Kingside IPA

I bet you've never heard of Kingside IPA.  I sure hadn't when tried it in New York this winter.  It was one of the house beers at the Kingside Restaurant, which is attached to the swank new Viceroy Hotel.  The beer was brewed at the Captain Lawrence Brewery, but is not Captain Lawrence's IPA (I know this, in part, because I had a Captain Lawrence IPA the night before and immediately knew the two beers were different, and also, more prosaically, I was told it was different when I asked if the two beers were the same).  Apparently, Kingside IPA is brewed by a Kingside employee at the Captain Lawrence facility.  Whatever.  Let's get to the beer because I'm writing about it because it's worth trying if you're in Midtown Manhattan with a wad of cash.

The Kingside IPA was refreshingly piney and bitter.  The hops also provided an ephemeral floral taste and a solid earthiness.  It was maltier than a typical West Coast IPA, which gave Kingside IPA heft and played well with the multiple flavors bursting from the hops.  It was complex, and most drinkable, with the pine finish lasting long after the beer was gone.  I liked it more than the solid, restrained Captain Lawrence IPA.

Kingside IPA, I was told, is only available at the Kingside Restaurant on West 57th Street.   If you are in Manhattan, Kingside IPA is a beer worth seeking out.  It's too bad it's served in a crap, less-than-a-pint, foo-foo glass, and that the nearly $10 price might drive you to Teetotalville.