Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

ARGILLA BREWING CO. @ PIETRO’S PIZZA

United States Brewpubs, ,

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NEWARK, DELAWARE

Boasting the simple slogan ‘tasty suds and laidback grub,’ Newark, Delaware-based nanaobrewery ARGILLA BREWING CO. may’ve come into fruition during February 2012, but brewer Steve Powell’s father manned Pietro’s Pizza since 1978. Starting with a home kit brewing system ’round 2008, Powell became increasingly interested in designing craft beers, inspired partially by Anchorage, Alaska’s Moose Tooth Pub & Pizzeria and Washington State’s eclectic breweries. A former Iron Hill brewer, Powell’s general fare is soft-toned, daintily expressive and well-rounded, pairing well with the tremendous assortment of pizza pies offered.

Inside the red-bricked Meadowood Mall, Argilla celebrated its fourth anniversary recently. A small stage with pink couch and beer list line the right side wall while left side seating and wooden booths surround the central food and bar area. Windowed brew tanks at the left rear served seven approachable ales on my April ’16 lunchtime sojourn. My wife ordered the delectable Arugula Pie to go with my house-brewed samples. Waylon & Willie, Johnny Cash and several other country artists play in the background while several locals start to arrive.

It’s worth noting that Argilla also has a refrigerator full of respectable bottled-canned Delaware beers from Dogfish Head, Fordham & Dominion, 16 Mile, Mispillion River, Third Wave and Blue Earl (all of which I found later on this fun-soaked statewide journey).

For starters, easy drinking Blonde On Belgian brought brisk lemon zest to mandarin orange tartness, coriander-spiced banana sweetness and candi-sugared crystal malts. Next, sweet-honeyed Session Pale Ale mixed lemony grapefruit souring with mildly bitter orange rind tang. Just as mild, raw-honeyed Golden Goldings gained a subtle lemon spritz over bready malts, herbal hops and vegetal hints.

Bettering those delicate choices was soft-toned Meeting House Pale Ale, the nitro version of Session Pale Ale. Its lemon-pitted grapefruit and orange tartness gained prominence above doughy English yeast fermentation.

Dried oats anchored mildly embittered Toatally Falconer Oat IPA, a polite lemon-limed spritzer with astringent hops guiding piney grapefruit pith briskness to the surface. ‘Fruit juiced’ Flute Luplin, a wildflower-honeyed Imperial IPA, delivered a delightful citric punch above creamy pale malts as its lemony grapefruit and orange tang quietly surged.

Before hitting the road, lovely oats-flaked dry body, Sin City Stout, contrasted light coffee and cocoa bittering with medium-roast brown chocolate sweetness and wispy dried fruiting.

By June ’16, Argilla will expand brewing operations from 1.5 barrels to a 3-barrel system.

www.argillabrewing.com

ALIEN BREW PUB

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for alien brewpub Image result for alien brewpub

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

A galvanizing intergalactic experience, Urban Square’s ALIEN BREW PUB succeeds at being a “low key tavern” with its snickering moniker parodying New Mexico’s secret underground alien base. There’s a diamond-shined flying saucer (shown above) crashing above the resin-topped U-shape bar and a beer-drinkin’ green alien on the left wall welcoming those daring enough to step inside this cosmic Albuquerque-based clubhouse.

Inside a well-kept freestanding corner building with a flat brown stone base and rust aluminum awning, Alien’s extraterrestrial interior features a skylight Cathedral ceiling, ample seating, rear brew tanks, stucco-walled tap handles and 3 TV’s. A cement-floored side deck with black metal furnishings offers outdoor splendor.

Veteran brewer Rich Weber’s relaxing craft brews get complemented by delectable pub fare such, though the daringly heated bacon-wrapped jalapenos with cheddar cheese should be gobbled separately ’cause its a tempestuously terrific tongue burner.

Open December 2015 (in conjunction with Weber’s long-time Moriarty-based Rio Grande and Sierra Blanca breweries), I initially visited Alien for a Sunday April ’16 noon swoon.

Attentive bartender, Rachel, made damn sure my friend Dennis and I tried all 15 diverse house brews while mellowing out at a few centralized bar seats.

Perhaps Alien’s most approachable brew, Crop Circle Wheat contrasted sharp curacao orange bittering against coriander-spiced navel orange tang above the light white wheat base.

Crisply clean Rio Grande Pilsner brought mild Noble hop bittering to German pilsner malt sugaring as well as brisk celery, fennel and radish vegetalia. Refreshingly smooth Galaxy Lager (a.k.a. Outlaw Lager) coalesced caramelized pale malts  with light citric hop dryness.

Sun Chaser Pale Ale (a Sierra Blanca spinoff) delegated caramelized Munich malts to sweeten zesty grapefruit and orange sunniness atop oats-dried cereal grains.

A few other Sierra Blanca-related brews included Alien Amber (the most popular beverage), a barley-roasted moderation with lemony orange fruiting, and the second best seller, Bone Chiller Nut Brown, an English ale yeast-infested medium body with polite grain-roasted coffee and dark chocolate tones.

Two simple, likable India Pale Ales were next. Voluptuous Rio Grande IPA brought bright grapefruit, orange, pineapple and peach tropicalia to syrupy honeyed malts and relegated herbal hop notions. Dryer Area 51 IPA polished its yellow grapefruit tang with soft piney hop lacquer and currant-glazed peach and apricot illusions.

Cascadian Dark Ale, Black Hole IPA, allowed cocoa-powdered dark chocolate bittering to consume copious dried fruiting over its piney hop char.

Pleasant Cranberry Sour may have seemed out-of-step here as the lone sour ale, but its tart lemon-limed cranberry pucker, musky crabapple subtlety and lactic acidulated malting sufficed.

Mild pilsner-infused Poncho Verde Green Chili greeted the tongue with roasted chili peppering atop olive bread crust.

Sweet raisin and fig fronted molasses-sugared Alien Dubbel Belgian while banana bubblegum inundated rum-spiced, white-peppered Alien Triple Belgian.

For dessert, two divergent dark ales hit the spot. First up, stylishly easygoing Imperial Stout leaned on light-roasted coffee overtones to upend nutty chocolate sweetness. Meanwhile, creamy Milky Way Stout recalled the iconic candy bar by serenading its caramelized chocolate nougat center with vanilla, toffee and dark cherry nuances.

A charming alien-themed pub, this cosmic joint generates a varied crowd of sports fans, businessmen, lighter beer aspirants and lucky New Mexico vacationers.

www.abqbrewpub.com

BOSQUE BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

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ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Just off Route 25 in a beige-pinked stucco mini-mall, ever-expanding BOSQUE BREWING on San Mateo Boulevard was going through remodeling to double its size while completing a major menu overhaul during my initial April ’16 two-hour stopover. Makers of award-winning Scale Tipper IPA (now bottled), Bosque also has a Girard Boulevard Public House and Las Cruces Taproom nearby.

Named for the cottonwood forest bordering the Rio Grande, Bosque sprung to prominence October 2012. Its wooden bar top has the brewery’s insignia etched in. For future expansion, the 20-seat taproom (with eight tables) will be expanded on the right side with 50 more seats available. Brew tanks are located in a separate left room space.

Though Bosque was out of its flagship Scale Tipper IPA, there were 12 more vibrant choices available for perusing as Villanova beat North Carolina University for the NCAA Basketball championship. Out of the six brews examined this Monday eve, only sweet-tart Fruited Wheat, with its cranberry-soured raspberry rasp and sugared wheat spine, was in limited edition. The rest were virtual mainstays, though as of springtime ’16, Bosque had already crafted 90-plus different beers – many in small batches.

Impressive Bosque Lager retained a brisk off-dry flow with its light milled grain minerality, sugary pilsner malting, and lemony snicker hovering softly above the baked bread spine.

Approachable moderate-body, Brewer’s Boot Amber Ale, brought sweet ‘n sour citrus tartness, light-roasted barley-oats and subtle earth tones to sweet honeyed biscuit malting.

Mild peated Scotch malts anchored Scotia Scotch Ale, a honey-sugared wee heavy with red-fruited sweetness picking up dewy moisture.

Exquisite Riverwalker IPA shined brightly as grapefruit-dried piney hop bittering contrasted perfumed tropical fruit sweetness. A tangy array of pineapple, mango, peach, navel orange, tangerine and passionfruit illusions add sunshine to the yellow grapefruit entry.

Before leaving, mocha-bound dry body, Driftwood Oatmeal Stout, brought oatmeal molasses sweetness to black chocolate, nutty coffee and black cherry illusions.        

www.bosquebrewing.com

NEXUS BREWERY & RESTAURANT

United States Brewpubs,

Nexus Brewery - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Almost directly across Chama River Brewing off Pan American Freeway, Albuquerque’s awesome NEXUS BREWERY & RESTAURANT champions the flavorful ethnic diversity of this Southwestern Rio Grande Riverbed mecca. Since the Craft Beer Revolution gained national prominence, most of its brewmeisters and entrepreneurial investors have been white males. However, dark-skinned Nexus owner, Ken Carson (a former banker), and female head brewer, Kaylynn McKnight, prove there’s cresting talent beyond the litany of pale-faced zymorgists.

In a tan stucco building next to Best Western, Nexus provides a delightful pub food change-up by offering hearty New Mexican-styled Southern soul food (such as chicken-fried chicken, red chili-peppered collared greens and gumbo) to go alongside impeccable house brews on my April ’16 two-hour lunchtime jaunt.

Since its initial 2011 opening, Nexus has expanded beyond its pristine cocktail-lounged 8-seat grey bar (with glass-encased copper brew tanks, silver spaceship lighting and multiple TV’s) to a remodeled cement-floored side dining  room with beer-centric murals and small outdoor deck. As my friend, Dennis, and I grab a dining table, we dig into New Mexico Soul Burgers (with red chili-sauced bacon, onion and pepper jack cheese) while quaffing eight beer samplers.

New Mexican Soul Food Restaurant in Albuquerque, NM | Best Brewery Restaurants | Good Places to Eat near Me

Starting with dry-hopped American Red Ale - a nifty moderate-bodied offering with spiced red and orange fruiting glazing toasted caramel malts over tobacco-roasted barley crisping –  the quality and care given each well-balanced stylistic elixir was immediately evidenced.

Rounded flagship, Scottish Ale, had a similar malt-spiced profile as the Red Ale, adding nutty pecan, almond and hazelnut illusions to caramelized molasses sweetness and mild peat-smoked hop astringency.

Amiable Honey Chamomile Wheat brought chamomile tea florality to coriander-salted orange and tangerine tang as well as Bee’s honey sinew.

The heightened 9.3% ABV given Imperial Cream Ale (compared to the original version’s pre-prohibition-styled 4% volume) provides sweet white-wined nuances to  crystal-malted cream soda sugaring and grassy-hopped astringency.

Mellifluous Imperial Pilsner placed crystal-malted mango, guava, nectarine, peach and lychee sweetness and tart pineapple-grapefruit-orange bittering alongside light woody hop dryness (and wispy vodka kick).

Briskly clean-watered IPA layered tangy grapefruit, orange and lemon zest atop sticky pine-needled hop resin, juniper berry bittering and herbal tea nips.

Dry English-styled Chocolate Porter slid chocolate-roasted molasses sweetness across dark-roasted coffee, anise and nut illusions.

Best bet: supple English Barleywine, a boozy 9% ABV dessert treat, plied sweet dried fruiting to caramelized Maris Otter malts, floral perfumed hops and rum-spiced sugaring, picking up tangy bruised orange, tangerine, red cherry, red grape and honeydew notions.

nexusbrewery.com

 

CHAMA RIVER BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

One of New Mexico’s first and best microbreweries (active since 2005), located in an exquisite siena-hued terracotta barnhouse off Pan American Freeway, Albuquerque’s silver-roofed CHAMA RIVER BREWING COMPANY serves upscale pub fare (steak, seafood, pasta) to pair with its well-designed traditional brews.

Easy to spot from the freeway due to its large sidled grain silo, Chama River Brewing’s interior wood design, foyer-bound water feature (with resin pheasant), stone hearth and tiled front patio provide crystalline elegance. Its copper-clad center bar (with 10 tap handles, several stools and TV) services a private lounge and booth-laden Porter Room. Sterling glass-encased brewtanks store most of the nine proprietary offerings tried during my April 2016 sojourn.

For starters, rounded Class VI Golden Lager regaled German pilsner malts with raw-honeyed sour lemon musk, maize-dried graining and grassy hops.

Then a few moderate-bodied ales sufficed. Rio Chama Amber brought light honey spice to tangy navel orange briskness and toasted carafa malting. Mild India Pale Ale-like citric fruiting guided Copper John Pale Ale, a floral-perfumed dry libation with zesty grapefruit-pineapple-orange juicing embittered by piney hop resin to contrast sweet sugar-spiced crystal malts.

IPA overtones also embrace soft-toned Vermilion Red Ale, a red and orange fruit-spiced nicety not far removed from Chama River’s most popular item, Jackalope IPA. Named after a mythical antlered rabbit, its tangy yellow grapefruit freshness and bitter lemon rind pucker overload the zesty tropical sureshot as pine-lacquered perfume hops contrast crystal-malted mango, pineapple, orange, tangerine and guava sweetness.

Orange blossom-honeyed coriander tweaked Broken Spoke Honey Wheat, a mildly citrus-spiced moderation backed by torrified husked wheat minerality, grassy hop astringency and floral daubs.

A fine collaboration with neighboring Nexus Brewery, nitro-injected The Darker Fare Irish Stout fortified its softly creamed black chocolate fudging with coffee-roasted espresso and charred nuttiness. Nearly as dry and arguably better, Sleeping Dog Oatmeal Stout coalesced sugary molasses oats with coffee-milked black chocolate, walnut, pecan and hazelnut illusions.

chamariverbrewery.com

 

 

TURTLE MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO

Situated inside the tan stuccoed 36th Place Mall in Rio Rancho (a few miles north of Albuquerque), TURTLE MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY began operations in 2012 when local Pueblo Indian descendant, Nico Ortiz, decided to join the evolving Craft Beer Revolution. A sizable pub with 12-seat back bar, multiple wooden tables and booths, one slate-topped community table, wall-sprawled beer banners and a banquet room with patio, Turtle Mountain offered wood-fired pizza, burgers, sandwiches and calzones to pair with its dominantly dry beer selections.

With 14 draught lines available on my April ’16 afternoon trip, nine were pouring worthy homemade beers while the others had popular local selections from  Bosque and La Cumbre.

For openers, light-bodied McDay’s Cream Ale offered zesty lemon spritz and spicy citric hops to corn-flaked barley malt crisping (allowing subdued celery, fennel and brown rice wisps to emerge beneath the surface). With a similar profile, Heidelberg Helles brought lemony hop briskness to sweet sugar-spiced pale malts and herbal lemongrass snips. Amiable rye-spiced Oku Amber caressed floral-fruited hops with cereal-grained barley and oats.

A ‘fun twist’ on an American pale ale, Parasol White Ale layered lemon-soured yellow grapefruit bittering above grassy hops and spiced crystal malts while the bolder West Coast-styled Hopshell IPA seduced its lemon-peeled grapefruit bittering and lacquered wood tones with floral citrus-candied sweetness.

Tart Gose With The Flow took its soft-toned pineapple adjunct to a salty-bottomed lemon-lime pucker. Vinous black grape esters seeped inside Amethyst Brett Double Stout, a brettanomyces-soured dark ale with light wine barrel aging, serene black chocolate overtones, timid burgundy flutter and peated earthiness as well as pithy black cherry, cola nut and roasted tobacco nuances.

Off-dry Snake Driver Irish Stout gathered dark cocoa, black chocolate, charred nuttiness and dark-roasted grains atop its dewy mildewed base.

Newest full-time dark ale, Stauffenberg Oatmeal Stout delegated dark-roast ground coffee overtones to amplify light charred nuttiness over its groaty barley-flaked rolled oats base.

turtlemountainbrewing.com

BLUE GRASSHOPPER BREW PUB

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for blue grasshopper BREWERY Image result for blue grasshopper BREWERY

RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO

On the right side of a mini-mall off Coors Boulevard in Albuquerque, casual cafe-styled BLUE GRASSHOPPER BREW PUB fills out a cheaply furnished cornered interior and blue cement-floored patio. An amber awning welcomes faithful locals and out-of-town beer enthusiasts to the graffiti-walled pub (with a few guitars and TV’s hanging behind the 12-seat L-shaped bar and portraits of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe nearby).

Featuring 20 slate-backed draught lines and a small kitchen serving wood-fired pizza, sandwiches, wings, salads and gyros, Blue Grasshopper also accommodates acoustic guitar performers with a small stage area. Ten cafeteria tables round out the intimate space.

Due to an aborted change of venue, Blue Grasshopper’s out of all its original house brews while the staff reassembles the brewing equipment they’d recently broke down. In the meantime, each tap line is dedicated to a local outside brew for this April Fool’s Day ’16 jaunt.

So I gladly settle in at the cozy bar to quaff seven previously untried New Mexican libations (fully reviewed in Beer Index), including La Cumbre’s South Peak Pilsner, Slice of Hefen and Not Even Brown as well as Red Door’s Shift Ender Golden Lager and Paint It Black Stout plus Abby Monk’s Tripel and Sierra Blanca Bone Chiller Brown Ale.

Those who’ve enjoyed Blue Grasshopper’s homemade brews confirm their goodness. In fact, the brewer was readying a light ale during my two-hour visit.

www.bghnm.com

 

BRICKTOWN BREWERY

United States Brewpubs

Image result for owassa brew bricktown

OWASSA, OKLAHOMA

In a freestanding red brick edifice in the Green Country ‘Cherokee Nation’ of Owassa, 15 miles northeast of Tulsa, lies BRICKTOWN BREWERY, opened 2014. A slick traditional American sportsbar with eight locations spread across Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas, Owassa’s Bricktown franchise brews off premise and serves better-than-generic fare that takes no stylistic chances with each specific offering.

A big American flag on the wall and exposed pipes at the high ceiling mark the spacious dining hall. A 20-stool bar with centralized refrigerator, large TV and Beer Board services several tables and features 20-plus tap handles plus bottled fare. Burgers and pizza went well with the seven proprietary draught beers available on my March 2016 visit with college pals, Jeff and Dana.

For openers, dry golden ale,  Old King Kolsch, brought lemony Cascade hop zest and salty brine to its wheat cracker spine. Wiley One-Eyed Wheat allowed tart lemon-wedged orange peel sweetness to its wispy white wheat base. Blues Berry Ale offered light-bodied perfume-hopped blueberry tartness to carbolic lemon-dropped spritz.

Sessionable Three Guardsman India Pale Ale maintained a soft citric flow as its subtly spiced lemon and grapefruit tang gained resonance. Softly creamed Millie Mc Fadden Red Rye contrasted dry-hopped citrus tones against delicate rye-toasted cereal malts.

On the dark side, mediocre Bricktown Brown plied muddled nutty tones to citric-soured tea drear. Somewhat better, Single String Stout placed cocoa-powdered coffee sourness above cola nuttiness.

www.bricktownbrewery.com


CHILLY WATER BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Chilly Water Brewing Company | An urban brewpub with super food ...

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Proudly patriotic Midwest hub, Indianapolis already had a dozen well-respected brewpubs when CHILLY WATER BREWING COMPANY opened its doors, June 2014. But as the micro-nano brewery scene gained hyperactive nationwide momentum, startups like this fascinating Industrial downtown watering hole became just another prominent member of the ongoing American beer revolution. As of April ’16, its raw, unfinished feel appeared temporary since recent accolades such as Best Brewer at Indiana State Fair makes expansion seem imminent (though the low ceiling and exposed pipes offered a cozily rustic intimacy).

A covered front porch and windowed brew tanks lead to the entrance of Chilly Water. The 12-seat bar accommodates ten taps, two TV’s, and a host of classic rock albums (whose titles make up the name of a few beers) on the nearby wall.

Chili, quesadillas, paninis and soup paired well with nine rounded beer selections available this sunny afternoon. Specializing in a wide array of worldly styles, their lagers are as sublime and expressive as the ‘bigger’ ales.

Light-bodied flagship, Built To Last Pilsner bounced spicy pale malts against lemondrop dollops and grassy Noble hop astringency. Easygoing Chilly Water Lager retained a dry wood tone and herbal respite to contrast barley-roasted pale malt sugaring.

Lemon-soured orange candy delicately embraced Smash Hit Belgian Wit, a coriander-clove-spiced dry body with plantain-banana snips. One Hit Wonder countered subtle grapefruit peel bittering with wispy banana-clove sweetness. Saison Du 92 stayed soft-toned as its mandarin orange spicing picked up light hop peppering.

Meditative moderation, Blazin’ Fiddles Scottish Ale layered sweet caramel malting atop peaty earthiness. Tropical Mosaic-hopped One Hop Wonder brought tangy grapefruit-peeled bittering to clove-spiced banana, pineapple and mango auxiliary.

Taking its moniker from Pink Floyd’s space rock gem, Dark Side Of The Munich Dunkel surrendered brown-sugared fig sweetness, creamy toffee malting and sedate purple-red grape tartness to dewy peat mildew in a definitive manner.

On the dark side, worthy Hey Porter pleated brown chocolate sweetness to pecan, hazelnut and praline undertones. For dessert, outstanding Chocolate Coconut Porter duplicated a Mounds Bar with its dark chocolate malting and toasted coconut center, picking up Pina Colata hints at the nutty mocha finish.

www.chillywaterbrewing.com

TOW YARD BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for tow yard brew

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Inside a multi-storied red brick industrial warehouse a few blocks from Indianapolis Colts indoor football stadium, TOW YARD BREWING opened April 2014. A large concrete-floored facility serving local downtown businesses with expressive libations and good bar food, its sportsbar atmosphere certainly suits the basketball, hockey and football fans attending nearby games.

Tow Yard’s main 20-seat pergo wood-ceilinged bar and smaller right side 6-seat bar serve two community tables, several stooled tables, a backroom banquet area and wraparound front deck.  An enormous well-kept beer can collection spreads across the spacious interior walls and an on-site deli provides sandwiches, burgers, chicken wings and salads to go alongside homemade draught beer.

Purdue bio grad and head brewer, Tony Fleming (who replaced Indiana University alumni, Bradley Zimmerman), provides a wide array of stylistic brews – some of which are slightly off-the-beaten path.

Visited April 2016, I quaffed the three flagship beers first. Each of these approachable offerings are also available in cans for outside consumption.

Easygoing Goldie Hops Cream Ale placed spicy Saaz hops and honeyed wheat malts above a soft biscuit bottom. Using Goldie Hops as the base, Hook Up Shandler, a soda-like Radler shandy, brought ruby red grapefruit sweetness and tart lemonade-powdered granulated sugaring to the fore as iced tea nuances wavered below. Splendid Horsepower Double Pale Ale plied orange-spiced piney hop dryness and subtle peach-mango undertones to barley-grained Maris Otter malting.

Briskly dry-hopped moderation,  Impound IPA, contrasted grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering against sugar-spiced sweetness. English dark mild ale, Who’s That Brown Ale, tasted like day-old coffee with roasted chocolate tones and a brown-sugared candied walnut glaze riding above the light hop-charred bittering.

A bit unusual, classic brown-hued Japanese malt liquor, Beat Box Samurai, delivered sourly dark-roasted chocolate nuttiness and peated soy sauce brininess to earthen wood tones.

Dark-roasted coffee and chocolate dominated Creamy Behemoth Imperial Oatmeal Stout, deepening its mocha frontage with caramelized oats and wispy nuttiness.

My fave: Oatis Redding Imperial Red Ale retained a silken flow despite its heightened 11% ABV as roasted caramel malting, subtle bourbon sweetness and sugary oats coalesced above mild dry-hopped bittering.

towyardbrewing.com

 

GUN HILL BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for gun hill brewery

BRONX, NEW YORK

Veteran brewmaster Chris Sheehan built a solid reputation at now-defunct Manhattan hotbed, Chelsea Brewing, then Newark’s Port 44 and Woodbridge mainstay JJ Bitting before hooking up with entrepreneurial New Yorkers Kieran Farrell and Dave Lopez to devise GUN HILL BREWING COMPANY. One of the guiding lights leading the charge for the resurgence of Bronx borough breweries (alongside Bronx Brewery), Gun Hill began operations May 22, 2014.

Located inside an industrial warehouse space on Laconia Avenue between an auto shop and plaster caster, the ambitious one-room brewery takes its name from nearby Van Cortlandt Park’s Revolutionary War battle. An unpretentious neighborhood joint with a large garage door entrance, high ceilings, cement floors, three picnic tables, three community tables and a large backroom brewing area, Gun Hill Brewing immediately grabbed hold. A 12-seat bar with several taps services walk-in customers while hundreds of kegs generate appreciable beer pub action throughout the Empire State.

On a warm March ’16 evening, I get to try six well-designed elixirs with a few friendly locals.

Sessionable flagship, Gold, an easygoing golden ale, plied pilsner-like pale malts and earthy bark-dried Noble hops to floral-perfumed lemon tones, picked up French-breaded toasting along the way. Though it’s descriptively oxymoronic, mild English strong ale, Who Spelt It, Dealt It, brought oats-dried spelt wheat flouring to sugar-spiced crystal(?) malting and grassy hops.

Endearing Simcoe-Citra-hopped mainstay, India Pale Ale, elevated its brisk lemon-dried grapefruit peel and orange rind bittering to dry pine lacquer in a crisply clean-watered setting.

Another charming medium body, Cherry Tree Red Ale gained a resilient red cherry-candied tartness above sweet honeyed wheat malts and mellow fruit-spiced hops.

Cascadian dark ale lovers will want to quaff Black Waves IPA, a mocha-doused medium-full body draping day-old coffee, dark chocolate and dry cocoa above oats-charred ashen hops while dried-fruited fig, apricot, brown pear and quince illusions stabilized beneath the surface.

For dessert, Void Of Light Foreign-style Stout emitted dry dark chocolate malting and cocoa-powdered coffee roast above moderate wood-charred hop bittering.

Right off the main thoroughfare of Gun Hill Road, this unassuming Bronx oasis will satisfy a wide range of beer enthusiasts with its sanguinely seductive sedatives.

gunhillbrewing.com     

OUTER LIGHT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs

Image result for outer light lonesolight brewery boatman  Image result for outer light lonesolight brewery boatman

GROTON, CONNECTICUT

Just off Route 95 in the naval submarine-based New England town of Groton, founders Tom Drejer and Matt Ferrucci opened warehouse-garaged OUTER LIGHT BREWING COMPANY DURING April ’15. A few blocks from the Thames River in an unfinished space, Outer Light has already expanded sufficiently with its three new silver-shined 60-barrel fermenters. And an upgrade for its skeletal tap room seems as imminent as the soon-to-be utilized bottling line.

While crafting over 30 small-batch brews since its initiation, three flagship offerings took hold. During my 1-hour stopover, March ’16, I get to try the well-designed trio plus one peachy saison and oyster-shelled stout. Served in 5-ounce candleholders at the 10-stool bar from tiled steel taps, each tidy sample delivered expressive flavor profiles heightened by clean mineral watered crisping.

The lightest and most accessible year-round libation, Lonesome Boatman Red Ale, brought caramel-toasted fruit spicing to the fore as dainty red apple, peach, tangerine and nectarine illusions took hold. Next, Subduction IPA allowed mildly bitter yellow grapefruit and orange rind briskness to gain piney hop resin and light floral daubs over sugary caramel malts.

Just as excellent, Libation Propaganda Coffee Stout piled profound dark-roasted coffee intensity atop charred hop bittering as tertiary black chocolate, espresso and cacao nibs illusions added depth.

Another fine dark ale, Noank Smack Oyster Stout, let oyster shells provide a creamier base for black coffee richness, sweet chocolate sedation and oats-sugared mocha malting.

An intriguing hybrid, Nutmeg State Peach Saison plied its Belgian farmhouse yeast funk, salty coriander spicing and mineral-grained crisping with sharp lemon-soured peach tones.

As local beer lovers start filling the joint up and Red Hot Chili Peppers play in the background this sunny Sunday afternoon, the future sure looks bright for the vibrant Outer Light.  

www.outerlightbrewing.com