Empire Sweet Fire

Val and I are watching the new season of “American Ninja Warrior” and it seems like every year, the obstacles get more ridiculous, and this year is no exception. I can definitely use a beer to drink while watching this one.

ABV: 8.5%

Style: American Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “At a Brooklyn beer event in October of 2014, 5 friends decided to join forces in a unique beer collaboration by beer industry women. The brew was so successful that the tradition has continued each year since! This imperial stout is brewed and fermented with cocoa nibs and a special chili blend, giving it a tantalizing chocolate aroma, and flavor with a heat that creeps onto the palate and builds into a beautiful balance of sweetness and spice.”

Random: I believe this brewery recently got distribution to New Jersey.

The beer poured with a quarter of a finger of tan head that dissipated slowly. It left some lacing on the glass. The body was dark brown in color with no visible carbonation. The nose had a lot of smoke and ashy chocolate. There was some chili pepper to it, but it needed more. Cocoa powder also made an appearance. The taste had a pleasant heat that hit in the back of the throat, along with shaved milk chocolate. Cocoa powder came through next with cherries. There was a marked booze note as well, which took away from the flavor. It had a thick body with light carbonation. The finish was quick with chili and cocoa. A bottle of this was $1.67, which came to $.14 per ounce. I wish this beer had more intense chili to it and less alcohol presence.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Empire Brewing Company White Aphro

I decided to have another beer at the restaurant in NYC. This was from a brewery that I can honestly say that I had absolutely no familiarity with, which given how long I’ve been writing and following a beer blog, is very, very odd. I came to find out that this is a New York brewery (no surprise there) out of Syracuse. They also have a really good-looking menu at their brewpub. I guess if I ever manage to get up to Syracuse, I have to make a stop there. Anyways, let’s see if I enjoyed this one.

ABV: 5.6%

Style: Witbier

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Belgian style Wit Ale brewed with wheat malt, lemon peel, ginger, and lavender and fermented with a traditional Belgian yeast strain.”

Random: The meow is lounged out on the couch on the remote. Silly cat, you definitely don’t control the remote in this house.

This beer poured with a one finger, pure white head that was slow to dissipate. It left some lacing on the nonic glass. The body was a cloudy, light orange color with moderate carbonation. The nose had serious citrus notes with additions of banana and sage. The sage really threw me for a loop. The taste was very medicinal with sage and a touch of mint. Significant citrus was present as well with a touch of sweetness. After a few sips, I got another weird flavor: lavender. It had a medium thick body, more than the style really needed and moderate carbonation that could have been dialed up. The finish was rather long with lots of the medicinal and herbal notes that were apparent in the taste. This was definitely an interesting beer, but not one that is worth searching out.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0