With a name like McGinnis, you can probably guess that I’m of Irish decent. Its true and I do my best to connect with my heritage occasionally even though I’ve only been to the Mother Land once. I even have a shamrock tattoo. Imagine my joy when some friends stumbled upon The Long Room, an Irish gastropub in the heart of midtown and invited me to join them. I felt immediately at home even though I was on the road.
I quickly scanned the dozens of beer tap behind the marble topped bar and spotted a cask ale tap. I had to order it without even
knowing what it was. It turns out it was a HopDevil American IPA brewed by Victory Brewing Company out of Pennsylvania. What’s the fuss about cask ale? It’s unfiltered, unpasteurized beer that still has live yeast eating sugars and farting carbon dioxide in a secondary fermentation process in the cask. This makes for a much smoother, mellow beer that lets the true flavors emerge.
Because it’s served without added carbonation, the bartender has to manually pull it up with a handpump. This is an added bonus when you have an attractive Irish bartender like I did. Rachel quipped that she would build big biceps serving too much of this beer. I liked it so much I ordered several. Here’s what it’s like.
| Look | Shiny penny copper with a creamy smooth head, the kind that gives you a “milk” mustache |
| Smell | Shy nose of citrus and hops doesn’t come on nearly as strongly as it tastes. |
| Taste | This cask pulled beer has low carbonation and is served at room temperature to let the full hops flavor of the IPA to come through. Its starts off floral and citrus, builds to a round, toasty biscuit followed by bitter pine. |
| Price | $8 for a half pint |
I would definitely go back to the Long Room. The dark wood, leaded glass, plank flooring, pressed copper ceilings all add to the ambiance of a traditional Irish pub. I didn’t try any of the 30 other beers they have on tap, 40 others they have in bottles or any of the traditional Irish pub food, but I was very pleased with my experience. I had a great time playing bar games with Keith to the mild amusement of the tolerant, smiling wait staff. Check it out when you are in the neighborhood.
What are you drinking? 