Sugar Hill Golden Ale, Lagunitas Sucks, Victory's Hop Ranch IPA, and a Peekskill's Wake Up Call Pale Ale

Sugar Hill's Golden Ale at Harlem Ale House is a thin, clear ale with a fast froth that drinks like a mega brand but with twice the alcohol.  Beeradvocate.com rates it "okay" around 77, and I think it's a little better than that.  This beer makes me think brand needs it's own brewery and about 4 more signature beers at this point.  On the other hand, the surroundings at the Harlem Ale House sure are-- great giant HD TVs for sports, good attentive bar service and plenty of room.  The menu is a bit pricey for bar foods, but it's not a fast food burger hub and it's the trend. 

Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale

I also had one of these Lagunitas Sucks at Harlem Ale House, and it was nice, complex, and dark, with aromatic hops, and abiding froth and a spicey pine character that was hard to parse.  It has its minions and fans at BA, which rates it a 97.

It's a nice balanced ordeal, with a strong alcohol vertabrae, not unlike a T. Rex tip towing through a flowery Petaluma neighborhood.  It's hard not to appreciate this beer, but I'm wondering if it was not a bit over aged, given the spicey character.

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Victory Hop Ranch IPA

Here's a great big, bold, clear, gold beautiful IPA for Hop heads to get fix the condition.   Really nice, well balanced, lacey, abiding froth, smelling tart and citric.  Very aromatic. Mosaic hops shine in aroma and the sharp piney taste.

I had this this beer at Friend of a Farmer off Union Square, which has plenty of glazed food that calls for something this high robust to wash back the lipid parade.

I have no problem picking up a 6 pack of this to have on hand for random pizza, burgers, wings or pork and beef based BBQs. Victory's Hop Ranch rocks a 95 from their fans at Beeradvocate.com.  Ratebeer.com's audience is even more happy with the outcome at 99%.  Neither cheezey or skunked up, I can say it's hard to oversell this beer if you like your hops just right.

 

 

Peekskill Brewery's new Wake Up Call Pale Ale

Peekskill Brewery's new Wake Up Call Pale Ale is another of it's line of epic mixtures, using Galaxy Hops and Guatemalan Coffee Beans from Coffee Labs Roasters.  This may be one of the best coffee based beers I've had, so you can set any and all of your Java stouts right next to this one.  At this point, Ratebeer has one rating, but 12 drinkers at Beeradvocate give it a 91 between them and I agree. With it's thick froth, hopped yet nutty aroma and light, balanced beautiful long lasting coffee flavor, Wake Up Call should soon be taking medals and victory laps at a beer competition near you.