My search for the best beer in New York continues….
Maybe you’ve heard of this little Broadway show Hamilton. And maybe you’ve heard it’s impossible to get tickets. Well maybe the second best thing is to drink a beer made by Gun Hill Brewing with help from the cast of the musical.
It makes sense that the local brewery that would actually brew the beer is Gun Hill Brewing Company. Of all our local breweries, they are the ones most connected to our Revolutionary past. Their name even takes itself from a nearby street that was a site of a Revolutionary Battle.
Rise Up Rye is a reference to a recurring song in the musical. And as you can imagine, it is a rye, which might be similar to the beer consumed in New York during Hamilton’s lifetime.
But it’s a rye saison, so it has a bit more yeast character than you might expect from a typical ale named “rye”. Spicy with nice acidity, the beer actually tastes stronger than it is – it’s only 4.8% but it’s big and bold.
I found the play of yeast and malt with a subtle backbone of peppery hops from New Zealand to be a really nice composition. It was a nice modern twist on what I imagine tastes like an old-timey historic American beer.
This Hamilton beer has been floating around for a while now and I’m embarrassed it’s taken me this long to taste it. And since it costs under $4 rather than Hamilton’s ticket price of $400, I really don’t have a good excuse.
This Hamilton beer has been floating around for a while now and I’m embarrassed it’s taken me this long to taste it. And since it costs under $4 rather than Hamilton’s ticket price of $400, I really don’t have a good excuse.
Is Gun Hill Brewing Company’s Rise Uo Rye the best beer in NY? It didn’t win any Tony Awards, but maybe it should, because it’s beautifully balanced with fresh spicy rye notes that harken back to a time when Alexander Hamilton himself would have been knocking a few back. 9 out of 10.
| GUN HILL BREWING COMPANY |
| 3227 Laconia Avenue (between Boston Road and Duncan Street), Allerton, Bronx (718) 881-0010 |
| gunhillbrewing.com |
