Spider Bite Beer Company - Boris the Spider

Ah, nothing like an imperial stout to warm one's bones as colder weather approaches. This big stout from Spider Bite pours an opaque black topped with a very rich, dark brown head. On the nose, look for a complex aroma; the hops and big malt bill combine to produce luscious chocolate notes – giving impressions of both dark and milk varieties – plus coffee, baking spices, deep caramel & toffee, and touches of scorched toast. As we took a sip, the first thing to strike us was how supple and silky smooth this imperial stout is. The next thing to strike us was how absolutely packed with flavor it is. There's a big dash of bitterness from both the hop contribution and the roasted barley, but the beer's residual sweetness balances it well – the interplay between them creating a very wide and satisfying field on which the various other flavors can play. Look for huge chocolate notes alongside dark roasted coffee, toffee, caramel, brown bread, molasses, hints of licorice, and touches of deep-down esters akin to dried figs. A little booziness cuts through the malty core and bolsters the spicy, herbal hop impression. This is a beer we gladly would drink all by itself, but pairings are possible. Barbecue is where we'd go to for a savory accompaniment, with the beer able to handle both sweet and spicy sauces. But, chocolate cake a la mode is our favorite with rich stouts, or even a stout float... Cheers!

Spider Bite Beer Company was founded in October 2011 by Larry Goldstein and his friend, Anthony LiCausi. After graduating from SUNY Stony Brook with a degree in biology, Larry, a Long Island native, ventured off to Atlanta to study chiropractic. It was there in Atlanta that he developed a taste, and ultimately a full-blown passion, for craft beer. Over the next few years, he traveled around the U.S. to visit breweries and taste their beers, compiling over 5000 beer reviews in the process. Larry worked as a competition beer judge, became a columnist for the Southern Brew News, and homebrewed, all while running a chiropractic business for over ten years and raising a family. Eventually his passion drove him to take an assistant brewing role at a nearby brewpub, and that's when things turned even more serious.

Larry, along with his wife and four daughters, moved back to Long Island, at which time he studied brewing formally at the American Brewers Guild, and followed that up with an apprenticeship in San Diego under the respected Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey & Port Brewing fame. After about three years of discussion and planning, the idea of Spider Bite Beer Company became a reality with their first beers hitting the scene. Amazingly, at just their first appearance at a major beer event, Spider Bite beat out over 50 other entrants to win the F.X. Matt Memorial Cup for "Best Craft Brewery in New York State."

West Coast IPAs, wild & sour ales, and imperialized styles provide the inspiration for much of Spider Bite's portfolio, and we can't wait to see how this growing enterprise develops and what new beers they'll craft next. For more info about Spider Bite or their Tasting Room in Holbrook, give them a ring at 631-942-3255 or visit spiderbitebeer.com.