Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

BACK EAST BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs

  

BLOOMFIELD, CONNECTICUT
Located at a red brick industrial park just outside Bloomfield’s small downtown center next to Dunkin’ Donuts north of Hartford, BACK EAST BREWING COMPANY currently can and keg thier growing inventory of easygoing fare in a 4,500 square foot space. Expanding from a nearby Southington garage, founding cousins Edward Fabrycki and Tony Karlowicz, along with current head brewer, Mike Smith (ex-Mayflower), crafted a few sessionable pale ale offsprings alongside substantial Imperial Stout and Porter stylings during my initial early February ’14 sojourn.
Serving local restaurants with draft beer and offering growlers or canned versions since opening for biz, August ’12, Back East is already one of the Constitution State’s largest microbreweries. A walk-in serving station provides samples of each available brew for the large afternoon crowd.
Upon entering the apartment-sized serving station (with expansive backroom brew area), several local patrons dive into the year-round offerings. First up, light-bodied flagship Back East Golden Ale retains a refreshing soft-watered summertime pleasantry, draping creamy crystal malts with a modicum of lemony grapefruit rind bittering.
With a tad more body and character, easygoing American Pale Ale moderation, Back East Ale, brought floral citrus brightness to sugary malts and herbal celery frisk.
Just as approachable and mild considering its richer style, Misty Mountain IPA caresses lemony orange-peach-pear-apple fruiting with astringent raw-honeyed herbal hops, dry wood tones and wispy 7% alcohol burn.
Enigmatic raw-honeyed seasonal, Back East Winterfest, sprinkled cinnamon atop evergreen-fresh spruce, fern and pine nut illusions as well as perfumed herbal notions.
As for the dark ales, musty coffee-dried Back East Porter gained black chocolate and dark cocoa sustenance above soy-sauced cacao nibs, toffee and walnut undertones. Affluent cocoa-seeded black chocolate roast and reedy hop char ascend above ashen pine-tarred tobacco chaw bittering for Back East Imperial Stout. (Full reviews at Beer Index).

BROAD BROOK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs
Image result for broad brook brew  
EAST WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT
In a red-bricked industrial strip mall behind a busy brown-sided billiards hall at Sofia’s Plaza in the quaint Tobacco Valley town of East Windsor, BROAD BROOK BREWING COMPANY occupies the suede-textured walls of an unfinished plank-boarded warehouse. On my initial Saturday evening sojourn, February 2014, Broad Brook reached full capacity as local beer enthusiasts, traveling brew hounds and New York Times scribe Chris Brooks crowded the tiki-lounged central serving station.
My wife and I grab one of the tables across the bar to taste a few generous samples while the bartenders keep busy distributing growlers-to-go.
Owned and operated by three seasoned homebrewers, Broad Brook did well at a few local and national beer contests before opening its doors during the winter of ’13.
The wide ranging beer selection includes flagship, Broad Brook Ale, with its earthen ESB-like morning dew picking up mild perfume-hopped bittering and moldy orange compote above biscuit-y caramel malts.

Light-bodied Chet’s Pale Ale brought honeyed red-orange-yellow fruiting to floral spiced whims for familiar sessionable alacrity. Equally affable German-styled moderation,6 Balls Alt, prodded dried fig and grapefruit with light peppered hop bittering and toasted caramel sugaring.

Possibly the most intriguing elixir on this cold winter’s night, Pink Dragon Wit offered soft-toned hibiscus flowering to champagne-fizzed lemon zest and saison-like sour fruiting. Its herbal Belgian yeast peppering and cider-sharpened banana-clove-bubblegum whir receded at the doughy bottom.
Homewrecker Holiday Ale plied molasses-sugared coffee tones to cherry-pureed prune, raisin and fig dried fruiting as well as dirty earthen minerality.
For dessert, easygoing Porter’s Porter retained a dry stout likeness as Baker’s chocolate, cocoa nibs, raw molasses and sour cherry illusions flooded its dark-roasted hop char.
Before leaving, picked up growler of Broad Brook Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, a clean-watered English-styled dark ale with chalky cocoa bittering leading the way for oats-roasted dark chocolate malting and spiced iced coffee follow-up. Its nutty bottom heightened the overall bitterness.

FIREFLY HOLLOW BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs
The Beer Show – Firefly Hollow Brewing Co. – Cygnus Radio
BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT
Residing at a historic factory on a spooky hillside above downtown Bristol, FIREFLY HOLLOW BREWING COMPANY certainly makes the most of its raw warehouse space. Open for business, October 24, 2013, this rustic partner-owned microbrewery takes advantage of its ample size, using a wood-furnished left side lounge (with upholstered benches and exposed ducts) to provide a relaxed vibe across from the 20-seat L-shaped serving area.
Becoming part of a growing Connecticut trend, Firefly Hollow’s conveniently located inside an industrial warehouse plant – just like nearby Broad Brook and Relic. Rad logo-designed black-and-blue pottery mugs and homemade ceramic tap handles welcome visitors to the serving station.
As my wife and I settle in late Sunday morning early February 2014, Elton John’s clap-happy “Bennie & The Jets” plays loudly. We take the two far right chairs closest to the seperate brewing area. Though Firefly Hollow’s popular Toad Stool Oat Stout is out today, there are two fine midrange beers for softer palates as well as one galvanizing porter (even better on nitro) and a unique smoked beer.
The place fills up as I quaff the five ambitious prospects.
Dewy ESB-like mossing and tea-like hop toasting front the dried-fruited Moonrise Amber, a sensible moderation with wispy fig, passionfruit and grapefruit undertones.
Next up, pleasantly light-bodied The Wisp American Pale Ale (the second lightest offering next to the unavailable Ramshackle Golden Mild) brings a gentle caramel-spiced citric spritz to tangy orange-grapefruit-peach sweetness and tropical guava-kiwi-passionfruit souring.
Bourbon-soaked wood chips and Scottish peat malts consume the fine Smokey Moore Scottish Ale, a smooth medium body with mild ruachbier tendencies.
Ecuadorian cocoa nibs bring a subtle complexity to velvety Emily’s Choconut Porter. Nearly majestic, its dark-roasted coffee nuttiness, chocolate-chipped mocha malting, toasted coconut affectations and vanilla-beaned Baker’s chocolate bittering drape the delicate soft-watered backdrop.
On nitro, Emily’s Choconut becomes a softly creamed maple walnut milkshake with coffee-chocolate overtones and wispy dried fruiting.

SHEBEEN BREWING

United States Brewpubs

  

WOLCOTT, CONNECTICUT

The amazing proliferation of brewpubs and breweries in Connecticut during the past few years has been extremely encouraging. Some of my favorites popping up recently include Cavalry, Back East, Half Full, Relic, Two Roads, Beer’d and nearly a dozen yet to be discovered by 2014.

One of the finest new craft beer operations, SHEBEEN BREWING, opened on Cinco de Mayo, 2013. Inside a red brick warehouse near the west-central city of Waterbury in suburban Wolcott, the parquet-floored, green-walled space features a cozy tap room (with wood tables, two serving tanks, and beautiful cobblestone row-housed Galway-inspired murel) plus expandable right side brewing area.

Entrepreneurial head brewer, Rich Visco, is a mad scientist “combining hybrids with a twist and a new aspect.” And there’s a certain wizardry to his madness. Concocting some of the most enjoyably peculiar elixirs in the Constitution State, Visco initially hooked up with established Harpoon brewer, Scott Shirley, a long-time inspiration who’d help the self-described ‘beer designer’ get off the ground.

Three fully functional direct-fire silver tanks are used to experiment with small batches. And Shebeen recently converted from a one-barrel to thirty-barrel system in less than half a year.

As my wife and I visit in mid-December ’13, Visco’s in the middle of trying an unfinished cucumber-pureeed Wasabi Ale. Upon inspection, its soft-toned approachability contrasts rice-wined saki sweetness against horseradish-like sour ale eccentricities and coriander-salted celery plainness.

“I like to be experimental making beers no one else is doing,” Visco explains. “Everyone’s got India Pale Ale’s covered so I’ve taken the next step with many other hybridized styles. We only distribute to Connecticut now, but we’re looking to expand.”

Nevertheless, Visco offers hop-heads busy medium-bodied Royal IPA. Unlike fruited American IPA’s, it’s a peaty British-styled version with chocolate-malted Cascadian Dark Ale likeness reinforced by perky Cascade-hopped yellow grapefruit seeding, black currant tartness and earthy pine resin.

Bettering Smithwick’s similar peated malt fare, Irish Pale Ale counters honeyed apple-orange fruiting with sharp hop spicing and woody hopped florality.

A transcending delight, Cannoli Ale, utilizes unsweetened Girardelli chocolate for a cinnamon-spiced dessert beer with outer-shelled cannoli flavor rocking out above orange-dried tartness, nutty hop astringency and vanilla-creamed nutmeg sweetness. Try it with glass-rimmed powdered sugar for best results.

Bacon Kona Stout brings chocolate-smoked Kona coffee overtones to bacon-greased charred hop spicing. Perfect for breakfast.

Dry cocoa-chocolate malting, dark rye breading, nutty minerality and sharp hop spicing inundate Rye Porter, a full-bodied mocha brew that provides sturdy foundation for truly sublime whiskey-aged Double Rye Porter. Its barleywine-like richness picks up molasses-sapped sherry-brandy-bourbon overtones for ultra-rich dark chocolate creaminess and chewy dried fruiting. Bruised cherry, blackberry, raisin and prune illusions infiltrate the crowded dry rye backbone.

Revisited Shebeen one Sunday afternoon in February ’14 after Hartford area brewpub tour to get two new brews.

Quaint Pineapple Wheat offered lemony pineapple tartness to candi-sugared pale wheat malting and distant peach tones.

Another understated fruit ale, copper-toned Concord Grape Saison, worked semi-dry Concord grape juicing into lemony grapefruit saison souring and black-peppered herbal whims while allowing vinous green and white grape tannins to bring forth soft champagne-wined honey mead spicing.                     

www.shebeenbrewing.com

 

FREE WILL BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs

PERKASIE, PENNSYLVANIA

Perched between Philly to the south and Allentown to the north, Bucks County’s rural industrial village of Perkasie blends old farmhouses with small mills outside its red-bricked downtown perimeter. Inside a basement warehouse, FREE WILL BREWING CO. opened for business during January 2012.

Originating at a tiny 800 square foot garage before moving into its current spacious 8,600 square foot Walnut Street walkdown, Free Will now sells a heap of growlers, kegs and bottles to the surrounding community.

Established by brewmaster John Stemler and managing partner Dominic Capece, the capacious microbrewery serves free samples to walk-in customers at its raw, cement-floored, 14-draught tasting room. The windowed left side brew tanks occupy only half the remaining space but expansion seems imminent.

Stopping by mid-January ’14 in the late afternoon, I got to enjoy healthy 6-ounce samplers as the place filled up quickly with enthusiastic local minions and travelling beer geeks like myself.

Tasting room manager, Michael Standish, offered friendly tidbits and helpful flavor illusions concerning each beer. He claimed, “I’m a Scotch and bourbon man by heart, but now I also enjoy the art of drinking craft beers.”

His favorite Free Will offering, 7 Course Red, an easygoing Irish-styled medium body, brought roasted coffee and sweet chocolate to wispy caramel-spiced red fruiting.

A few more soft-toned brews captured my attention thereafter.

Destiny’s Wit, a reliable Belgian white ale, scattered mild white-peppered orange and lemon peel bittering across coriander-spiced candi-sugared Belgian yeast and banana-chipped lemon meringue pie.

Another well-rounded moderation, Saison De Rose, gathered lemony pink grapefruit, black-peppered pink peppercorn and ginger-leafed hibiscus for its herbaceous floral-fruited climax.

Despite loading 200-plus IBU’s and 10% alcohol volume into its soft-toned veneer, Sputnik 17 Chasing The Dragon managed to stay deceivingly laid-back for a full-on India Pale Ale. Tropical yellow-pink grapefruit, pineapple and lemon pick up grassy-hopped peach-pear-apple undertones.

Based on the second grain runnings of Black Friday Belgian Quad (an apple brandy-barreled elixir), Sputnik 20 worked well as a hybridized English bitter with crisply clean mineral watering countering earthen dewy musk and murky mocha mustiness. 

After these libations, I bought a 6-pack of fabulous Free Will C.O.B. (Coffee Oatmeal Brown), a nutty coffee-ground roasted dark ale with dry pale-malted hop bitterness contrasting dark chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut and molasses tones (reviewed fully in Beer Index).

www.freewillbrewing.com

VAULT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

 

YARDLEY, PENNSYLVANIA

A few blocks away from the Delaware River in the bohemian Bucks County village of Yardley lies VAULT BREWING COMPANY. Opened October 11, 2012, its historic Cathedral-like brownstone frontage and stoic Goth-like visage stand out amongst the rural downtown surroundings.

Formerly a bank with a large vault (hence the name), its metal lattice and bronze-topped tables exude an archaic Romanesque feel further defined by stucco-textured tan walls, plum-hued barroom ceiling, incandescent street lamps, tin crown moulding, mirrored bar canope, mahogany-framed green marble columns and bronze beer tanks (utilized as pizza ovens in the open kitchen).

Besides making fine craft beer, the retired safety deposit boxes contain vintage stored wines. Four brass brew tanks behind the roomy six-seat bar contain today’s five available beers ranging from summer soft to heavily roasted.

Free jazz plays as my wife and I grab a table in the far left corner during lunchtime mid-January ’14. The menu features flatbread pizzas with beer-infused dough, sandwiches, panninis and salads. We settle for the excellent Wild Mushroom Pizza with bleu-cheesed honey, garlic truffle ricotta and caramelized onions.

As for the libations, sunnily upbeat Sorachi Ace Blonde brought herbal citric pleasantries to the fore as its lemon-peeled yellow grapefruit sugaring received mild lemongrass, vanilla and coconut vagaries.

Tropical-fruited Galaxy Pale Ale layered yellow grapefruit, white peach and lemon seed tartness above a pungent grain-toasted hop bittering reminiscent of robust Czech or German lagers.

Truly defining, the milder and less tart second batch of Cherry Dunkelweizen provided ample black cherry puree bluster to banana-clove-vanilla sweetness, dried plum-fig-grape illusions, wheat-honeyed apple ripeness and sharp hop spicing.

Piney grapefruit and pineapple embittered the dark chocolate roast and dried cocoa powdering of stylishly rewarding Cascadian Dark Ale.

For dessert, the smooth nitro version of The Vault’s  Breakfast Stout maintained a luxurious La Colonbe coffee bean roast sweetened by Vermont maple syrup as well as bourbon-tinged dark chocolate, vanilla and cookie dough nuances.

www.vaultbrewing.com

 

FOREST & MAIN BREWERY & PUB

United States Brewpubs

Forest & Main Brewing Company | visitPA

AMBLER, PENNSYLVANIA

At an inconspicuous corner in a rustic old Victorian homestead with a white-fenched porch near the center of Ambler’s small center of town resides FOREST & MAIN BREWERY & PUB. Open for business since April 2012, the quaint English-styled plank-floored pub sixteen miles north of Philly relies on its cozy ambiance to set the proper relaxed atmosphere. During 2022, the pub expanded its capacity with a second location on Butler Avenue.

Specializing in small-batch British and Belgian styled beers while offering a fine rotating food menu (Roasted Guinea Hen with butternut squash and braised leeks, Croque Madame pork rillette with egg-fried green tomato jam and Parmesan Gnocchis), this Montgomery County hotspot keeps gaining respect.

The intimately candlelit green-walled bar room has four barstools and several chairs along the walls. A private right side dining space and two upstairs lounges get serviced by the backroom kitchen and rear brewtanks. A draught menu to the right of the bar lists three disparate saisons, one cask-conditioned Extra Special Bitter and one mocha-laden dark ale during my initial two-hour mid-January ’14 twilight jaunt.

As Beck’s tantilizing retro-rocker “Hot Summer Girl” emulates from the speakers, I dig into St. Mary’s Saison, an approachable ‘classic’ saison that borders on a golden ale with its crisply dry grassy-hopped citric entry. A wild yeast strain brings leathery barnyard, hay and herbal notions to the resilient lemony grapefruit-orange tartness.

Next up, dry-hopped Farmhouse-styled Saison Aloof brought a fresh floral bouquet to peppery coriander-spiced fruiting. Its lemon-pitted grapefruit-peach-nectarine tartness superceded banana bubblegum whims.

Just as good, sessionable light-bodied flagship Folk Saison draped lemon-soured brettanomyces acidity above compost-wafted lemongrass-peppercorn-wheatgrass illusions and coriander-salted leathering.

Hand-pulled Tiny Tim took British malts on an ESB trail where dewy peat and herbal-tinged grains softly recline atop the dry rye backbone.

For a robustly complex dessert treat, Gmork Imperial Stout lathered creamy molasses-smoked dark chocolate malts across oats-charred hop bittering, soured dried fruiting and oaken bourbon notions, leaving ancillary Baker’s chocolate, roasted coffee, dark cocoa, chocolate cake, hazelnut, anise and toffee illusions in its rich wake.

Perfect as a casual neighborhood cafe or nifty beer-centric destination spot, Forest & Main’s just another welcome addition to the revolutionary 21st century craft beer crusade.

On my second trip to Forest & Main, the brewery, now a seven-barrel nano system, had expanded with an ivy-lined front porch and white subway-tiled right side bar featuring community tables and a small stage. In seven years of operation, the pub’s now crafted over 300 different one-off beers.

Dry Chinook/ Huell Melon-hopped Evening King IPA plied lemony passionfruit, gooseberry and kiwi tartness to orange blossom-honeyed wheated oats with cool assurance.

Pleasantly wheated dark ale, Running Friend, a mixed culture sour saison, let sharply spiced orange-dried lemon rot infiltrate mildly vinous green grape acidity, hard cider bittering and tart plum-prune sedation.

Bright Mosaic-hopped IPA, Secret Kind, allowed lemony orange-candied tanginess to saturate sugary wheated oats, leaving minor wood shavings at the fruited tail end.

Cold-brewed coffee insistence overlaid nuttily-oated Maris Otter malts for casked dry stout, Man & Bear, a lightly creamed sedation with charcoal-stained Goldings hop astringency battling back chocolate brownie residue.

A true community watering hole, you’ll find sundry locals of every race, creed and sociopolitical affiliation at the fabulous Forest & Main.

www.forestandmain.com

 

HOURGLASS BREWERY

United States Brewpubs

   

LONGWOOD, FLORIDA

Pitched between Sanford and Orlando in Central Florida, Longwood boasts one of the finest nano-breweries the Sunshine State has to offer. HOURGLASS BREWERY is the pride and joy of brewers’ Brett Mason and Sky Conley, two beer enthusiasts who couldn’t resist starting thier own neighborhood pub.

Tucked behind an inconspicuous beige clapboard-sided ranch house in a glorified garage just off the main strip, Hourglass may be small, but its everchanging small-batch output (60-plus recipes since mid-2012) matches operations thrice its diminutive size.

It’s barely noon as I arrive at Hourglass for my initial December ’13 sojourn. At the right side driveway is a rustic outdoor patio setup. As patrons move towards the white door entrance, there are a few wood tables and chairs for outdoor quaffing. Upon entering, the taproom features an L-shaped black bar where Mason pours me four pints of homemade ales duirng a 90-minute session.

Snazzy surfboards, framed Florida-bound photos and a stenciled Back To The Future mural bedeck the walls and a beautiful maroon-glowed Salvadore Dali portrait is painted into the jet black ceiling. At the bay window across the glass-encased brewtanks is a drawing of Peter Griffin fighting the chicken in Family Guy.

Hourglass is the perfect little fort-sized hideway. And that’s fine with Mason, whose photos of his own ‘mancave’ a few miles away includes many vintage toys and loads of beer memorabilia, some of which he sold to get the brewery going.

“Why wouldn’t anyone want to start a brewery? It’s a place for friends to hangout and have some good beers,” Mason maintains as I down flagship A Maize Zing Cream Ale, a dry-bodied moderation with light maize-honeyed creaming and slight citrus spicing perfect for summer sessions.

A custom-wood designer by trade, Mason’s well-rounded job profile is reflected in the diversity of the recipes he and Conley craft. One of their best designs happens to be a ‘delectable strawberry, vanilla and Graham Cracker concoction.’

Despite all the one-off projects, the popular What Do You See? Brown Ale, with its sweet nougat center, peanut-shelled hazelnut roast, black chocolate bean bittering and minor hop-charred soap-stoning, can be found on many occasions.

Better still, richly expressive Prestissimo Strong Scotch Ale brought sugary cookie dough sweetness to black cherry-pureed dried fruiting and spicy cinnamon toasting.

Even more fantastic was today’s encore, the barleywine-like Schizandra Belgian Cherry Quad. Melding warm cognac, sweet sherry and dry burgundy into cherry-bruised orange tartness, its chewy caramel malt creaminess seals the deal. 

Not only does Hourglass boast its own fine lineup, but there’s a refrigerator with at least 50 bottled selections. Before leaving, I picked up Beer Here’s Kremlin Crude Russian Imperial Stout, a rauchbier-smoked hybrid with a chocolate chip signature (reviewed in Beer Index).

 www.thehourglassbrewery.com

 

CASK & LARDER SOUTHERN PUBLIC HOUSE

United States Brewpubs

Cask & Larder at Orlando Airport 

WINTER PARK, FLORIDA

Just northeast of Orlando in suburban Winter Park on bustling Fairbanks Avenue, well-respected CASK & LARDER SOUTHERN PUBLIC HOUSE opened during summertime, 2012. The brainchild of Ravenous Pig gastropub chef-owners James and Julie Petrakis, the freestanding brick-fronted venue (with plush green plants and floral-bound broad-iron cafe tables lining the garden entrance) serves sessionable flagship beers and sundry hybridized novelties alongside delicious locally sourced food.

Joining the Petrakis clan after becoming a Cicerone-certified Shipyard brewmaster with a Masters in computer engineering from University of Central Florida, Ron Raike specializes in English and Belgian styled ales as well as sour ales. A trip to Belgium with a few local beer enthusiasts and Red Light Red Light companions inspired Raike to emulate the witbier style, changing up spices and citric zest but keeping the same base for various different versions.

Upon visiting Cask & Larder December ’13 on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, my wife and I grab seats at the 15-stooled bar across from the right side community tables, wood booths, open kitchen and brick hearth. Bright aquamarine-hued walls and exposed beige ducts bring a warm Floridian feel to the elegantly pristine setting. Two glass-encased brewtanks and stainless steel fermenters behind the tap engines serve ten diverse offerings.

Tom Petty’s classic rocker, “American Girl,” plays loudly as I order ten 5-ounce samplers and enjoy a dozen oysters. The upscale southern cuisine includes many items made from scratch. And several fine wines line the menu.

For starters, I imbibe three easygoing year-round ales. Lone Palm Golden Ale balanced dry grassy-hopped herbal peppering with soft lemon-spiced florality and corn-husked grain malts. 90 Shilling Scotch Ale stayed sweet as its honeyed tea influence draped dewy earthiness and dried orange.

Those choices sufficed, but the most amazing flagship offering had to be Olde Southern Wit, a mellow herb-spiced moderation bringing lively lemony orange zest to coriander-daubed lemongrass-basil-roasemary seasoning above a soft wheat bed.

From there, Simcoe 5 Point IPA brought dry wood acridity to perfumed pineapple, grapefruit and orange peel alacrity. Old Southern Starfruit Wit evenly spread coriander-spiced star fruit, navel orange and tangerine tones across generous grapefruit bittering. And mild pablano-jalapeno peppering added heat to Smoked Pepper All Jacked Up, an autumnal hybrid with hop-oiled foliage and citric-quince nuances.

Then came the colorful dessert beers, led by dark-spiced Winter Lager, a tame crystal-malted moderation with soft hop bittering and rye-dried prune sugaring. Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Porter captured the true essence of sweet ‘n sour strawberry as desiccated fig and cherry found tertiary space beside the understated chocolate backdrop.

Aged in whiskey barrels, St. Katy On Whiskey Milk Stout delicately blanketed dry Johnnie Walker Blue serenity with soft-toned black chocolate, blackberry and black cherry nuances.

Since it’s almost Christmastime, I saved Holiday Cookie for an encore. Its sweet cinnamon-spiced sugar cookie theme got usurped by raw ginger and lacquered wood tones.

Any brewhound taking a trip to central Florida must frequent this encouraging public house. Cheers!

www.caskandlarder.com

ROCK BOTTOM – DENVER

United States Brewpubs

    

On a busy downtown corner at the 16th Street Mall, Denver’s ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY is one of the large chains’ busiest and roomiest franchised restaurant-pubs. A large railed patio at its entrance provides beautiful views of the city and a wonderful outside dining experience. Dark wood furnishings get scattered throughout the multi-section interior. Large glass-encased copper brewtanks spread across the large expanse.

A casual sportsbar atmosphere (multiple TV’s; three billiard tables) keeps the general bar customers happy. The menu serves typical pub fare. A private banquet room is available for special events.

My friend, Dennis, brought back to Jersey two fine specialty beers October ’13. The first one tried, Rock Bottom Double Down Double India Pale Ale, attached perfumed fruiting to resinous pine hops. Its gin-like juniper bite and yellow grapefruit rind bittering mellowed to a sweet orange peel misting before reaching its floral citric-sugared finish.

On deck, ambitious Rock Bottom The Gnome Baltic Porter went beyond the usual stodgy stylistic souring most Baltic dark ales mistake for mocha sweetness. Its fudgy brown chocolate and maple molasses overtones allow less obvious black grape, black cherry and blackberry illusions to emerge alongside sharp hop toasting (causing less discriminate tasters to compare the rich suds to a Black IPA).

www.rockbottom.com

RUSHING DUCK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs

Image result for rushing duck brewing new building

CHESTER, NEW YORK

Making quite a splash since opening in autumn 2012, Hudson Valley’s second microbrewery (following eastbound Newburgh Brewery), RUSHING DUCK, is presently housed at an old tile factory just off Chester’s historic Main Street in the rustic rolling hills just off Route 17 West. Led by Dan Hitchcock (a proud Weyerbacher alumni) and companion Nikki Cavanaugh (part-time Copper Mine bartender), this inspiring independent business will undoubtedly grow way beyond its current parameters.

Upon my first visit with family dog, Roscoe, I got to taste five 5-ounce tapped samples at the small hardwood-floored tasting room during a sunny Saturday afternoon, August ’13. Already familiar with the award-winning stout, flagship pale ale and hop-headed double IPA (bought in growlers from Bardonia’s fabulous Cable Beverage), I also got to try a hybridized Brit-styled ale and brettanomyces-soured pale ale. Though all beers are draught-only at this time, bottling cannot be far off. And barrel aged beers are coming soon.

For starters, brisk year-round offering, Naysayer Pale Ale (a stylistically robust West Coast-styled beauty), brought grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and gin-soaked juniper hops to floral-nipped tropical fruit sweetness.

Pungent War Elephant Imperial IPA rampaged forward with deeper grapefruit peel bittering, brighter orange-pineapple juicing and resinous pine needling to contrast ‘subdued malt’ sugaring and tangy peach, melon, cantaloupe and tangerine wisps.

Then came two whimsical delights that will hopefully become permanent fixtures. An English strong ale with light brown ale nuttiness, Nimptopsical Ale relied on caramel-burnt toffee and brown chocolate sweetness, dried fig-date overtones, earthy caraway-fennel-carrot notions and banana-breaded chestnut-acorn nuances, finishing with a rye whiskey touch (derived from the five barley strands used).

Not to be outdone, soft-watered Panic On Funkatron used wild brettanomyces yeast to fortify the soured grapefruit, mango, guava and passion fruit illusions while pumping up the herbaceous lemon zesting.

As a treasured dessert, Beanhead Coffee Porter (Best of Show at Hudson Valley’s 2012 Brewfest) loaded bittersweet Guatemalan coffee beans atop bitter cocoa and dark-roasted chocolate, finishing with a totally satisfying espresso-fortified coffee nuttiness.

During springtime 2021 revisit, Rushing Duck had expanded its parameters to include a cement-floored barnhouse with covered outside deck, large serving station and decorative Edison lights. My wife and I enjoyed a few more deserving homemade brews at one of the picnic tables.

Amiable light lager, Courtyard Crusher, let pasty acidulated malts dot zesty lemon tartness and candied orange wisps over mineral grained caramelization.

Lemon-bruised cara cara orange rot scurried thru sweet banana-clove-coriander expectancy, mild grains of paradise peppering and herbal lemongrass tartness for mellow Witbier, a slightly sourer alternative.

Glowing red ‘fruited sour’ ale, Stab In The Dark, brought mild cherry tartness, cara cara navel orange tang and pink grapefruit sweetness to salty acidulated malting in distinct fashion.

Honeyed dried fruit spicing gained fungi earthiness to counter brown-sugared caramelization of Belgian Quad, leaving banana-chipped plum, fig, prune and raisin serenity.

Mild NEIPA, Casual Chaos, allowed spritzy lemony grapefruit zest and mild orange rind bittering to hover above dryly pined herbal hop astringency efficiently.

Dry dark-roast coffee nuttiness galvanized Imperial Beanhead Porter, a more complex and ultimately richer version of its original, adding cola, walnut and Brazil nut influence to maple oats-sugared java richness.

Bustling flesh-headed mahogany-bodied nightcap, Oatmeal Stout, plied maple-sugared oats, bourbon vanilla and cappuccino creaming to dark-roast mocha goodness.

During noon time stopover, April ’22, hail fell down as I consumed one previously untried lager and an updated milk stout.

Easygoing light lager, Duck Dry, let peppery-hopped lemon spritz settle into red-riced sourdough malting.

Lovely Chained To The Dead (2022) stayed robust as lactic milk-sugared medium coffee roast embraced dark chocolate-fudged cocoa powder, espresso, hazelnut paste, cola and pistachio illusions.

www.rushingduckbrewing.blogspot.com

 

GRANITE CITY FOOD & BREWERY – PEORIA

United States Brewpubs

 Granite City Food And Brewery, Peoria - Restaurant ReviewsPeoriaRestaurants.com - Peoria, Illinois restaurants

PEORIA, ILLINOIS

Though I’ve yet to experience Peoria’s GRANITE CITY FOOD & BREWERY, my friend Dennis has perused this trusty midwest chain brewery on several occasions during 2008-2013 stints at Caterpillar. In an exquisite brown and beige freestanding building along the Illinois River on the revitalized light industrial East Peoria section next to Logan’s Roadhouse, this spacious riverfront joint’s large back patio overlooks the westside’s cosmopolitan downtown area. Cultured stone and earthen wood tones give the homey interior a lodge-like ambiance.

A variegated food menu features steaks, burgers, pasta, sandwiches and salads while the beer menu offers familiar chain brews alongside a few seasonal or one-off libations. Brunch buffets are affordable and recommended to out-of-towners visiting this mid-sized midwest hub.

During August ’13, Dennis brought back to Jersey a growler of Granite City’s worthy Batch 1,000 Double IPA, an easygoing soft-watered turnabout less interested in monstrous stylistic bittering than affable fruited subtlety. Its creamy caramel malting contrasted grassy floral hops as mellow grapefruit, orange, red apple, Bartlett pear and white peach illusions began protruding above the earthen vegetal bottom.

After Labor Day ’13, Dennis came by Jersey pad with four more Granite pleasantries for Thursday eve Patriots-Jets football game.

Polite White Ale snuck sweet navel orange peel tartness into quaint coriander-clove-allspice seasoning and delicate white-breaded spine of easygoing summertime session beer. Lemon zest, orange pith and tangerine undertones wisp by.

Mild German-styled dark lager, The Bennie’s Bock, pushed soft coffee-roasted mochaccino alacrity across black-breaded pecan, walnut and hazelnut illusions, finishing with an unassumingly dry Baker’s chocolate whim. 

Dewy tea-like Oktoberfest retained reedy-hopped autumnal foliage above pumpernickel-honeyed Russian rye breading and mild orange-grapefruit-fig dessication, picking up distant cocoa bean influence at the earthen finish of highly sessionable seasonal.

Soft-toned Duke Of Wellington IPA brought English-styled resin-hopped dewy earthiness and musty cellared fungi waft to roasted hop char, leaving a tinge of grapefruit upon the centrist dry-bodied moderation.    

www.gcfb.net