BREWERY REVIEW: Big Alice Brewing

My search for the best beer in New York continues….

Everybody by now has heard about microbreweries. They’re the craft beer heroes coming to save us from the corporate commercial breweries in this country that have made our beer flat and bland for too long. But if you thought microbreweries were small, try checking out a local nanobrewery. They’re not as easy to find, but they’re becoming more and more popular in this world of high rents and astronomical overhead.

Big Alice, in an industrial nook of Long Island City, is one such nanobrewery. You can’t buy their beer in stores, bars, or supermarkets. You can only buy it at the brewery in 750 ml bottles or as part of a CSB. This new concept is similar to a CSA (community supported agriculture) where people can sign up with a farm and get a package of the most seasonal produce delivered to a pick-up location every week.

A CSB is the same concept, but instead of vegetables, it’s beer. I love this idea and if I lived just slightly closer to the brewery (the pick-up location), I would happily fork over the $200.

Without the subscription, you can still visit the tiny space to meet with the jovial owners, Scott, Kyle, and Robby. You can see the set-up of their equipment, which is just a step above a fancy homebrew system (they only brew about 2 barrels a month). You can also taste one of three beers they’re offering at that time. And if you’re smart, you’ll also buy one of their bottles for a special occasion.

There’s no official tour here or tasting room, but chatting with the brewers in their small lobby is the best experience possible. I was a bit bummed we could only taste one beer, but since their production is so small and they never brew the same beer twice, I’m lucky they let us taste any at all.

Now to the beers. They’re really unusual and the names alone make me want to become a subscriber. Previous batches (all named by a number) include things like Shiso & Szechuan Honey Pale Ale, Rye Saison with Garam Masala, Tomato Chipotle and Chocolate Kolsch, and a Smoked Lager with Curry and Lapsang.

The unusual combinations and interesting ingredients make me very upset I didn’t start coming here earlier so I could try those intriguing concoctions. I did get to try two of their beers.

On one Friday night (they’re only open on Fridays from 5-7:30), they were pouring Batch #0049, which was a strong American barley wine with sumac and cayenne. The beer had a sort of amber ruby color with tropical fruits and spices on the nose. Upon sipping it, I realized they did not hold back on the heat. The pepper came out strong and the high alcohol (9.7%) only intensified the situation. There were also notes of citrus and sweet malts to balance it out. I like a spicy beer, so I was a big fan, although I’m not sure I could get through an entire bottle myself.

I also couldn’t resist picking up a bottle of their #0051: Peppermint Stout. It sounded like the perfect beer to bring to Christmas dinner and I was right. It was a huge hit.

Everybody (even the non-beer drinkers) tasted the dark black beer with a huge tan head. There were lots of exclamations about how delicious this beer smelled. It smelled of sweet peppermint and chocolate. The flavor pretty much matched the nose, reminding many people of a more subtle and less sugary York peppermint patty. You could also taste the alcohol which was warming but smooth. We popped this open at dessert and it was a perfect sipping beer. The bottle went around the table for seconds.

Big Alice is one of the most exciting breweries to open in the city. Unfortunately, many people don’t even know they exist. While they’re discussing the possibility of expanding, for now it’s a secret little gift for those of us in the know.

Does Big Alice Brewing make the best beer in NY? They certainly make the most unusual and a visit to the brewery on a Friday night is an exciting experience. But since they never make the same beer twice and there are now over 50 brews in their repertoire, I can’t fully rate them in all fairness.