This was a pretty awesome weekend (more on that later). On Saturday, we headed over to Vanderbilt Avenue in the very warm sun to pick up some Immersion tickets and support the local beer scene. We didn’t make it to all the stops (some required brunch), but instead settled in at Hot Bird for the late afternoon.

We were finally able to taste Brooklyn Brewery’s The Concoction (originally The Tonic) which was the free beer at Hot Bird. Part of the Brewmaster’s Reserve series, The Concoction is inspired by a cocktail called the penicillin. It’s one of the most aggressive beers we’ve had recently, with strong flavors of ginger, clove and lemon with some noticeable peaty smoke in the background and a sneaky 7.6% ABV. Despite the intense flavors there is a beautifully effervescent carbonation that was refreshing and perfect for a warm August day.

For our second round we went for some more of the Concoction and a Mild at Heart from Wandering Star Brewing Company which is brand new to the New York City market. The Mild at Heart was a delicious dark mild that seemed to border on the verge of a porter with its extra bit of roastedness. We look forward to more from Wandering Star.