MAKIN’ NEW FRIENDS (Captain Lawrence’s Liquid Gold at Blind Tiger Ale House)

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

When I go out to review anything – a beer or a corned beef sandwich – I sort of like to be left alone. I have photos to snap, notes to write, and ideas to digest. I try to be as discreet as possible because I don’t really want to get into a conversation with the bartender or other customers about why I’m doing what I’m doing. But it’s sometimes inevitable. I certainly don’t want to be rude and never want to miss an opportunity to hand out one of my Eat This business cards.

If I had come to Blind Tiger Ale House earlier in the day, I probably could have found a quiet corner to just do my thing. But I came before my dinner plans at around 6:00 – right smack in the middle of Happy Hour. Surprisingly, the bar wasn’t too crowded when I arrived. This West Village craft beer mecca is notoriously jam packed all night long. I was able to slip up to the bar and order a Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold without too much crowd wrangling. However, when I was ready to leave, I had to fight my way out the door.

I sat at the bar to examine this beer which I had enjoyed before (it was even featured on Time Out’s 100 Best list back in 2008), but before I could take some in-depth notes, the solo drinker next to me started chatting about craft beer. These are the kind of interactions I generally love, although he clearly knew more about beer than I did. Turns out he works at the beer department at DeCiccio’s, a family market in Brewster, NY and is an all around fan of craft beer. The only problem with this conversation was that I didn’t get to solely focus on the beer. Oh, well. Beer is made to be enjoyed and shared, right?

The Liquid Gold is a Belgian-style Pale Ale with a golden orange color and an almost non-existent head (at least from these taps). It smells of tropical and citrus fruits, like pineapple and grapefruit with a little floral aroma. Upon tasting it, it has a little bit of sweetness right up front and then rounds out with a creamy, rich body. The beer had the right amount of hops to be pleasant and not aggressive in the least. I could tell it would pair beautifully with a wide range of food.

My new friend agreed with me on that and if I ever find myself in Brewster, NY looking for some hard to find beers, I now know where to go. See, it pays to take my nose out of the notepad once in a while and have some human contact.

Is Captain Lawrence’s Liquid Gold the best beer in NY? It’s a very drinkable, balanced pale ale that will work in almost any scenario earning it a solid 9 out of 10.