Cooperstown Brewing Co.
Milford, NY
Available: NY
The Cooperstown beers—Old Slugger Pale Ale, Benchwarmer Porter, Strike Out Stout and others—are a tribute to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Old Slugger is brewed with two-row English pale and crystal malt, and Mt. Hood, Cascade and Fuggles hops, and fermented in open vessels using Ringwood yeast.
Alcohol by weight: 4.8
Color: n/a
Bitterness: n/a
Gravity: 1056
The Hank Greenberg of the beer world, it packs a real wallop, but in the gentlest way. The handsome natural-looking cap contrasts with a deep reddish-golden uniform, a visual treat. The flavor gets high scores: complex and very well balanced. A big hit with everyone who tried it, we couldn’t resist serving Old Slugger with Niman Ranch Fearless Franks on a ciabatta loaf, grilled purple onions, and ho-made “tater salad.”
Bright amber color with an extraordinary floral aroma. Far from the usual American craft beer, this pale ale is distinctive not only in hop aroma but also in an overall pleasing balance of malt and hop flavor with a spicy bitterness that beckons the senses and appeases thirst. Fantastic alone and I can only begin to imagine great food complements. Well balanced, clean and worthy of your attention. What are those hops?
A slugger is baseball’s equivalent of cricket’s slogger: a batter without finesse who at-tempts to knock the cover off the ball. But one thing Old Slugger doesn’t lack is finesse. It’s a superb pale ale, pale gold in color with a dense, fluffy collar of foam. The aroma is a heady balance of spicy hops and tart, almost vinous fruit, with an intriguing hint of fresh tobacco. Citrus fruit, bitter hops and biscuity malt dominate the mouth, while the finish is lingering and beautifully balanced between juicy malt, peppery hops and tart fruit. Every bottle’s a home run.
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com, Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
