Tonight: Maine Beer in Brooklyn
On any given night in Brooklyn, you will most likely have no problem finding a beer event where the featured brews are in one way or another extreme: extremely high in alcohol content, extremely sour, extremely rare. etc. Despite the huge andexcitable crowds these events tend to draw, transforming your favorite laid-back local into a destination spot for frenzied beer nerds far and wide, they can be lots of fun. I once spent hours at Barcade with lots of other totally insane people waiting for them to tap a keg of the legendary Canadian Breakfast Stout, only to wind up with a four-ounce pour I had to split with two friends. “It was worth it” is one of the lies I tell myself.
Tonight, though, at the increasingly adored Covenhoven in Crown Heights, there’s a totally different kind of event taking place — one where the highlighted beers are extreme only in the degree to which they are totally fucking delicious. James Case and the gang are welcoming the Maine Beer Company for a night of perfectly crafted ales, both on tap in in the bottle. Here’s what you can expect to see on tap…
Lunch IPA, 7% ABV
The brewery’s most popular beer, and probably one of the best west coast-style IPAs on the market, with tons pine and citrus but only moderate bitterness, making it one of the more drinkable interpretations of the style as well.
MO Pale Ale, 6% ABV
Kind of a lighter version of Lunch, really. MO is less aggressively hopped but still big on citrus flavors. I always get a strong dose of orange from this one.
Peeper Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV
The brewery’s original pale ale is extremely light-bodied and features a different hop profile than the others: look for lemon, a light grassiness, and some floral qualities.
And in bottles, you’ve got…
Weez, Black IPA, 7.2% ABV
Maine’s take on the somewhat divisive style is pretty much textbook: piney, resinous hops are countered with deep, roasted malt.
Another One, IPA, 7% ABV
I’ve yet to have this one, but it’s apparently the sister beer to Weez, in that it’s hopped exactly the same way but made with paler malts. It definitely can’t be bad.
Mean Old Tom, Stout, 6.5% ABV
A decadent but still drinkable low-ABV stout that’s brewed with organic vanilla and flaked oats.
Zoe, Amber Ale, 7.2% ABV
This is the first Maine beer I ever had, and I was totally blown away by it. Still am, actually. It’s an amber ale that strikes a perfect balance between rich chocolatey, caramel malts and bright, piney hops.
Red Wheelbarrow, Amber Ale, 7% ABV
Another amber ale, but this one is more focused on the hops — comparable to another beer that just made its annual appearance in NYC, Troegs Nugget Nectar.