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Fifth Hammer Brewing Company: Llama Drama

Fifth Hammer Brewing Company: Llama Drama

Hops: Mosaic, Palisade

ABV: 7.2%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.05/5

Save the drama for yo’ llama… and my Windowsill!

I love trying out new local breweries. This week, I had the honor of tasting my first brew from Long Island City’s (that’s in Queens) Fifth Hammer Brewing Company. When they opened their taps in October of last year, owners Chris Cuzme and David Scharfstein ended a two-year search for the perfect brewery location. My favorite part of this brewery is its name. There’s an old story about the famous mathematician, Pythagoras (you’ve heard of his theorem, I’m sure). It seems Pythagoras was doing some digging into the mathematical relationship between musical notes. He walked into a blacksmith shop and heard five hammers clanging on metal. The first four were in harmony, but that fifth hammer clashed with the rest. Here’s to the discordant ones!

I’m glad the Llama Drama was my first foray into this brewery. Although it seemed a little too carbonated when i first opened it, once I let it settle in, it was really good. Very nice notes of tropical fruit, honeysuckle and peach on the nose, and lots of hoppy and tropical goodness on the palate. The Llama Drama is dry-hopped with Mosaic and Palisade hops. Super tasty, but surprisingly drama—and llama—free.

Check out this, and all the other drama, on my Instagram right now!

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SingleCut Beersmiths: Weird & Gilly

SingleCut Beersmiths: Weird & Gilly

ABV: 6.6%

IBU: 88

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.1/5

“Now Ziggy played guitar / Jamming good with Weird and Gilly on the Windowsill. – David Bowie… kinda.

If you know SingleCut Beersmiths, you know their brand is, more or less, designed around classic rock. If you know your David Bowie, you know where Weird & Gilly comes from. Ziggy Stardust is a song written from the perspective of the Spiders from Mars, the backup band for fictitious singer Ziggy Stardust (Bowie’s alter ego for the album). In real life, “Weird” is bassist Trevor Bolder and “Gilly” is drummer Woody Woodmansey. SingleCut keeps the it rocking, and I love them for that.

Now let’s talk about the brew. The Weird & Gilly label says “Some Cat from Japan asked us to make an IPA that was juicy, and nothing else.” The first part is another Ziggy Stardust lyric reference, but did SingleCut get the job done? YES. The soft, tangy malt backbone lays out and really lets the hoppy citrus, pine resin and tropical fruit aromas and flavors shine bright. So many flavors. So delicious! So juicy!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more great SingleCut beers!

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Thomas Hooker Brewery: Super Duper Double Citra

Thomas Hooker Brewery: Super Duper Double Citra

Hops: Citra

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited

@untappd says: 4.21/5

Are those rubber chickens in your hula hoop pants, or are you just happy to see today’s Windowsill beer?

In case you haven’t noticed, the label on this beer from Bloomfield, Connecticut’s Thomas Hooker Brewery is inspired by one of my favorite childhood gameshows—Double Dare. You remember the show, right? Host Marc Summers would ask one of the teams a question. They could dare the other team to answer it. The other team could double dare them back. The final option? Physical challenge, y’all!

Today’s physical challenge was drinking this incredibly delicious brew. You don’t have to dig through a nose full of slime to figure out where this beer gets its name. It’s a double IPA brewed exclusively with Citra hops. Despite the heavy ABV, it’s a silky smooth brew that goes down nice and easy. Let it warm up a bit to get those tropical flavors of grapefruit, melon, passion fruit and lychee from the Citra hops. Super tropical, super delicious, not overly bitter. So good, you’ll want to sit in a giant bowl of spaghetti and catch oversized, sauced up meatballs with my teeth just to drink a Super Duper Double Citra!

Make sure to like this amazing brew on Instagram, and follow us!

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Connecticut Valley Brewing Company: I’m in Love with the Simcoe

Connecticut Valley Brewing Company: I'm in Love with the Simcoe

Hops: Simcoe

ABV: 6.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 3.9/5

I’m feeling in love on the Windowsill today!

Connecticut Valley Brewing Company was established in 2012 by the husband and wife team of Steve and Lori Palauskas. As I mentioned in my review of The New Frontier, they’re really into their home state’s massive aviation history (after all, Steve spent 25 years in the industry). Their logo features the F4U Corsair, which is the official plane of Connecticut and first flew during WWII. Head down to their South Windsor, CT taproom to check out more of their tasty brews!

While I might not call O.T. Genasis the songbird of our generation, his blazing hit “I’m In Love with the Coco” has been playing in my head since I took my first gander at the label of today’s Windowsill brew. As the name suggests, I’m in Love with the Simcoe is a single-hop NEIPA that features the talented and versatile Simcoe hop. The beer is light and lemony, but still has a lot of resin and citrus going on. Will you fall in love with the Simcoe? I did!

Fall in love with our Instagram, right now!

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Industrial Arts Brewing Company: Wrench

Industrial Arts Brewing Company: Wrench NEIPA

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Year-round

@untappd says: 4.22/5

The Windowsill’s got a couple of nuts and bolts loose after the last two days, so I grabbed a Wrench to get the fix done!

I’m starting to become a fan of New York’s Industrial Arts Brewing Company. I picked up today’s beer on two recommendations. The first was from @mikemags75, who told me to hit up a little market called @clintongourmetcorp. The craft selection here was unreal. Check it out if you’re near Times Square. The second recommendation came from the guy at the store, who said he was having trouble keeping the Wrench NEIPA on the shelves, and I should grab it now. Two amazing recommendations that really worked out for me. Thanks!

So why is the Wrench NEIPA so popular? It’s one of the juiciest New England Style IPAs I’ve ever had! It’s absolutely loaded “to the point of sickness” with Mosaic and Citra hops. It’s light, bright, crisp and wonderfully hazy, juicy and hoppy. This might be the perfect New England IPA! As the official description says, “after you drink this, you’ll be a certified JuiceWolf.” I’ll howl for that!

What more great New England IPAs? Check out our Instagram, now!