Blue Point Brewing Company – The Sporting Brews

Blue Point Winter Ale Review

Blue Point Brewing Company out of Long Island, NY, has emerged as one of the larger craft breweries with their award-winning brews served almost nation-wide at this point. One of their seasonal offerings is their Winter Ale.

Winter Ale pours a deep amber color, which is good because they advertise this as an amber ale. There is a nice, slightly tannish, perhaps khaki, head that rose to about two fingers at its height. The beer looks delicious. The aroma is one of caramel, hops, and a hint of chocolate. It is definitely an intriguing aroma that invites you in. There is moderate carbonation seen rising to the top to reinforce the head. This beer looks and smells great.

The first sip is pleasant and somewhat follows the nose. There is a toffee, caramel note followed by a little hops and a smooth chocolate finish if your taste buds are paying attention. It is a subtle chocolate taste. Perhaps it’s just the toffee mixing with the malts and hops but whatever it is is very pleasant. The toffee and malt notes take center stage, however, and that isn’t a bad thing.

Throughout the session the taste was consistent. Winter Ale was a little warming to the core which is kind of what you want from a winter brew that advertises that. It wasn’t overwhelming but rather nice and subtle. The taste was consistent throughout though I did notice a few sips to have more of a chocolate taste than other times. The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium with a warm, welcoming finish that is both smooth and crisp. There was a little bite at the end of the smoother finish which was a little unexpected yet welcomed.

Overall, this is a beer you can cozy up to. At 7.7% ABV this beer also has the ability to cozy up to you so caution is in play here. The taste makes it easy to drink and that can be dangerous. It is a very drinkable beer and you could make this a session beer if you are responsible. As for this being an amber ale, well it is on the heavier side of that. I would definitely order this again or pick up a six-pack if I see it. Long Island might not contribute much but it sure does make a good beer ad for that we are thankful.

Blue Point Pinstripe Pils Review

Blue Point Brewing, a Long Island brewery, has introduced a beer for Yankees fans called Pinstripe Pils. As you might have gathered from the name it is a pilsner and is sold in select stores in the New York metro area as well as Yankee Stadium and sometimes at their minor league affiliates in Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The beer pours a nice yellow straw color with a white, soapy head that stood around one finger tall at its height. The nose offers notes of grass, lemon, and malt though nothing is overpowering. The nose is kind of subdued. The carbonation looks to be moderate with some nice bubbles rushing to reinforce the head.

The first sip follows the nose to a degree. There are slight hints of lemon and malt which lead the flavor train here. There are also hints of cracker or bread towards the back. It is very smooth, crisp, and refreshing. No one flavor dominates, though if I had to pick one it would be subtle malt. The head didn’t last long but there was some attractive lacing left on the glass. The mouthfeel is light but not far from the medium side. It finishes smooth and refreshing with just enough of a dryness to make you desire another sip. The carbonation is just right for this beer and makes it an enjoyable experience.

As the beer drank the flavor profile stayed consistent and nothing surprised you. The slight lemon zest you do notice is refreshing and perfect for a day out at the ballpark.

Overall, this beer is not exceptional but it is exactly what you would look for while spending a day or night at the ballpark, a light, refreshing brew that doesn’t fill you up. You could easily make this a session beer and at 5 percent ABV it won’t bite you back. Nothing will wow you about this brew but you also will be far from disappointed.

Blue Point Shore Thing Review

When it comes to New York, at least southern New York, there aren’t many breweries that stand out. However, Blue Point Brewing, a Long Island beer company, has to factor in to any conversation when it comes to New York brews, regardless of its origins.

We have reviewed Blue Point before but today we tackle Shore Thing, a lager they advertise as “Anytime, Anywhere.”

Upon pouring Shore Thing you will notice a nice cleat, golden pour. It almost seems like you are pouring one more famous beers like Budweiser or Miller. The aromatics, however, tell you that this won’t be your average beer. There are notes of salt, bread, and yeast. The underlying aroma of salt reminds you of the beach and a salty sea air, pretty much spot on with what you would expect from a southern Long Island brew that features a light house on its label.

The pour featured a head of just above two fingers with aromatic notes of salt and bread. There wasn’t a lot to the nose but salt and bread dominated.

The first sip followed the nose in a pleasant way. There was a nice note of saltiness that mixed with bread and yeast to give this beer a satisfying flavor. The beer almost resembled a soft pretzel that one would get on the streets of New York City or one the boardwalk on the Jersey Shore or Long Island shore. The beer laced like a fragile wedding gown, lightly decorating the glass as you progressed but not stealing the show from the overall production.

This is a beer that is pretty drinkable, like your typical Budweiser or Miller or Coors but with a little more character and flavor. The hints of salt and bread do remind one of a soft pretzel bought at any number of shore eateries but also offers a hint of originality. There is a nice flavor profile that would suit almost any beer drinker so long as you don’t mind a little salty bread. This is a beer I would order again but maybe wait until summer to do so, even if offered year round. Blue Point says “anytime, anywhere” but this lager is definitely a summer beer when you can truly enjoy being outside and really participate in all its flavors. It really would go well with just about any seafood.

Blue Point Summer Ale Review

Blue Point Brewing Company has been around since 1998 and have become fairly well known. Their Toasted Lager is one of their most popular offerings, you can read that review here. They also offer a Summer Ale among others but the Summer Ale is the subject of our review today.

The Summer Ale pours a yellow-gold with a white, foamy head that rose to about a finger and a half at its height. There is an aroma of citrus and grass. Some carbonation can be seen bubbling to the surface but it doesn’t appear to be a lot. The head didn’t last but a nice ring and some lacing followed as the beer drank.

The first sip offers a little citrus followed by the grassy hops. Neither are overpowering. The beer is light in the mouth and crisp with a slightly dry finish. The citrus notes are hard to place but lemon seems to be the most dominant flavor there but it is still subtle. The hoppy aftertaste isn’t awful and reminds you that this is a beer. The amount of carbonation is respectable. There is a little tongue-ticking but the beer is crisp and refreshing and the carbonation is just the right amount.

Overall, this is a fairly decent beer. It is similar to some other summer ales so it does have a familiarity about it. It doesn’t stand out like the Toasted Lager does but it can be a good summer beer at a cookout, ballpark, on the boat, at the beach, or anywhere in between. The citrus doesn’t dominate but rather compliments the grassy hops and the grassy hops don’t dominate either. At 4.5% ABV this could easily be a day-drinking beer with a taste that could make it acceptable as a session beer if you so desired. It won’t be for everyone but it is good in its own right.

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion East Coast IPA Review

Blue Point Brewing Company’s Hoptical Illusion is an East Coast IPA with 7% ABV. The beer poured a light amber with some decent amount of bubbles which formed a nice, thick, white head. There was a bit of a haze upon pouring but that actually went away and the beer became more clear.

There is a nice aroma with notes of citrus, an earthy grass, hops, and a bready note. The beer has a light citrus note up front that gives way to the hops and malt. For a beer labeled Hoptical Illusion you almost expect a lot more hops than you get here. It was almost a surprise to have so little hops on the back end of the beer. That isn’t a bad thing, just a surprise. There is a little pine mixed in with the hops, though very subtle. There is also another sweet fruitiness up front that is hard to place. Perhaps peach? It’s subtle but present.

The beer feels medium in the mouth, with a smoothness that borders on creamy. There is moderate carbonation and the head, while dissipated, still floats on top and leaves some serious lacing on the glass. It kept a consistent taste throughout the drink. The dryness of the hops at the end make you want another sip and that fruity opening welcomes you.

Overall this is a decent beer. It won’t stand out for those that love hops and it might be too hoppy for those that don’t like a hoppy beer. However, it is a nice beer that would be best for people who are hops fans but don’t like overwhelming hops as some IPAs tend to do. It is certainly drinkable for most beer fans and some will love it while others will find it underwhelming. A decent mid-range beer when its all said and done.