FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS

In an olden red brick silk factory near the center of town in the Northampton village of Florence, BREW PRACTITIONERS landed in Western Mass during 2016.

A fortuitous trip to Munich beer gardens inspired its friendly proprietors to create ‘classic balanced’ beers stateside at this rustic pipe-exposed high ceiling edifice. An L-shaped wood bar with scrabble-handled draught taps serves a dozen or so generically-named homemade elixirs originating from the caged right side tanks. A cozy picnic-styled patio provides further seating outback.

During my March ’19 sojourn, an electric guitar duo plays on the makeshift side stage while college hoops play on the TV.

To start, spiced yellow grapefruit sweetness picked up grassy-hopped pale malting and vegetal cucumber watering for light-bodied Blonde Ale.

Orange-dried lemon rot consumed Pale Ale, letting mild herbage spike its dry pale malt spine in simple fashion.

Lemony orange-dried tartness gained sweet pale malting for the equally straightforward Leaf Peeper Pale Ale.

Sweetly cereal-grained Amber Ale draped honey-malted maple molasses onto dusky chestnut, pecan and fig nuances.

Dewy pale malts moistened the citrus-juiced grassy hop astringency of IPA (a.k.a. Yellow Beer), leaving tangy grapefruit, orange and pineapple illusions in its lightly pined wake.

Summery Mellow Yellow New England IPA allowed juicy grapefruit, orange and peach tanginess to upstage its cardboard-bound pale malt sugaring.

Dried fruited rye breading consumed Copper Imperial IPA, reaching its honeyed pale malt spine with a hint of resinous hop pining for contrast.

Legume-dried Brown Ale pitched walnut and Brazil nut oiling against caramel-burnt dark chocolate chalking over earthen pale malts.

Nutty dark chocolate fudging supplied coffee-bound Stout, placing candied molasses walnut sweetness beneath the mocha-dried finish.

Burnt coffee overtones saddled Ebony Maple Irish Stout, an efficient black-malted dry body with chalky cocoa-chocolate residue.

Sugar rush came from citrus-candied soda pop alternative, Pink Lemonade Blonde, a ginger-backed sweetie that turned a tad cloy but probably satiated the kiddies.

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