Victory Festbier

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Cask

The first Friday of every month is cask beer night at Aroma Thyme Bistro, in Ellenville, NY. This month's beer was Lucky 13 from the Lagunitas Brewing Company. Lucky 13 was first brewed in 2006 to commemorate the brewery's 13th anniversary. The beer was so well received that Lagunitas decided to keep it around.

Lucky 13 poured a cloudy apple cider color with absolutely no head. The nose was clean, big hop aroma with some underlying malt. The body was smooth, with almost no carbonation. There is a big malt backbone, a noticeable sweetness and notes of beef jerkey, and a large amount of hops on the backend. The finish is loaded with hops, a sharp bitterness, and a nice lingering dryness.

Overall, this is a nice, well made beer. It is a monster that should be sipped or paired with rich, gamey meat. This would be a great beer to buy and lay down in the cellar for a year or so.

Flying Dog Raging Bitch

Raging Bitch was brewed by Flying Dog to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Flying Dog was brewed as an American I.P.A. with Belgian yeast. This beer checks in at a whopping 8.3% ABV, and 60 IBU's.

Marcus Guiliano of Aroma Thyme Bistro, in Ellenville, NY called me the other day to come in and try this new beer.

Raging Bitch pours a clear, amber color with a thumb width, off white head. The aroma is amazing, with a citrus and pine hop aroma. The body is smooth, hoppy throughout, with pale malt in the middle and grassy notes. The finish leaves a very nice lingering dryness. The beer leaves a decent amount of hanging lace on the glass. Overall, this is just a flat out great beer. It is an A+ beer from the nose to the finish. Well-balanced, gret flavor and really memorable.

Dogfish Head Immort Ale

My last visit to Aroma Thyme Bistro resulted in the tasting of two Dogfish beers. Dogfish Head is one of head chef/owner Marcus Guiliano's all-time favorite breweries, so it is no surprise that he is now stocking 15+ of Dogfish's offerings. The first beer tasted was Dogfish Head's Immort Ale.

Immort Ale is "Brewed with peat-smoked barley, Immort is brewed with organic juniper berries, vanilla & maple syrup. It's aged on oak and fermented with a blend of English & Belgian yeasts".

Immort poured a light brown color with a thin tan head. The nose was malty, with a big aroma of sweetness and vanilla. The body is rich and sweet with a big malt profile. The finish is short with a lingering dryness as a result of all of the malt sugar.

Overall, this is a great brew. The complex body is deep with plenty of flavor. The 11% ABV is noticeable in the body but is not overwhelming.

This beer would pair extremely well with any rich cheeses, chocolate fudge, and a nice braised lamb shank.

21st Amendment IPA

Another new beer on tap at Aroma Thyme Bistro in Ellenville, NY means another new blog post for The Foaming Head. The new beer is 21st Amendment's India Pale Ale. 21st has canned their beers since June of 2008, but the beers have only recently been available in New York.

21st's IPA poured a semi-hazy, golden color with a big frothy white head. The aroma consists mostly of dry, floral hops. The cascade is most apparent. The body has a creamy mouthfeel with some light, pale malt up front. The hops start to make their presence felt in the middle of the palate and lead to a very dry finish. The beer leaves lots of beautiful circular lacing.

Overall, this is a really nice IPA. The hops are not overwhelming so the hop heads that love American IPA's may not be impressed but I think this is a nice beer. There is plenty of flavor and the hops balance well with the pale malt. This is a real nice IPA for the Summer and I am sure I will be stopping in for a few more.

Harpoon IPA

Chef/Owner Marcus Guiliano invited me into Aroma Thyme Bistro, in Ellenville, NY to taste their newest beer on tap; Harpoon IPA. Harpoon's beer checks in at a relatively strong 5.9% and is brewed with American Cascade hops and three different malts.

The beer poured a golden yellow color with a inch high, frothy, white head. There was some floating sediment that made its way into the glass from the keg. The aroma is clean and hoppy, with the Cascade hops dominating.

There is some malt up front before the hops really start to show through. The body is pretty dry, yet a little thinner than most American IPA's with the hops showing through more on the aroma and finish than the body. The beer leaves a decent amount of lace on the glass.

Overall, I really like this beer. The lighter body makes this a perfect IPA for the summer. Harcore hopheads may look for a beer with a little more bite in the body, but I enjoy Harpoon's version as I can enjoy more than one without a glass of water nearby. This beer would pair very well with any of Chef Guilano's Thai dishes.

Left Hand Haystack Wheat

We tasted Left Hand's take on the German wheat style at Aroma Thyme Bistro in Ellenville, NY. The Haystack wheat has 5% ABV and pours a medium sized head, and a cloudy hay color, which may be where the name comes from. The beer has a clean nose with not much on the hop or malt side. The first sip is crisp and there is not much to the body. There is not much flavor in the middle and almost none on the finish. If you are looking for a lighter styler beer for a hot summer day this is not a bad choice, but if your looking for a nice big beer to sip on, I would look elsewhere. Overall, it is not a terrible beer, but I probably wouldn't recommend it either.