Why Yelp Gods why!? Oh if I ever needed a half star option to review a place it would be here, at Saint James Brewery. It just fits so perfectly right in between a four and five star feeling. Reason? Well let me tell you!
Last Friday I knocked out another brewery on this lengthy Island by hitting up the last Holbrook spot I hadn't ventured to (this one, or course). Nestled in a similar building-setup as its fellow Lincoln Ave brethren (Spiderbite and 1940's), Saint James is arguably a tad smaller (for a taproom, that is). That doesn't take away from it's cozy style. Yeah, you're kinda sitting in what looks like a small warehouse with the actual brewery in front of you, but that little "taproom" area works just fine (better than fine). It's got a little beer flair going which shouldn't be overlooked.
I strolled in with my buddy and we were joyfully greeted by a woman who treated us as if we were close friends in her home. She offered to change the channel on the massive TV, raise the music, and even had a charger handy for my dying phone. Service with several smiles!
Beyond the hospitality, we were given the rundown about Saint James and it's beer. A farm brewery with Belgian ale roots that's rockin' New York ingredients? Sounds good to me! This meant dubbel and tripel choices as well as a few other palate-worthy brews. With five to choose from, a flight was what we went for, though it was a bit steeper in price ($15) than usual. Hey, it's cool with me. I'll support local beer until my liver craps out (here's hopin' that takes a while!). I digress....
Let's break it down like this. Five brews:
Muré (blackberry porter)
Biere des Chevaliers (dubbel)
Fraise (strawberry fruit beer)
Tripel (I think you can figure this one out)
Rachelle Blanche (witbier)
Those two fruit-based ales gave way to some great original flavors while staying true to the Belgian background. The dubbel hit the spot and was exactly what I expected from it. The downer was the tripel. I don't know what happened here, but something tasted...off. Really off. Great, the thing had a 9% ABV, but it didn't have the heavy punch a tripel usually dances with. Things were made up when I met Rachelle. Rachelle Blanche, that is. She was a wondrous witbier bringing out some fruity notes accompanied by a wheat flavor that balanced things out perfectly. I was torn on purchasing a bottle, but she (it?) pushed me in the buying direction (along with a beautiful glass to add to the collection, albeit a pricy endeavor).
Overall, so maybe things sound kind of 4-stars-ish, but Saint James Brewery deserves that extra half of a fifth celestial body. Alas, I can't say it warrants the kick up to 5 though. Therein lies the deadly half star conundrum. In the end, just know Saint James will grant you a brewery and beers almost entirely worthy of returning for. Take the trip and be the judge on the fraction that'll make up that final twinkle. read more