BREWERY REVIEW: Fifth Hammer Brewing Company

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

This review should have come out months ago. I spent some time at the new Fifth Hammer Brewing Company when the tour attendees for my NYC Brewery Tour never showed up back in April. I stopped by, tried a few beers, took some notes, and planned to put out this post. But then reality set in. Due to work and my young son (and a healthy bout of laziness), the post never got written.

Well last week two more paying customers never showed (what’s wrong with these people – don’t they want to drink beer??) and since I was already in Long Island City, I re-visited and had a few more beers.

The thing about Fifth Hammer (and many of the new breweries) is if you wait a few months to come back, you will probably see an entire new beer menu as they often make beers once and then move on to something else. So my old post that never got written would now be out of date.

Truth is, Fifth Hammer is actually one of the stops on our Brewery Tour (the one these people didn’t show up for), but when I am leading the tour, I never have a chance to sit and work my way through a few of them.

The brewery is the latest project from Chris Cuzme, who is a bit of a beer legend in the city. He was once the President of the NYC Homebrewer’s Guild, the head brewmaster at the now closed 508 Gastrobrewery, and the co-host of a podcast called Fuhmentaboutit!! And it is the latest brewery in Queens to garner huge attention.

I must say the attention is well deserved. The space is very cool and has a little something for everyone – plenty of bar stools for the beer geeks, picnic tables for those that want to hang with a big group, board games, an area for children (who are with their parents, of course), and relatively easy access to the brewhouse next door.

And, of course, the beers are great. Instead of focusing on one style or having a specific concept, Fifth Hammer does whatever they want. Their name is also a reference to that idea – it relates to mythology when Pythagoras stumbled upon four hammers clanging in harmony and then the fifth one was discordant and did its own tune. That’s these beers in a nutshell.

You’ll find IPA’s, porters grisettes, sours, saison, wheat beers, you name it. On my first visit (the one that is mostly out of date now), I took in a variety of samples. Flights are not offered here but for about $3, you can get a taster size. So you can basically build your own flight.

I should mention the four beers I tried the first time even though you probably won’t find most of them at the tap room today. The exception is the Royalty Racket, which was my favorite of the lot. It’s a double IPA that had the juicy piney flavors you expect from this style but a hint of tropical funk at the finish. It’s a big bitter beer but yet still approachable and as easy to drink as pink grapefruit juice.

Unless Cuzme decides to bring it back, you probably won’t find the Square Zero again. It’s a pitch black coffee stout with added lactose and pushed through nitro. It was as smooth as a cold brew coffee with just a hint of bitterness from the special coffee beans. It was super dangerous, which might be why he’s moved on.

The Amarillo Pillow was a crisp hoppy lager with a very light body and a grassy hop note. Very dry and effervescent. Would have mistaken it for a pilsner if I hadn’t read the menu.

My least favorite from that first round was the You’re the Zest, which is a cute name and a decent saison. It had a zesty lemon flavor with a mild earthiness. The most surprising thing about it was that the ABV was 8.6% but it drank much easier.

On my second visit, the menu had been divided up by style, with a section called “A Study of Hops in Today’s IPA’s.” It would have been interesting to sample my way through the three IPAs that ranged from a New England option to that Royalty Racket. But instead, I ventured toward the Saisons because they all sounded super interesting.

And I was right. I was overjoyed by the Cucumber Crisp, Baby! It was another home run. Cucumber beers are actually becoming a common thing at some craft breweries. I tried a famous cucumber beer at a brewery upstate and must say I completely hated it. It was too bitter and the cucumber flavor tasted overly medicinal.

So needless to say I was leery of this cucumber saison. Thankfully, this was totally different. They add fresh cucumber juice to a special oaked saison they made for the New York City Homebrewers Guild anniversary. It ended up being a refreshing complex beer unlike any I’ve tried before. The cucumber notes mostly lingered on the nose and were balanced by a smoky woody flavor. Again, it was incredibly drinkable and dangerous at 8%.

I tried another saison that will also probably be fleeting since it was made with Szechuan peppercorns that Cuzme picked up when he was in Hong Kong. I love the floral, numbing quality of Szechuan food. This didn’t have much heat but all those floral, zesty notes that the pepper gives off.

This is going to sound really weird, but it reminded me of the smell of the face cream my mom used to put on her face when I was a kid. Can’t explain the parallel but it brings me back to a more innocent time and makes me think of a clean, fresh sensation. Go figure.

The other beer I tried is another special one-time brew. It’s called Queens of the Kettle because it was brewed in collaboration with the NYC Women in Beer for International Women’s Day. It was a dry-hopped tart ale featuring a special hop blend and proceeds go to a non-profit scholarship fund. It was a very nice beer – peppery, dry with a slight tart finish. Another easy drinking one. These beers are all a little too easy, if you know what I mean.

I’m glad this review has finally poured out of me. The lineup has probably changed again by the time I finally post this, but at least I got to comment on some of the recent beers at Fifth Hammer. It’s really exciting to have their beers on the NYC beer scene – it will be well-liked by just about everyone – even those who think they don’t like beer.

Now when I get scheduled for the NYC Brewery Tour, I might secretly hope the group doesn’t show so I can head over here and discover some more great options.

Is Fifth Hammer Brewing Company the best brewery in NY? They are one of the more exciting spots to open in the last few months and the variety of beer and space is practically unparalleled. You need to check this out and work your way through their menu. Tours are impromptu but possible and they have cool events through the week. Don’t miss it – 9 out of 10.

Is Fifth Hammer’s Royalty Racket the best beer in NY? It’s a really great Double IPA that gets a10 out of10 for being dangerously drinkable and approachable and should live up there with other greats like Brooklyn’s Blast! and Other Half’s IPAs.

Is Fifth Hammer’s Square Zero the best beer in NY? I really wish this 9 out of 10 stout was coming back because I could have drank it like it was my morning cold brew coffee. Probably not a great idea.

Is Fifth Hammer’s Amarillo Pillow the best beer in NY? It earns an 8 out of 10 for its light body and easy-drinking crispness. More body than a lager but dry and subtle..

Is Fifth Hammer’s You’re the Zest the best beer in NY? I didn’t think it was the best saison on offer but it still had a crisp zesty flavor with a slight earthy funk at the end despite its higher ABV. 7 out of 10.

Is Fifth Hammer’s Cucumber Crisp, Baby! the best beer in NY? It is one of the most exciting ones I’ve tasted in a while which is why I give it a perfect  10 out of10. Surprising and complex, it gives me hope in the idea of a cucumber beer again.

Is Fifth Hammer’s Szechuan Paradise the best beer in NY? It brings me back to a strange memory with a clean, lemony, floral finish but not much tingly heat. 8 out of 10. 

Is Fifth Hammer’s Queens of the Kettle the best beer in NY? It’s a very solid, peppery, dry tart ale that has a great story and collaboration behind it. It gets a  9 out of10 in my book since I could have kept drinking it all night long.