WILLIMANTIC BREWING MAINTAINS WORLD CLASS STATUS

 Connecticut may not get the same respect its New England neighbors receive, but there’s a few wonderful Constitution State breweries competing favorably against the best public houses dotting Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. Besides five decent Southport Brewing franchises, Granby’s upscale sportsbar, Cambridge House, New Haven’s fabulous pizza-brewpub, BruRm @ Bar and Hartford’s terrific City Steam deserve plaudits.

On my January ’12 trip, I reinvestigated one of the best Northeast brewpubs and another…

MANCHESTER, CONNECTICUT

Located inside a tan barn stable with green and brown trim in a freestanding mall-bound building, Manchester’s TULLYCROSS TAVERN took over the space previously occupied by John Harvard Brewpub and had its grand opening October 1^st, 2011. A hybrid sportsbar, mahogany furnishings bedeck the hunter green walled interior and a rectangular oak bar serves the main area and outer perimeter dining space. A new patio to be constructed in spring will provide outdoor dining. Plus, a…

Stylistically thin barrel-aged rum spicing and iffy hop-toasted hazelnut flavoring downsize perfectly fine Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale. Nevertheless, this ‘nutty twist to a European Brown Ale’ succeeds as a soft-toned crossover for lighter tastes dipping their toes into bigger beers (much like Innis & Gunn’s oak-aged subtleties). Hazelnut coffee glint reaches caramel nougat center as brown chocolate, toffee, vanilla and butterscotch illusions reach fruition above fig-soured raisin-prune conflux and caraway-seeded pecan-praline-chestnut nuances. Clean mineral watering abates wispy rum influence.

GRANBY, CONNECTICUT

In a freestanding gray colonial edifice in the rural northern Connecticut town of Granby lies a reliable upscale sportsbar with a fine rotating house beer selection and respectable pub fare. Opened in 2005, CAMBRIDGE HOUSE was originally journeyed by my wife and I in January 2012 during a two-hour afternoon lunch stint.

Entering the sylvan two-storied restaurant-brewery through the back deck rear entrance, a silver-clad painted stallion welcomes patrons to the mid-sized mahogany-furnished first floor space.…

Well-balanced grain-roasted almond toasting skirts musty fruited tartness to salty oceanic bottom. Light-spiced grapefruit, peach and green apple souring runs roughshod over astringent hop bittering.

Thar, she blows! Nautical offshore blonde ale lacks depth, character and decent flavor profile. Cornstarch-parched straw wheat astringency devours lemony grapefruit souring to white-breaded sourdough bottom of murky muck. Serve only to lite beer peers.

Assertive 11.2% alcohol ‘double’ Extra Pale Ale with coppery sienna hue seems closer to a strong barleywine with its medicinal red cherry splurge, bourbon-soaked brandy whir and warm cognac tinge. Chewy caramelized vanilla center sweetens bruised orange, sugared fig, candied apple and date illusions (but harsh alcohol-burnt vodka slipstream may put off lighter thirsts). Worthy slow slipper whiskey lovers should take a liking to.

Chameleonic ‘extra’ pale ale not far removed from a summery saison on the fruity end and a German helles bock on the toasted cereal grain side. Boasting ‘English refinement with American swagger,’ its honey wheat sugaring contrasts soured apricot-apple-peach-orange tartness and bittersweet pink grapefruit scamper. Ancillary pineapple, mango, guava and kiwi tropicalia receives herbal respite above veiled sourdough breading.

Likeable brown-bodied Christmas ale celebrates Anchor’s 37^th anniversary. Wintry cinnamon-nutmeg spicing drapes cherry cola sweetness, fruit-caked fig sugaring and toasted almond tinge to dry mocha finish. Minor bristlecone pining embitters the durable backend.

Vigorously full-bodied Belgian tripel/ American India Pale Ale hybrid (with exceedingly viscous copper clouding) benefits from frenzied floral fruiting, aggressive herbal spicing and zesty lemon juicing. Well-balanced attack less bitter and more sweet than most hop-headed IPA’s. Candi-sugared apple-peach-pear conflux, tropical melon-honeydew-cantaloupe-pineapple tang and chewy caramel malting overload stiff ethanol bite. Refreshing basil-mint accent provides unique divergence.

Interesting hefeweizen hybrid brewed with honey, coriander, orange peel and blood orange juice reaches tangy midst over mild vanilla wheat base for crisp moderation. Lemony carbolic prickle brings Seltzer-like flow to summery citric splendor and cotton-candied banana-plantain auxiliary contrasts herbal white peppering.

In the can, peculiar Mexican brown ale retains weirdly sour lactic impulse above soy-sauced chocolate rye malting. Tart raisin-prune-fig-date conflux, vinous white cherry pucker and lemon-limed green grape curio bring saison-like appeal to sour ale-styled porter. Bottled version’s sourer mocha persuasion discernible.