Name: Keegan Ales
Location: Kingston, NY
Website: http://www.keeganales.com/
Type: Production brewery and brewpub
Available in DC Market: No
What you need to know: Founded in 2003 by Tommy Keegan in a building in Kingston that had a defunct brewery in it, Keegan Ales has been putting out beers in New York's Hudson Valley for more than a decade. Two years after opening the production side, they opened up a bar and restaurant after building it more or less by hand. This sounds like a great little place that any town in America would be glad to have.
Beer #1: Mother's Milk (Milk stout / 6%)
In Their Own Words: "As the name implies, Mother’s Milk is a dark and creamy milk stout. Hints of oatmeal, chocolate and of course, milk make this brew have a remarkably smooth and silky finish, a classic example of the style."
Food Pairing: Rich spice cake soaked in cinnamon and fried French toast style.
Our Thoughts: This shoud be a real win for the sweet tooths among you. Super dessert combo that will have the spice of the cinnamon playing off of the lactose in the milk stout. A real winner of a combination in terms of both flavor and texture.
Beer #2: Super Kitty
In Their Own Words: "We will be releasing a Limited Edition beer this holiday season! At 12% ABV, lots of hops, some Hudson Valley Honey, and aged with oak you won't find another beer like it! Less than 250 hand numbered 1-liter bottles will be released." The Hurricane Kitty that this may be based off of has this description: "This brew is a coppery and heavily hopped India Pale Ale. Named after brewmaster Keegan’s grandmother whose driving earned her quite a reputation with local police racing her six children to and from a local Long Island beach ferry during the 1960′s, Hurricane Kitty is the undisputed family favorite. We try to make the hop bill read as aggressively as her driver’s record."
Food Pairing: Confit of guinea hen served on wonton crisps with pickled watermelon rind and cilantro.
Our Thoughts: This combination is interesting, but Kitty may be just a little too much for all of these components. This is more of a single IPA combination than a double (or triple) IPA combination. Pickled watermelon has a pretty delicate flavor that may be washed out by the aggressive hopping of Super Kitty. Depending on the hop bill used, cilantro could either clash or play nicely. Hard to say with the info we have.
This profile is a part of the DCBeer.com SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2014 SAVOR participants.
