
Brewers: Ramón Manrique Hung, Anthony Sorice, and Ryan Mauban

Looks like a watermelon/grapefruit cocktail with a small light pink head. Beautiful scents of pineapple, dragonfruit, grapefruit, and spring flowers. This just smells delightful! Now on to the taste and there’s a salty mix of pineapple, dragonfruit, papaya, mango, and watermelon jolly rancher at the end. This is perfect for a sunny day and would be great for slow cooking pork!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: doesn’t change a thing

Public Access and Root + Branch are currently both nomadic beer projects, but Root + Branch is working on building their own space in Copiague, NY. Public’s Ramón Manrique Hung has a true American Dream story. From Venezuela, he knew he wanted more and made his way to the US, worked his way from the bottom up in the beer/bar world, and is now a US citizen and a Certified Cicerone® (beer sommelier). It is true as cheesy as it sounds, that if you have a dream and determination you can make it happen. As for the guys from Root, Anthony Sorice went from home brewing to full on professional through stints with Three’s Brewing, Coney Island Brewing, and most recently head brewer at Long Island City Beer Project. And to think he went to college for European History…hmmm. Not to forget is his partner Ryan Mauban who is also a Certified Cicerone® who has worked for Michelin Star chefs, and in 2017’s Wine Enthusiast Magazine, he was one of the only beer professionals picked for their Top 40 Tastemakers Under 40. All three of these guys deserve accolades for how far they have come and how fab their creations are. Also have to give a nod Public Access’ graceful label art by Gizem Karatas (you can see more of her designs on their site). I’ve been trying to find a her site/portfolio, so if anyone can point me to it, I would love to view it. If the rest of it is anything like these labels, it’s going to be beautiful.

@BeerBoutiqueNYC @publicaccessliquids @rootandbranchbrewing @gzmkaratas @twelve.percent.beer.project @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits  #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #beerlife #northhaven #ct #gose #ale

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Hazy Fantayzee

Skygazer Brewing Co.
Watercolors – Synergy
Mango, Guava, Marshmallow, Vanilla, Milk Sugar
Berliner Style Weisse Beer
5.5% ABV
Brewed and packaged by Twelve Percent
North Haven, CT

Deep orange gold thick hazy swamp color…kind of like a super healthy full of fiber carrot orange juice. Was not expecting the marshmallow and vanilla to smack my nose that hard at first. Next comes the mango/guava combo. Smells like it reads. I’m also getting a small faint grapefruit waft. This is just dreamy sipping. All of the above from how it smelled is perfectly rolled into one big soup. It’s creamy and tingly with a little lemon too. Sweet but not where it overpowers you. I can definitely keep drinking this whole can. I could see this going really well with super hot Thai food.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Oh no! DO NOT DO THAT! The Cheez-It ruins the beer. Please for the love of all things sacred, do not attempt to pair with Cheez-It.

Tried straight and not blended with their other Watercolors – Synergy – Raspberry, Blackberry, Graham Cracker, Vanilla, Milk Sugar; which is another way advised to try. Maybe next time but this was fabulous all on it’s complex, fun and fruity self. Oh and beware, this is easy to drink and way too fast, so I suggest buying a few.

@skygazer_brewingco @BeerBoutiqueInc @twelvepercentbeerproject @twelve.percent.beer.project @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #skygazer #berlinerstyleweisse #Weisse #fruitedsour #watercolors #craftbeer #NorthHaven #CT