Bandwagon Brewpub

Bandwagon Brewpub

Along with our tour de Ithaca, we enjoyed beers and foods from the Bandwagon Brewpub which is located off The Commons in downtown Ithaca.  Here's what we have to say:

“Brewery Flight”

Common Ale

Krysten: *

Jason: ***

To me (Krysten) this beer didn’t have much of a fragrance, it had a funky taste and had a lingering aftertaste.  It did have some citrus notes but I didn’t find anything special about this beer.  Jason, however, really enjoyed this beer.

Strawberry Cream Ale

Krysten: **

Jason: **

           

Strawberry taste is really subtle as it should be.  I usually am not a fan of fruit beers that are overpowered by the fruit taste and I was hesitate trying this beer to begin with because I was weary of the strawberry in the beer, but it was actually pretty good.  For a cream ale it didn’t have the mouth-feel you would expect.  I would expect it to have a heavier mouth-feel but the beer was a tad too watery.  Still, quite delicious and not what I was expecting.

Pirate Eye PA

Krysten: ***

Jason: ***

Very smooth, easy to drink.  Not as hoppy as I would expect from an IPA.  Love the name!  Has a nice amber/golden color.  The aroma is pretty weak, some more finishing hops might boost the hop aroma.  It had a really nice balance between malt and hops which made it easy and nice to drink. This beer, like there others really has the taste of a small batch.

Belly River Oatmeal Stout

Krysten: ****

Jason: ***

Delicious!  Krysten’s favorite beer from the flight.  Super smooth, had great drinkability.  Unlike most stouts, I could spend a night just drinking this beer because it was well balanced, tasty but didn’t have that extreme heaviness that you would expect from a stout.  Beautiful dark brown color with a toffee colored head.  Nice malty aroma.  Little weak in the taste in the beginning, that could be amped up a little.  It starts off light and sweet and finishes smokey and dry.

Raspberry -Jalapeno Ale

Krysten: ***

Jason: **

Well balanced.  Not as much of a spicy kick as I would have liked.  Spice is there, but it’s really subtle but since I like spicy things, I would have like to see this flavor more evident in the beer.  Not too overpowered by the raspberry taste, and like the Strawberry Cream Ale, the fruit taste is very natural and well done.  Could be more carbonated to balance out the spice taste.  Very nice fruity and spicy aroma. Jason thinks they make it with the raspberry jalapeno jam (which was a part of our cheese platter) but the bartender said no.  I don’t believe her!

About the Bandwagon Brewpub:

We love this place!  We always make sure we come here when we’re visiting Ithaca.  Definitely worth the trip.  Food is always fantastic.  This time we enjoyed their cheese platter which went well with our brewery flight of beers.  We also enjoyed their cheeseburger which is one of the more standard options on their menu but was definitely delicious.  They have a great food menu that is really unique and interesting but can be a little pricey.  Really down-to-earth hippie/hipster scene with a laid back atmosphere and super friendly staff.  They only brew ten gallons at a time which allows them to experiment a lot. Last visit we had their very interesting Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout! They also recently expanded the brewpub to fit more seating in and improved their brewing systems so hopefully we’ll be seeing more great things from the Bandwagon.

Written by Krysten with some input from Jason.

Ithaca Beer Co.

Ithaca Brewing Co.

This weekend we spent a day in Ithaca, seeing what Ithaca has to offer for beer.  We have gone to Ithaca on a beer adventure before so we decided to write about the new beers that the brewery is offering in their taproom and give a general review of the brewery.  Enjoy!

Rough Draft:

Krysten: **

Jason: *

An almost apple-sour taste and aroma.  Very light, easy to drink.  No hop character.  Apples are very apparent in the fragrance.  Almost reminds me of a Berliner with the light taste and carbonation and hint of sourness, but not as sour as a Berliner.  Was actually more sweet than sour.  Krysten enjoyed this beer because it had definite drinkability and had some sour notes which she really enjoys.

Excelsior 13

Krysten: ***

Jason: **

We would describe this beer as a Wheat IPA, which got us thinking… what a cool and interesting style of beer that would be.  It had a beautiful hoppy, floral aroma which almost reminded me of the aroma of Flower Power.  Medium to somewhat thick mouth-feel.  Golden-hazy color with a nice bubbly head.  Citrus and floral notes combined with a classic wheat taste.  Finishes super bitter, a little too bitter at the end.  Bitterness lingers for a long time afterwards.

Dark Humor

Krysten: **

Jason: *

Sour bacon.  We missed trying this beer at J Ryan’s FirkinFest this year and thought we wouldn’t be able to try it ever again so we were pleasantly surprised to see it offered at the brewery.  The only words I can think of to describe this beer is sour bacon.  The brewery describes it as an earthly funkalicious beer, which also sounds about right.  It’s unlike anything we’ve ever tried before.  It has a dark brown color with a large head to begin with and from the looks of it, I would expect it to taste like a brown ale.  However, it starts off pretty sour, has a funky weird tasting middle and finishes smokey.  Unusual.  It’s hard to describe, it’s definitely worth trying, I think it’s a hit or miss whether or not you like it.

About the Brewery:

Ithaca Beer Co. is kind of exactly what you would expect from a brewery located in Ithaca.  Laid back, casual, hippie atmosphere but with a definite sophistication and knowledge of brewing and beer.  I was expecting their good looking taproom girls to be just there for show, but after asking them questions about the beer and brewery, we were surprised to see that they knew what they were talking about and were quite friendly and intelligent.  We’re happy to see that Ithaca Brewing is taking risks by creating new and intriguing beers which is one of the reasons why we’ll keep coming back, even if some of the beers taste like sour bacon.  I do have to say though, I wish that the branding of the brewery was done a little better in the taproom.  The brewery is set in what looks like an old Walgreen's and the inside is somewhat transformed into a cool taproom, but they need to (1) change the carpet, it’s a weird color, (2) really brand up the inside and make it an “experience,” and (3) change up the outside so it doesn’t look so modular.  But all-in-all, love Ithaca Brewing Co. and definitely will be back.

Written by mostly Krysten with some input from Jason.

PumP King

Went to Al's*. Shitty band. LAST BOTTLE OF PUMKING!!!!!!!!!! Tisn't the season. Drank it.

Written by: Jason

*Al's Wine and Whiskey, Armory Square, Syracuse, NY

Rogue: Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale

Rogue: Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale

Score: B+

Style: India Red Ale

Malt: 2-Row Pale, Munich, Carastan and Chocolate

Hops: Horizon, Amarillo, Cascade & Rogue Farm Willamette

ABV: 6.20%

Rogue's Captain Sig first intrigued me because of it's style: India Red Ale.  Out of curiosity, I ordered one Monday night at J Ryan's (duh, where else would I be).  I was pleasantly surprised that this beer was actually pretty delicious.  It has a great amber color, which is a little hazy, and it had a nice redish-tan head when it was handed to me.  My first impressions of the beer was that it had a smooth, malty start with an aggressive bitter end.  The super bitter notes at the end where definitely a highlight at the beer and was really balanced well.  I'm a big fan of using Amarillo hops in my own beer and I could taste the floral influence of those hops in this beer.  The hops did, however, leave a bitter taste on my palette for sometime afterwards, which I don't really mind since I enjoy the bitterness of IPAs.  I felt as though the aroma was a little weak, considering there is such a great combination of hops in this beer.  I believe that Rogue could have pushed the envelope just a little bit more on this one.  Maybe produce a better aroma and balance the malt and hop flavors a little more so that both are present throughout the whole duration of a sip.

I did thoroughly enjoy this beer and am excited to see a brewery produce a beer in a less-used category.  I'm not sure if I've ever had an India Red Ale before and if I have then it wasn't too memorable.  Maybe breweries are nervous about using a beer whose initials would be IRA and it could get confused with the Irish Republican Army.  But I'm okay with it.  And it's not just because I'm Irish... or it could be, cause that's probably why I like beer so much to begin with.

Oh... and in case you care... this beer does come with an interesting story.  It's made for Captain Sig Hansen of the Discovery Channel's The Deadliest Catch and part of the proceeds for the beer are going towards the Fisherman's Fund.  I'd blog about it, but the BeerAdvocate has done that for me, enjoy: Rogue Ales Releases Captain Sig's Deadliest Ale

Oh, btw, I'm still a tad confused about why this beer has two names (Northwestern Ale and Deadliest Ale) and whether or not they are two separate beers, but I did drink one of them. 

Written by: Krysten

FirkinFest at JRyans (Syracuse, NY)

Real FURKIN Ale

            There is one important thing you should know about my experience during J-Ryan’s “Friday the Firkinteenth.” Five of my undergraduate roommates were up visiting. The pictures below should demonstrate our relationship. Most of them are more interested in alcohol than they are beer. I’m sure we could have given a nice group review of Busch after that weekend. Unfortunately this also meant that I could not concentrate as much as I could on the more 15 cask conditions ales that I tasted on Saturday. I was taking some notes, and I did rate all that I tasted out of four stars but I did not get to sit down and write some reviews right after the event like a good blogger. After arriving at J-Ryans at 11am and drinking there until around 2ish I continued to drink all day until I ended up at Harry’s on the Hill where the selection of short skirts was much wider than the selection drafts. The point is I couldn’t exactly remember everything that I tasted.

            I did learn that a cask-conditioned ale does not mean a better ale. Warmer less carbonated beer is going to lack some of the pleasant characteristics of cold draft beer and also I remember a lot of them had a lot of residual sugars (which isn’t always a bad thing). In my opinion IPAs are not suited for cask conditioning. Carbonation and the cold temperate fully brings out the hop profile. If you manage to get a good head on a cask beer, than the aroma can be better than draft, as was the case with the cask Ithaca’s Flower Power (granted that already has one of the best aromas of any IPA I have tried). I have had the Three Heads Coffee Porter on draft and I can say for sure that it was worse from the cask. The bitter/sweetness coffeeness just wasn’t there. I gave it one star.

            Besides the Coffee Porter, the less hoped ales were generally the best. Stone’s Arrogant Bastard and McNeill’s Dark Angel Imperial Stout were very good and if anyone from Middle Ages is reading this, I can only imagine that a Double Wench would have been AWESOME on cask but I can never get a hold of that stuff! The best, or at least the most memorable, was Moylan’s Kilt Lifter. It was the only one that I gave 4 stars. As you can see in the pic below, it was NUTTY! It really did have the aroma, front and after taste of boiled peanuts, which increased as I drank. This is obviously a result of the malt but I don’t know the fancy beer reviewer’s word for this flavor.

            I also remember that the Lagunitas Undercover Ale was very good, but I don’t remember why… I remember it being very sweet.

            In unrelated news, I got a 22 of Harpoon’s Island Creek Oyster Stout. It was a good stout, but not very complex and not much aroma. My problem with it was that there was virtually no hints of the supposed “mineral flavors of… oysters”. Granted I did not expect a strong oyster taste or flavor in a beer but I did expect something unexpected. That’s why I bought it! They say “brewed with oysters” so I assume that the little guys went right in the boil. I wonder, if you clean the shellfish really well, could you just toss them in the fermentor and “dry fish” the beer? This might give it a bit more of an aroma… Anyways we have an idea for a stout that’s gonna blow this right out of the tidal pool! But I cant say what yet!

Lolerskates,

 Jason

Random Buzzed Thought (Jason)

“Sometimes, however, they are sober at their first deliberation, but in this case they always reconsider the matter under the influence…”

-Herodotus

Last night while drinking Rouges “Hazelnut Brown Nectar” (good but a bit too dry and porterish) was thinking… micro brewing has won. Sure its only 2% of the market according to those Sam Adams commercials, but it is becoming highly influential in the younger crowds. While sitting at the bar at J-Ryans sipping on my brew, I noticed the patrons at floozy-o’clock ordering another round of Blue Light. Then I noticed a younger female go to the bar, and change her order from a Swallow-Wit to a Hogardeen, like she actually knew what she was talking about!!. This may be anecdotal but I think it represents a larger move in the beer world away from the popular bland lagers that had destroyed ale brewing almost a century ago. When WE grow up, all we are going to drink is real ales and we will pass this on to our children and our children’s children. The problem for the microbrewer is that within that 2% of the market the consumer wants choice. As micro-brewers becoming too large and influential, like Sierra Nevada for example, they lose they tend to lose their appeal. (Recently Sierra Navada has been doing some interesting things like their 30th anniversary Grand Cru , but for a while their delicious pale ale had become little more than a high class Bud) This means that small, interesting breweries are in demand, but they are never going to command a significant portion of the market. In other words, micro-brewing will likely be a subsistence profession for the foreseeable future.

Random buzzed thought from Jason

Floozy Spotting! (5/11/11)

There's an epidemic sweeping bars all across Syracuse, New York.  An epidemic so serious that we decided that we must cover it on Over Carbonated.  Floozies have been in full force lately.  Maybe it's the nice weather, maybe it's because they can finally pull out that jean skirt they've been saving all winter to wear or maybe it's because they have no shame.  No matter what the case is, we here at Over Carbonated believe we need to bring awareness to this epidemic.  Please look for the following floozy warning signs:

• Wiggle dancing
• Talking over everyone else in the bar
• Making inappropriate and less than intelligent remarks
• Most likely over 45 years old... at a bar where the average age is 25
• Wearing scandalous clothing, and not in a good way
• Making friends with anyone who will give them attention (especially guy "friends")
• Drinking a vodka & redbull, or a Bud Light (extra lime)

These women have not a care in the world so they definitely wouldn't care if we exploit their ridiculousness on our blog.  Welcome to our new label "Floozy Spotting."  We caught a floozy in full-blown action this past Wednesday at JRyans.  We'll be documenting these floozies as they come and sharing their stories.  Please enjoy the documentation below.  Of course, it is always nice to stage pictures of the floozy you are capturing although they probably wouldn't recognize that you were taking photos of them anyways since most of the time they are bombed.

Notice the classy see through top revealing a revealing tank top and booty shorts.

Oy, she's mastering the wiggle dance!  While the wiggle dance is a standard for floozies it can sometimes be difficult to document. 

Here is her gentlemen caller who recognizes that she's had a few too many Bud Lights and therefore he's taken it upon himself to comfort her.

A Jason, Krysten and dash of Damon Production

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

Location:  120 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202 (Armory Square)

If you like your beer and food with a side of green morals, then Empire is yo' spot.  Empire is fantastic for a bunch of reasons.  First of all, their food is really fucking good.  And good food goes well with beer, unlike bad food, which goes well with nothing.  They have a creole, New Orleans spin on most of their food which I really enjoy because there aren't much places in Syracuse that offer the same types of meals and it goes above and beyond typical pub fare.  Plus they utilize local ingredients from local farms and their own garden in their food which almost makes you feel like you're saving the world when you eat one of their hamburgers.  Simply put, Empire believes in drinking beer, eating food and buying local.

But enough about the food, because if you're reading my blog (thank you mom & dad) then you're reading it for the be-ah (aka beer).  Empire's beer is pretty good, but I definitely think that it also could use some changes.

About the goods... I really a selection of Empire's beers including their Black Magic Stout, Cream Ale, Skinny Atlas and their American Strong Ale.  If you get a chance to go down there, I would definitely invest in their beer sampler where you get a tasters of all the beers they have on tap.  Anytime a brewpub offers this and you wanna get a beer feel for the place, go for it!!  While these beers are pretty good, some of their other beers I'm not that big of a fan of, including their IPA, Pumpkin Ale and ESPA, but hey, that's just a matter of preference.  It's not like their beer taste like raisins or anything... that'd be horrible.

My issue with Empire lays with their selection.  As I'm scrolling through their list of beers on their website, I'm amazed about how many beers they have and how many of them I haven't tried.  I think what happened is that Empire has caught on to what beers really sell, like the Skinny Atlas, and therefore that is always on tap.  While I do recognize that they have some rotating beers, I would enjoy a larger selection of rotating beers.  Maybe that kind of brewing though calls for a larger brewing facility.  I do also enjoy that they have NY Guest Beers but that shouldn't be the new and exciting beers to try, they should be Empires.

Also, I appreciate that Empire is beginning to export their kegs into other bars.  Maybe bottling and distributing is the next step?  While Empire is a great place with a really amazing atmosphere and good food, I sometimes feel as though the beer aspect of the brewpub isn't the frontrunner of their game.  Which is okay, unless your customer is me, someone obsessed with brewing and beer.

Couple of other things to note about Empire:  (1)  They have a new addition which includes outdoor seating on a patio.  Rockin!  So excited about that!  (2)  Most of the time, the atmosphere of the brewpub is eclectic with a dash of hipster but, being located in Armory Square, it does sometimes on the weekends get super crowded and run over by middle-aged floozies, loud drink-spilling drunk girls, douchebags and people in business attire still out in their business attire at midnight.  (3)  Live music!!  Bands are pretty hit or miss but check out Just Joe on Thursdays.  Happy Hour pints all night long with a tattooed guy playing the shit out of a piano, it's pretty fun.

Suggestions:  Rotate your beers more often!  Maybe start selling a variety pack locally.  Happy Hour Thursdays should include Happy Hour foodums!  Other than that, definitely a solid place and worth checking out and becoming a groupie of.

Written by: Krysten

JRyans Firkin Fest

So excited for JRyans' Firkin Fest!!!

Where: JRyans Pub, 253 East Water Street, Syracuse, NY (Hanover Square)

When: Kicks off Friday, May 13 at 4pm and goes until Sunday, May 15

How Much: Prices range from $1.50-$3 depending on the beer.  Tickets will be sold at the bar, 2 tickets for a dollar (so I assume that means you need anywhere from 3-6 tickets for a beer).  There will also be a $2 charge for your drinking glass, a customized 7oz JRyans pilsner glass (definitely a keeper, so don't drop it).

"Update on the Firkinteenth----were kicking it off friday at 5 with Ithaca Dark Humor."

-JRyans Facebook Page

You better believe I will be there Friday at 5pm!  And if you're anyone, you'll be there too.

Super excited about Ithaca's Flower Power since that's one of my favorite beers and anxious to try their Dark Humor.  Middle Ages XIPA... awesome!!  Boulder Flashback is a definite try along with Troeg's Hopback and Lagunitas Undercover.

Let's play a game... it's called who will still be coherent at 11pm when the event ends.  Eh, looking at this list, I think I'll probably loose...

I will be covering (and by covering, I mean fully enjoying and hopefully taking notes) the event Friday night from the kick off at 5pm til whenever they kick me out.  I have to work (yuck) Saturday and Sunday but Jason & Co. will most likely be there and I can hopefully meet them out after work.

Written by: Krysten

Middle Ages Brewery (Syracuse, NY)

Location: 120 Wilkinson Street, Syracuse, NY 13204



Middle Ages is definitely my favorite brewery in Syracuse.  Mind you, their competition is only two other breweries, who I classified anyways as brewpubs, and one of them is Syracuse Suds, which really isn't that much of a competition.

First off, Middle Ages creates some really fantastic beer.  They're always willing to push themselves to try out new styles.  As a beer lover, I highly encourage breweries to try out new styles and create new beers because it always keeps people coming back for more.  Every year Middle Ages puts out an anniversary ale.  This is a great way for them to test out a new beer and get feedback from their followers.  Some of the anniversary beers that have been outstanding, such as the 10th anniversary Double IPA and the Double Wailing Wench continue to sell past their anniversary year, because they are so good.

If you get the chance, you have to get down to their tap room.  They have one of the best tap rooms I've ever been to (and no, it's not just about the cats...).  Oh, did I mention they have cats?!  You'll notice when you visit Middle Ages that they have some kitties roaming around freely.  This is their way of keeping the mice under control without using pesticides.  It's pretty awesome.  Nothing like tasting free beer and petting cats.

RIP Bubbles...

When you go to the Middle Ages tap room, you're allowed to sample each of the beers they have on tap.  After getting oh-so-slightly liquored up, you have the opportunity to fill your growler or buy bottles of beer along with other merchandise.  I feel as though this is a fantastic way for Middle Ages to attract a crowd and get people to buy their stuff.  If you ever go to their tap room too, you'll notice that it attracts a pretty large crowd of people, so it's definitely working.

Everyone that works at Middle Ages is extremely nice and enthusiastic about their establishment.  I've had the chance to meet the owner & head brewer, Marc Rubenstein, a few times and he is a really down-to-earth guy who will talk beer with you.  I love going to Middle Ages because I love the atmosphere and I feel as though they are doing a fantastic time pioneering the microbrewery business in Syracuse.  If you ever get the chance, you definitely need to hit up their anniversary party over the summer when they unveil their newest beer creation and host a drink, music and food fest in the park outside the brewery.

My only suggestion for Middle Ages is that I feel like they would be super successful in opening up their own brewpub.  Since their beers stay true to the "middle ages" theme, they should definitely keep that the same with the atmosphere and food that they offer at this supposed brewpub.  They already have somewhat of a cult following and that would only flourish in a brewpub setting.

Written by: Krysten

Syracuse Suds Factory (Syracuse, NY)

Location: 320 Clinton St., Syracuse, NY 13202

*Warning: I've been informed by Jason that Syracuse Suds has a new brewer, so this is my candid opinion of the place before I've checked it out with the new brewer.  Honestly though, if my past experiences weren't as bad as they were, I'd give them another shot...*

Oh, Syracuse Suds... where to begin...

Syracuse Suds prides themselves to bringing the brewing scene back to Syracuse.  See, back in the day, Syracuse (and CNY in general) used to be a hub for brewing.  After the prohibition and the expansion of macrobreweries (like Anheuser-Busch) old Syracuse breweries went out of business until around 1991 when Syracuse Suds Factory opened up.  Which all seems good and fun... until you actually visit this place and taste their beer.

Anytime I've gone to Syracuse Suds and ordered one of their beers I've regretted it.  Why do all of their beers taste like raisins?  That's right, I said it: raisins.  I mean, I've tasted some pretty interesting and bizarre beers before but I'm not sure if the raisin thing is ever gonna catch on.  Can I try your stout??  Raisins... Let me get your pale ale... Raisins...

On top of that, the whole place is overly cliche.  Dear Syracuse Suds, you could have been a pretty fucking cool place.  Instead, your whole scheme is based off the overused "orange and blue," Syracuse University, sports theme.  I get that some people are really into sports bars, but it's not done here in any clever or interesting way here.  It's no different to the million other restaurants, bars and shops I've been to around SU and in Syracuse in general.  Get over it, Syracuse Univ ain't that cool.  Trust me, I went to six years of school there.  I feel like that theme is appropriate for places like DJ's, which is actually located on the SU hill, but really Suds, you're in Armory Square, and you're supposed to be the pride of a new beer generation in Syracuse.

Omg and do not go there on the weekends.  Horrible!  The last time I was there I got my beer spilt all over me on numerous occasions because it was overcrowded with girls who can't handle their shit and scum bag guys on the prowl.  I couldn't hear myself think because there were way too many screaming biddies and horribly loud pop music.  I think I lasted 15 minutes.  Did I mention that the beer I had tasted like raisins?

This may sound harsh, but it comes from a good place because I really feel as though Syracuse Suds has potential.  For the love, they were the first microbrewery to open back up in Syracuse!  I just feel like they completely sold out and succumbed to the low standard of shitty Syracuse bars.

Suggestions: Idk, become cool.  And stop adding raisins to your beer.

Written by: Krysten

The Blue Tusk (Syracuse, NY)

Location: 165 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202 (Armory Square)

The Blue Tusk is located right in the heart of drinking in Syracuse.  Armory Square is the hoppin place to go on the weekends in Syracuse with a mix between good beer bars like The Blue Tusk and Empire Brewing and your underage, loud and obnoxious bars such as Corner Bar and Vinyl.  I have mixed feeligs about The Blue Tusk and here's why:

First off, they have a huge selection of microbrews, I think over 70, which is pretty impressive.  Compared to JRyans, they have a comparable amount of good beers but both bars have a differing selection, which is nice.  I definitely like being able to get beers here that I can't get at other bars.  Their bartenders are also extremely nice and helpful and are willing to give samples of their beers, which is great for a beer enthusiast because, sometimes you like to know what you're getting into before you make the purchase.

Which brings me to the point of the purchase...  Why are beers at The Blue Tusk so expensive??  Unless a beer has a high ABV, I really don't want to spend 6-8 dollars on a pint.  I guess that's why being able to sample the beers at The Blue Tusk is ever so important because you're investing quite a bit of money in your purchase.  Seeing as how I kind of focus my life on drinking beer, I have become familiar with how much pints cost at different bars, especially in Syracuse, and Blue Tusk is definitely the priciest.  I'm not sure why and the only conclusion that I have come up with is that they're in a prime location where people are, I guess, willing to pay that much.  I still think it's a tad ridiculous though.

I do, however, really enjoy they're outside patio, which makes Blue Tusk a great spot on a nice day in the summer.  I've spent many a days drinking on this patio in the summer... and then kicking myself the next day when I check my bank account.  They're food is also pretty good and they definitely take their food above typical pub standards.  Although, again, a tad pricey for sandwiches and soups and such, their food is pretty freakin' good (such as the Roast Beef and Stilton Sandwich, which comes on strech bread, delicious).  I always enjoy a restaurant that gives you something that you can't find somewhere else.

While during the week and during the day, The Blue Tusk is a pretty down-to-earth, chill spot to enjoy some pints and quality food, on the weekends it can become overly crowded and even get infiltrated by the typical Armory Square flouse brigade.  Not that it's the bar's fault, it's just the name of the game in that location.  But if you're looking to avoid super annoying folk and don't want to witness some assholes fighting in the street outside, I say don't go on a Friday or Saturday night.  They do have $1 off pints during happy hour, so that might be your best bet.

The Blue Tusk is also known for hosting some beer events, especially during Beer Week, so definitely be on the look out for that.

My suggestions for the bar are this...  drop your prices a little.  I doubt they will do so because to me it seems as though people in that area have become accoustomed to paying that much, but hey, it's worth a shot.  And maybe make a happy hour food menu?  I feel as though I'd go there way more often if there were better deals.  But when there are other bars in Syracuse offering pretty much the same thing, I'd rather pinch pennies and go somewhere else.

Written by: Krysten

JRyans Pub (Syracuse, NY)

    

Location: 253 East Water Street, Syracuse, NY 13202 (Hanover Square)

JRyans is my favorite beer spot in Syracuse.  Mostly because they have 69 different beers on tap that they are continuously rotating.  They have a huge selection of great beer and are always getting in new beers to try.  Definitely a great place for beer lovers.

The bartenders are always super nice and helpful when it comes to selecting beers and trying samples of beers before you invest in a purchase.  They're food is typical pub food including burgers, wings and sandwiches.  On Sundays and Mondays though, they have a pretty good wing deal (10 for $5 I think) and if you know anything about me, you know I like my wings.  They're pretty bangin.

JRyans is also known for hosting some pretty cool beer events.  I was lucky enough to attend they're Extreme Beer night during Beer Week last November and it, was, awesome.  One of the "extreme beers" they had was Sam Adam's Utopias (google it).  They're also hosting Friday the Firkinteenth (Friday, May 13 at 5:00pm - May 15 at 2:00am) where they will have participating breweries (like Ithaca Brewing Co) tap cast-conditioned beers... money!!  If you like beer, you should definitely attend, this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to try some outstanding beers and talk it up with beer representatives from participating breweries.  They'll probably be some sweet freebies as well...

Luckily for me, that's graduation weekend and I have to waitress all weekend, yayyyy!!!  But Jason will be covering this event (hopefully he's not so bombed that he doesn't remember anything) and I sure as hell will be down there as soon as I'm cut.  I'll be the girl who smells like seafood and is wearing food stained black pants, keepin it classy, as always.

Anyways, to wrap things up, JRyans is definitely the place to hit up in Syracuse if you're into beer and not into a super crowded, pretentious or over-priced bar.  Definitely super laid back and usually has a pretty solid music selection playing.  Did I mention that every night they have $2 11oz & $10 pitcher specials??  HOW CAN YOU BEAT THAT!?!

My only suggestion so far is... let's get some live music up in this joint!  They have a pretty awesome outdoor patio that I can see being used for live music over the summer, it would be beyond spectacular.  If you don't believe me, check out this hipster scene Jason and I ran into last summer in Philly... mind you this band I think is singing about perogies roasting and are doing some kind of weird hop dance, but you get the picture:

Written by: Krysten

Horseheads Brewing: Black Horse Ale

Style: Black IPA
Where I Found It: JRyans Pub, Syracuse, NY
Grade: A

Does anyone else notice this sudden trend of Black IPAs?  If you're a brewery and you don't have one yet, you should get on it... all the cool kids are doing it.  I've had some hits, some misses with this style but Black Horse is most definitely a hit.  Black Horse is super dark and smokey at the beginning and finishes with a nice bitter hop.  Fragrance is both hoppy and smokey.  Delicious but probably couldn't drink more than two in a row.  Horseheads is definitely pioneering some really unique and delicious beer.

Another beer you should try from them is "Hot-Jala Heim" which is a Chili Beer and it's so ridiculously good.  Has a kick to it, but nothing that would keep you from drinking five of them.  Perfect for a BBQ.

Written by: Krysten

"I know I've got Irish blood because I wake up everyday with a hangover." -Noel Gallagher

This is our attempt at a non-pretentious and fun beer blog brought to you by beer geeks and beer enthusiasts (not beer snobs).  We figure, we drink tons beer and talk about it enough so maybe it's time for us to make a hobby out of it.  Over Carbonated will follow our pursuit of the greatest beers, beer bars, brewpubs and breweries and will track our own homebrewing progress.  Hopefully we don't drink ourselves into an oblivion.