PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK
Twenty miles North of Manhattan in a historic industrial warehouse across railroad station lies Pearl River sanctuary, DEFIANT BREWING. Brewer Neill Acer (formerly of defunct Ramapo Valley Brewery and West End Brewery) serves beers straight from large brew tanks behind right side bar. During November ’06 visit, tried mellow Stephano’s Stout, a light-bodied changeup placing raw chocolate-cocoa sedation atop delicate dried raisin-fig serenity and sedately roasted hop-embittered cereal-oats, plus dewy hazy amber English pale ale, Little Thumper Ale (with its satiny yellow-fruited subtlety caressing raw-honeyed mineral-grained herbal hops and cannabis-like grassy twig earthiness). Best bet: dazzling Christmas Ale, a slow sipping barleywine-like winter celebrator bringing anise abundance to chewy chocolate-molasses creaminess, seasonal nutmeg-allspice tingle, raspberry puree linger, raisin-grape upsurge, and coarse walnut-hazelnut respite seeping through rum-brandy warmth.
December ’07 stopover brought mildly piney citric-embittered herbal-tinged straw-hay-horsehide-dried Farmhouse Ale and twiggy soft-watered dry-hopped cocoa-powdered walnut-pecan-fig-savored Nut Brown Ale. 2007’s Christmas Ale bettered previous version as up-front burgundy-bourbon theme overlaid funky dried fruiting, candied red apple-grape souring, and bruised cherry-banana tartness. Also tried metallic brimstone-wafted pink-headed magenta-bodied Raspberry Wheat, a Belgian yeast-styled peculiarity with sour-candied oaken cherry tartness, sparkling champagne flow, and unripe peach-raspberry tease.March ’08, tried dry-hopped brown chocolate-y wood-charred coffee-quipped maple-sapped walnut-fig-rye-backed Porter and smooth coffee-milked espresso-surged chocolate-malted hop-roasted nut-singed Dry Irish Stout. Sun-dried fig-soured grape-parched oaken-cherry sharp-hopped cider-like Abbey Single stayed clandestinely alcoholic.
On May ’08 stop-by, tried robust Defiant Stout Of War, a lactic dry-bodied bitter merging hop-charred coffee ground souring with powdered cocoa-chocolate malts, hickory-smoked peat-whiskey, plus tertiary bruised cherry, raisin, fig, and anise illusions. Upon visit, bought growler of Defiant Golden Nugget, a woody hop-embittered wheat-husked barnyard-wafted lemony grapefruit rind-centered medium body.
During one-hour August ‘09 afternoon visit, quaffed mildly creamy cereal-grained spiced-hopped moderate body, Defiant Muddy Creek Lager, with its bittersweet red-orange-fruited simmer, tobacco leaf twinge, and biscuit-y spine. Afterwards, enjoyed Da Oaty Oatmeal Stout, a creamy dark chocolate-y coffee bean-embittered medium body placing dark Belgian candi-sugar above anise-smitten maple-sapped fig-soured vegetal-tinged oats char.
Late September ‘09, my wife and I hung out with Acer and Jeff (the bartender) while quaffing moderate-bodied Baron Von Weizen. Its seltzer-like peppery-hopped orange-tangerine tang and ethereal lemon-dropped banana-clove imprint rose above soft white-breaded wheat spine.
Celebrated Octoberfest ’09 with two uniquely different autumnal seasonals. Mild medium-bodied Headless Horseman Pumpkin Ale anchored creamy caramel-malted cocoa subtlety and teasing vegetal whim to opulent cinnamon-spiced pumpkin pie theme. Fruit-spiced grassy-hopped Oktoberfest retained champagne-like fizz, mild orange-tangerine tartness, spare red apple souring, and lime-y brimstone chalking to biscuit-y wheat spine.
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