There are people who love beer, and then there are people who really love beer. You know, the people who will wake up at dawn and wait hours in line for limited or high-demand releases (i.e. hopheads, beer geeks). To help make everyone’s lives easier, we zeroed in on several popular beer styles and asked Half Time Beverage COO Jason Daniels and director of purchasing Adam Wolloch to cherry-pick some recommendations available at their 20,000-square-foot retail store in Mamaroneck (the company also boasts a Poughkeepsie location) in each category that would appease both traditional drinkers and those who prefer hunting for something unique.
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The Style: Gose
What It’s Like: The experience can be described as similar to tasting a Sour Patch Kid, but it’s also crisp, refreshing, and surprisingly enjoyable.
For The Typical Beer Drinker: Daniels and Wolloch recommend Lost Nation Gose, an easy-to-find domestic produced in Vermont.
For The Beer Geek: The pair implores you to go with Grimm Artisan Ales’ Super Going, which Daniels describes as, “Hard to find, but a great beginner sour. It’s citrusy, smooth, and not as tart as the others.”
The Style: Oktoberfest
What It’s Like: An old-style beer that originated in Bavaria and tends to be more medium- or fuller-bodied.
For The Typical Beer Drinker: The Half Time guys suggest Spaten’s Oktoberfest, imported from Munich.
For The Beer Geek: They recommend Urban Chestnut Oachkatzlschwoaf, a domestic produced in St. Louis by a German couple. It’s fairly obscure, but you can occasionally find it on tap at Half Time’s growler station.
The Style: Stout
What It’s Like: A darker and fuller-bodied beer.
For The Typical Beer Drinker: Wolloch and Daniels say you can’t go wrong with venerable UK brewer Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout.
For The Beer Geek: They advise trying Evil Twin’s Imperial Biscotti Break for its smooth almond and coffee flavors. Though take note of its whopping 11.5% ABV.
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The Style: Session IPA
What It’s Like: The ever-popular, ever-hoppy IPA’s session cousin features a lower alcohol by volume, meaning you can enjoy more of it over a shorter amount of time.
For The Typical Beer Drinker: Daniels and Wolloch give the thumbs-up to Michigan craft heavyweights Founders’ All Day IPA.
For The Beer Geek: Per our experts, seek out Chicago-based Piperworks’ War Bird. Aside from its drinkability, the cans stand out for their cool, graphic novel-style artwork.
The Style: Pumpkin
What It’s Like: Spiced and autumnal, it’s become an annual fall tradition.
For The Typical Beer Drinker: Wolloch and Daniels point to Southern Tier’s heavily sought-after Imperial Pumking, which packs a punch at 8.6% ABV but drinks more like a light-to-medium ale.
For The Beer Gee: Twenty-five-year-old St. Louis brewer Schlafy’s Pumpkin Ale is, quite simply, the “best shelf pumpkin beer” out there according to Daniels. Get it while the season’s right. And If you’re feeling extra adventurous, up your black-and-tan game by mixing the Pumking with Southern Tier’s Warlock pumpkin stout.
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Half Time Beverage
139 Hoyt Ave., Mamaroneck
(914) 341-1666; www.halftimebeverage.com
