BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS (Barrier Brewery’s Unimperial IPA at The Double Windsor)

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

You haven’t seen Barrier Brewery mentioned much on this website as of late and there’s a very good reason. The guys in Oceanside have recently moved into a bigger space and had to halt production during the interim. So sadly, the diverse beers have not been available for consumption for the last few months.

But now, thankfully, they’re back on tap at the best craft beer bars around the city and based on all the love they’re getting (there are lots of Welcome Back parties), I’m not the only one who is grateful.

I even walked a good 45 minutes (not so unusual for me) to track down a special Barrier beer that was available at The Double Windsor (hosting another welcome back party tomorrow night) just off Prospect Park. I fell in love with the unmarked space due to its roomy warmth, legit beer menu, and balance between casual restaurant and serious drinking hole. And they have Happy Hour every single day starting at noon (including the weekends) for $2 off draft beers!!

I first heard about this particular beer from a bartender at Proletariat who was raving about the work Evan and Craig are doing out in Long Island. This is a perfect example of how American craft brewers get very creative and are constantly inventing new styles. I can guarantee you Budweiser will never release anything even remotely similar to Barrier’s Unimperial IPA.

For those who don’t know, an Imperial IPA is a very hoppy, high-alcohol flavor bomb. It’s only for those serious hop-heads who like their beers extra bitter and piney. Problem is, in order to make that hop content palatable, you have to also load the beer with malt (sugar) for balance and anybody who knows the science of beer will tell you that the more malt added, the more alcohol you have. So double, triple, or Imperial IPA’s are often pushing the double digits in terms of ABV.

Barrier has invented a beer that fits the flavor of the Imperial IPA style but instead of 7 – 14% alcohol, this one is a shockingly low 4%.

It looked very cloudy with a radiant blonde peach hue. Major aromas of fresh hops (pine, grass, tropical fruits) released themselves upon my smelling of the beer. The flavor was almost overwhelming with so much complex hops, I didn’t know what to do. But the harshness disappeared with a very clean and shockingly light finish. There was no notable sweetness and no trace of alcohol. It was so unusual and deeply flavored that I had to keep drinking it to fully wrap my head around it. And with a beer like this, I most certainly could.

I always say I wish I could eat food all day long without getting full and drink alcohol all day without getting drunk. I love the flavor experiences, but unfortunately my body reacts like any human’s would and I can only take so much at a time. Barrier Brewery with their ever-expanding styles and ideas has found a beer solution for me. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why it’s so good to have them back.

Is Barrier Brewery’s Unimperial IPA the best beer in NY? It’s in a class all by itself and its deep hop flavors and light, drinkable body impress with full-force and a knockout 10 out of 10.