As often as possible, I try to drink local. There is a large concentration of beer stores, brewpubs and bars in my native New Jersey as well as New York City. Aside from the sheer variety of places to drink, the selections are also vast. Supporting local businesses and building relationships with bartenders or brewers means getting fresh beer and deeper insight into their craft. This week we will look at year-round offerings from several New York City and New Jersey breweries.

Kelso’s Nut Brown Lager (4/5)
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Founded in 2006, Kelso focuses on brewing great beer, not fancy advertising or marketing campaigns. They produce three year-round brews, including Nut Brown Lager (5.75 percent alcohol), which has a mildly sweet but crisp and refreshing flavor from the roasted malts. It ends with a slightly bitter finish from the Pacific Northwest hops, which provide bitterness in beer. Currently distributed only in New York state, Kelso beer can be found on tap from Brooklyn to up north in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and east to Long Island at various bars.

Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Blast (Double IPA) (5/5)
Williamsburg: Brooklyn, N.Y.
New York state is halfway between two excellent hop-growing regions, Washington state and Kent, England. That fact was reason enough for Brooklyn Brewery to split the influences and brew a nine hop variety double IPA at a whopping 9 percent alcohol using hops from both the United States and England. It’s their newest year-round offering, which was just released. The taste starts citrusy and floral with a hint of honey, and it finishes crisp and bitter with more citrus – a truly remarkable blast of hop bite. It’s currently draft only and is most accessible in New York City and some New England cities.

Carton Brewing Company’s B.D.G. (Brown Ale) (4.5/5)
Atlantic Highlands, N.J.
Carton Brewing Co. is situated in small, coastal Atlantic Highlands in Monmouth County. Founders and cousins Augie and Chris Carton offer several amazing and high-quality varieties like the B.D.G. (Brunch. Dinner. Grub.), a 6 percent alcohol brown ale. B.D.G. is brewed with malts to evoke a crusty-bread flavor offset by Aramis hops, which boast mild citrus, tarragon and thyme notes. It’s available at the brewery, beer stores or on tap at various bars and restaurants around central and northern New Jersey. You can also find some in New York City, like West Village favorite Blind Tiger Ale House -one of the first New York City beer-geek hangouts.
-Compiled by Lucas Sacks, staff writer, ldsacks@syr.edu