GETTING IN TOUCH WITH MY ROOTS; BEER (Barrier Brewing Company)

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

Oceanside, New York. That name might not mean much to you, but it’s somewhere I know very well. I’ve been taken on little tours of houses and schools and heard so many stories about that town. That’s because this is the town on the south shore of Long Island where both my parents grew up. And this is where they met and got married. So in many ways, without Oceanside, there’d have been no me. And without me, there’d be no blog for you to read right now. Except the thousands of other food and beer blogs out there, of course.

Anyway, the story of Oceanside for me stops there since I was born in Florida, but whenever the folks come up north for a visit, a nostalgic trip to Oceanside is inevitably on the books. So you can imagine how excited my mother was when I called her from Lawson Boulevard in Oceanside. I wasn’t there to visit the old McDonald’s where my uncle flipped the first burger, but instead to check out a brand new brewery that’s producing some of the most exciting beers in the New York area.

It only took me about 45 minutes on the LIRR to get to Oceanside and then a 20 minute walk through an industrial area before I reached Barrier Brewery. The tiny brewery (which looks almost like a garage with refrigerators) is the work of friends Evan Klein and Craig Frymark, who met while working at Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn. They opened Barrier Brewing Company in 2009 and now their beer can be found in quite a few craft beer bars in the city and on the island.

They have a little tasting room (and I do mean little) open on Saturdays and that’s why I made the long trek out here. I wanted to taste these beers from the source. When I arrived there was quite a crowd of people with empty growlers in hand ready to take one of their favorite beers home with them.

Many breweries offer a little tour and serve food with the beer. That’s not the case here. You basically can see the entire brewery from the entrance, so no need for a tour. And this place is seriously tiny so there’s not even an area to sit. You just stand at the makeshift bar and chat with Evan and Craig while they pour some of their concoctions. These guys are very excited and proud (but modestly so) about their product and happy to share. I really enjoyed talking with Craig about the business and different beer styles in general.

The most impressive thing going on here is that all the brewing is done by these two guys and they’re making 28 different beers. 28!! That’s a huge amount for a brewery this size. My concern is that they’ll spread themselves too thin by making so much and the quality will be effected. But after tasting six of their beers (not to mention others at bars in NYC), I’m pleased to report that they’re all diverse and quite delicious.

The pours were all on the small side (which was fine for me) and I loved that they were served in little glass jars. Craig started me with the Caddywompus, which is a very light English Pale Bitter. This was very drinkable (too bad I only got a taste) with a toasty, cereal quality and a moderate amount of hops. It was balanced and smooth.

Next, I tried the complex Vermillion Saison Rouge, which I had a full glass of at Bar Great Harry a few weeks earlier. Craig went on to explain to me why saison beers are so unique and fun – they were originally made by farmers and varied with the season so the style can really mean any number of things.

We moved on to Gosilla, which sounded very interesting. Gose Bier is a low-alcohol style that relies on two major spices: coriander and sea salt. But you have to strike a perfect balance of ingredients to make it palatable. This one definitely was, but Craig compared it to Gatorade (not my favorite flavor) and I couldn’t get that out of my mind. The bright orange colored beer was slightly fruity with hints of tangerine and a clean minerality.

Since they have so many beers, they’re constantly changing the taps. I got lucky enough to try the beginning of a fresh barrel of Cairn. This is a Scotch Ale, which is a style I love. This was one of my favorites. It had a light amber color with subtle peaty, smoky notes. Sometimes those woody, earthy flavors can be overpowering, but I thought this was well-rounded with some sweeter malt and caramel flavors.

Craig poured a taste of the Rembrandt (don’t you love these names?) next. This was a classic porter. It had a dark brown color and a balanced nutty, chocolate flavor with a light finish.

We ended on another high note with a style that is really difficult to perfect: an India Black Ale (or Black IPA). This has to walk the line between being hoppy enough for an IPA yet still maintain that roasted, malty characteristic of a darker beer. The Oil City was incredibly successful. There were fresh floral, piney flavors but they were mellowed out by a subtle roast quality. It was a beautiful balance.

Barrier Brewery amazes me. I don’t know how they produce so many great beers in such a confined little space. For the space reason alone, I’m not sure it’s worth making the trip all the way out here. The brewery itself is nothing to look at, but meeting Craig and Evan is great and there’s nothing like having the brewmasters serve you their own beer and talk about them. So while I know I’ll be back to Barrier Brewery and Oceanside (Mom and Dad, when are you coming to visit?), rest easy knowing you can get all these beers somewhere in the city.

Is Barrier Brewing Company the best brewery in the NY area? There’s not much to see here, but the quality of beer is inspiring and talking to Craig and Evan is a treat, earning this place an 8 out of 10.

Is Barrier Brewing Company’s Caddywompus the best beer in NY? It gets an 8 out of 10 for being a very crisp, drinkable ale with just a minor amount of bitter hops

Is Barrier Brewing Company’s Gosilla the best beer in NY? It was definitely interesting, but only earns a 7 out of 10 because it was not my thing being a subtle mix of tangerine and mineral flavors.

Is Barrier Brewing Company’s Cairn the best beer in NY? I loved it’s smoky, peaty flavors and sweet caramel finish. 9 out of 10.

Is Barrier Brewing Company’s Rembrandt the best beer in NY? It’s a very solid porter and it gets a very solid 8 out of 10 because of it’s light body and roasted nutty flavors.

Is Barrier Brewing Company’s Oil City the best beer in NY? 9 out of 10 because it’s a very balanced unusual style where the roasted malt and the bitter hops work in harmony.