Great South Bay Field 5 Golden IPA

It’s been about 4 years since I’ve had a beer from this brewery. The last one I had was their Blood Orange Pale Ale, which I enjoyed before an Ingrid Michaelson concert. This beer was given to me by my cousin during our annual family reunion at my parents’ house.

ABV: 7%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “So what’s the Bay Way, anyway? The Bay we’re talking about is the Great South Bay, 151 square miles of shallow saltwater heaven stretching to the horizon off the south shore of Long Island, New York. Protected by barrier islands (OK, so technically it’s a lagoon), the Bay is perfectly calm most days, making it a perfect home for 85 species of fish and countless species of fun – from boating to bathing to sport fishing to just leaning back and taking in the gloriousness of it all. Here, the focus is on quality of life, quality of friends, and quality of pretty much everything else – that’s the Bay Way. Whatever we are doing, we put in the thought, time and toil to do it right. When it comes to Bay brews, it’s not about how much we can make; it’s about how much better we can make it. It’s not about how fast we can turn it out, but about how fast the smile appears on your face when you taste it. All of our beers are craft brewed using the highest quality malts and the finest hops we can get our hands on using recipes that have been endlessly tinkered with and processes that are meticulously executed. What surfaces is a mouthful of unique flavor characteristics not common to any other beers. But don’t take our word for it – the proof is in the pint!”

Random: I’m not a big fan of this brewery’s website. It had very little information about the beer.

The beer poured with a finger of white head that dissipated quickly. It left very little lacing on the glass. The body was golden in color and clear with a lot of visible carbonation. The nose had some grassy hops and caramel malts, but not much else. The taste had a decent dose of citrus. I specifically picked up orange and grapefruit. It had a nice amount of malt as well to balance the bitterness. Grass came through as well. The body was on the lighter side of the style, with generous carbonation. It had a quick finish with grapefruit. Since this was a gift, I’m not sure of the cost, but either way, I liked this beer. It was an easy drinker, it just didn’t pull many punches.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Great South Bay Blood Orange Pale Ale

On Sunday, the other half and I headed to Tarrytown to see Ingrid Michaelson play at the Tarrytown Music Hall. I love seeing here live and we stopped at the Tarry Tavern for dinner. They had a few interesting selections on tap and I went with this one. Let’s see how it went.

ABV: 5%

Style: American Pale Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This beer is the liquid personification of the creativity that drives us as craft brewers here at GSB. Blood Orange Pale Ale starts with the finest quality malted barley and American hops. We then infuse the beer with blood oranges to add the bittersweet flavor that rounds out this remarkably well balanced pale ale.”

Random: I don’t understand the suggestive dancing on the Dora the Explorer float. It’s a bit creepy.

This beer poured with a two finger thick, white head that dissipated slowly. It left lots of lacing on the Dogfish Head glass. The body was a clear orange color with moderate carbonation visible. The nose had light notes of blood orange with some complementary grassy hops. The taste had less blood orange notes than nose, which given how much I like blood oranges, was disappointing. After a few sips, it became a little bit stronger, but not as much as I wanted. It had grassy hops and lemon present, without any malt to speak of. The body was thin and watery with generous carbonation. It had long finish with blood orange notes. I was really excited to try the beer because I love anything blood orange flavored, but this was a letdown for me. On the positive side, it went down easily. If you like blood oranges, give it a try, but it’s not worth seeking out otherwise.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Great South Bay Splashing Pumpkin

This was the brew that the other half consumed last night. Before heading to Half Time, I had never even heard of this brewery. But, we figured that it was another pumpkin beer that was definitely worth a shot. Let’s see how this one fared.

ABV: 5%

Style: Pumpkin Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This trick or a treat of a Pumpkin Ale begins with roasted pumpkin that is splashed into our cauldron where malted barley and handfuls of cascade hops are stirred in with a pinch of cinnamon & clove. A tasty pumpkin brew which will enlighten your soul, throughout the haunting Halloween season.”

Random: The Giants lost last night, which could not make me any more happy. I’ll be quite happy if they come in last place in the division.

This beer poured with a one finger white head. It dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a dusky copper color with moderate carbonation. The nose had a lot of pumpkin with nutmeg. The taste was light and fresh with pumpkin and vegetal notes. There was not a lot of spice in it, which was a bit disappointing. The body was on the thin side with high carbonation. The finish was quick with pumpkin. Although I liked this beer, it was much lighter than the normal pumpkin beer. For $2.19 a bottle, this was a decent pumpkin beer and if you’re looking for a lighter pumpkin beer, this would be one to grab. But, only if you live in New York as it’s not distributed to Jersey yet.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0