On tap at Ambulance, fine double dry-hopped IPA given farmhouse saison yeast influence for collaborative Maine-Virginia concoction. Lemony mango, orange, pineapple and papaya juicing rubs up against piney Amarillo hop bittering, picking up dried barnyard astringency and slight vodka kick.
All posts by John Fortunato
DEVIL’S PURSE HANDLINE KOLSCH
Subtle lemon-rotted dried fig entry gains mild raw-honeyed bittering, light herbal-spiced Noble hop musk and fresh-cut grassiness over sourdough-breaded pale malting for soft-toned kolsch. Fizzy lemon spicing pressed against biscuity baked breading. in the distance, corn-stalked wheat straw acridity sidles apple, pear and white grape wisps.
LIC BEER PROJECT GAL FRIDAY BERLINER WEISSE
On tap at Ambulance, subtle passionfruit souring pervades salty lime-puckered green grape tannins and wayward pineapple-coconut tropicalia, staying moderately vinous and refreshingly clean.
DRY DOCK APRICOT BLONDE ALE
Precisely replicating a dried apricot, delectable fruited blonde stays resilient. Sweet, tart and sour apricot plot picks up reluctant fig spicing over honeyed wheat base for summery fermented fruit ale.
VON TRAPP VIENNA LAGER
Dewy mineral-grained Vienna malts saturate sour honey musk. Herbal residue leaves grassy fennel trace upon earthy floral undertones and citrus-spiced tease. A slightly sourer Austrian-styled amber lager.
(POST) HOWDY WESTERN PILSNER
Blue collar fare. Corn-dried lemon spritz fades to oblivion as mild aluminum taste beckons.
TRIPLE CROSSING SHIMMER PILS
On tap at Poor Henry’s, floral-daubed citrus profile of an IPA overrides grassy Noble-hopped German pilsner malting. Lemon zest brightens grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering as well as sweet peach-pineapple-mango undertones.
BREW PRACTITIONERS
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.
brewpractitioners.com
DRUNKEN RABBIT BREWING
SOUTH HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside a yellow brick building at South Hadley’s Industrial section, DRUNKEN RABBIT BREWING opened its doors during December 2018. Its casual plastic-furnished picnic area and white awning welcome patrons to the L-shaped serving station (with corrugated aluminum frontage). Sprawling community tables sidle the pub.
An overhead garage door leads to the right side silver brew tanks. One large TV and a few dartboards fill out the back stage next to loungey couches at the peach-hued back wall.
During my one-hour stopover, March 2019, sank nine draught beers with wife. While some stayed within stylish boundaries, others experimented a bit with fine results.
Dry-bodied Happy Daze Kolsch brought sour lemon rot to musky compost earthiness and sparkling champagne notions, staying stylistically in line unlike its pear-juiced counterpart.
Off-the-beaten-track Pear-Fect Storm Kolsch allowed vinous Hallertau-hopped green grape tannins to influence its dry cider spell, mild pear-juiced sweetness and dainty rose pedal adjunct.
Mild straw-hazed Love Me Two Times Pale Ale saddled its yellow grapefruit zestiness, mandarin orange tang, tart lemon piquancy and resinous pine hops with dewy pale malts.
Placing sweet orange peel zest alongside Belgian candi-sugared cinnamon spicing, stylish amber ale departure Chill The Fuck Out soon drifted off into orange-candied tartness.
Mildly soured pale ale, Peach Cobbler, let lactic-sugared peach and cranberry pulp pick up mild lime salting as subtle sparkling champagne serenity and modest lemony grapefruit bittering ascended.
Citrus-honeyed Chasing Chickenz New England IPA stayed zestfully clean as moderately embittered yellow grapefruit resilience and tangy orange juicing edged up against relegated piney hops.
Murkily beige-yellowed Greenwood New England IPA lets its citric Mosaic hop brightness sink into sticky pine resin, dry wood tones and clay hops, leaving up-front tangerine tanginess to outsize latent lemon-peeled orange rind bittering.
Venturing outside the box just a smidge, tartly Citra-hopped The Pink One IPA utilized pink guava pulp to add a sour edge to honey-malted grapefruit-orange piquancy.
Like a Black Forest cake, Happy Ending Stout loaded lactic milk-sugared dark chocolate malting on raspy dried-fruited dark cherry and blackberry puree.
www.rabbit.beer
VANISHED VALLEY BREWING COMPANY
LUDLOW, MASSACHUSETTS
Right after Iron Duke Brewing opened for business in Ludlow, another distinguished player came to fruition during late 2017. Inside a homey maroon-paneled shed at the olden Ludlow mills, VANISHED VALLEY BREWING COMPANY exists strictly as a small-batch nanobrewery selling kegs, cans and bottles for outside consumption. Samples of all four current brews were provided free of charge on my March ’19 stopover.
“Classic American pale ale,” Take Flight, retained a soft-toned mouthfeel as tart lemony grapefruit juicing and spicy herbal snips reached the cereal-grained pale malt bottom.
Dazzlingly sharp-toned Peaches And Juniper Berry Milkshake IPA, an orange-hazed New England-styled sureshot, mingled briskly pined grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering, botanical juniper berry pining and sour yogurt milkiness with syrupy vanilla-creamed cling peach sweetness in a swell manner. Subsidiary pineapple-juiced maraschino cherry tang and honeyed whiskey backdraft increase greatness.
Excellent Lost Town Milk Stout stuffed mildly creamy cocoa nibs and Madagascar vanilla beans atop sugary oats, picking up oily hop-charred walnut bittering, soily earthen musk and ashen charcoal remnants for contrast.
Its offshoot derivative, Lost Town Stout with Chipotle Peppers, loaded creamy black chocolate syrup onto mellow cocoa-dried chipotle heat, lessening the bittersweet vanilla influence.
Look for Vanished Valley to expand beyond its restrictive bounds in the time to come.
www.vanishedvalley.com
IRON DUKE BREWING
LUDLOW, MASSACHUSETTS
Part of Ludlow’s historic clock-towered old factory mill since 2014, IRON DUKE BREWING lives by the handy blue collar ethos “a celebration of hard work.” Reigning supreme along the Chicopee River, these friendly zymurgists have created a charmingly rustic topnotch garage-like nano brewery delivering well-defined hand-crafted beers.
Taking a ramp to the entrance, Iron Duke’s spacious high ceiling interior includes a wood-lacquered L-shaped bar servicing scattered seating towards the windowed brew tanks. A huge Styrofoam footprint along the red bricked bar wall serves as Iron Duke’s emblem.
There are olden beer trays and proprietary beer mugs above the fourteen copper draught handles at the bar plus a hanging TV nearby for sports fans.
My wife and I settle in on a Saturday night March ’19 to sample a few draughts.
There were five flagship beers Iron Duke currently had on tap.
First up, politely creamed prohibition-era Kentucky Common Ale, The Common, left lemon spritz upon maize-flaked rye malts and grassy hop astringency in a soft-toned manner.
Dry rye malts infiltrated tangy grapefruit-orange-soured Dead Nuts Rye IPA, leaving mildly bitter piney hop resin at the sunny citrus finish.
Relying on a ‘bigger, bolder hop and malt punch’ than Dead Nuts, Stud Finder Imperial IPA launched tropical Topaz-hopped lychee fruiting, sharp grapefruit juicing and dusty floral herbage upon resinous pine wisps above candied caramel malts.
As for the two flagship dark ales, dark-roast ground coffee summoned dry Irish Porter, Baby-Maker, leaving brown-sugared molasses oats to sweeten its cocoa-powdered black malting.
And dry breakfast stout, Sinker, brought black-malted hop char bittering to Blackstrap molasses sinew above a seared oats base.
I also quaffed another six brews while the taproom filled up with local denizens.
Dewy moderate-bodied Irish Red Ale, Murph, brought dried fig, cold-brewed coffee and minimal caramel spicing to its mossy earthen bottom.
Brisk orange-hazed New England-styled IPA, 4 A.M., brought sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering to tart lemon-limed souring and sweet mango-pineapple-papaya tropicalia above peaty pale malts.
Bitter walnut-charred dark chocolate chalking contrasted hazelnut-glazed toffee sweetness for fairly rich Brown Ale, Putts Bridge.
Adventurous 7-Up/ ginger ale knockoff, Ginger Kerfuffle Pineapple Ginger Sour Ale, sprinkled sea salt upon lemonade-sugared pineapple juicing (leaving a latent alcohol kick).
Subtly bourbon-soaked vanilla bean sweetness picked up raw-honeyed bittering for hybridized amber ale, Generosity.
Best bet: heavenly 3rd anniversary celebrator, 156 Barrel Aged Nitro, an Alaskan Imperial Porter, spread exquisite bourbon vanilla sweetness across whiskey-dried mocha, toasted coconut and marshmallow illusions.
Before heading out, bought bottle of bourbon barrel-aged Iron Duke 208 Imperial Pale Lager. Its IPA-like piney citrus bittering soaked into whiskey-dried bourbon boozing, picking up a lingered alcohol burn. Honeyed lager yeast sweetens the midst alongside wavered red grape, red apple and pineapple snips.
www.irondukebrewing.com
HIGH HORSE
AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS
In a red brick professional building in the center of Amherst, HIGH HORSE began slinging suds for the UMass crowd back in January ’12. A closed-in benched porch welcomes patrons to the pub’s three-staged interior.
To the right side, a spacious tile-floored main area with twenty-stooled J-shaped wood bar features quaint windowed seating, a TV for sports addicts and brew tanks towards the front.
Edison lights and café tables don the cement-floored midsection and the broken-up left space offers creatively designed intimacy. Interesting modern paintings cover many walls.
On my Sunday brunch stopover, March ’19, had the omelet and French Toast alongside the only remaining house brew currently leftover from the soon-to-be disposed brew tanks.
Utilizing wild saison yeast for its mellow Chardonnay-barreled sour ale template, Le Bang Bang brought salty lemon-limed acidity to vinous green grape tannins and tart crabapple piquancy.
High Horse will have its new brewing equipment readied by springtime. There will be at least four offerings to start.