On tap at Growler & Gill, damply dewy IPA moderates stylish piney grapefruit essence for softly spiced-hopped peach, mango and honeydew tang that overrides sedate tea-sweetened Carapils malting.
All posts by John Fortunato
BELL’S OATSMOBILE ALE
Splendid “session pale ale” tosses spelt-dried oats pungency at clean-watered mineral graining, leaving dank rye breading on the back end. In the midst, orange-desiccated passionfruit, pineapple, peach and mango illusions flutter.
TWO RIVERS BREWING COMPANY
EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA
Inside a converted hotel on a busy downtown street corner, TWO RIVERS BREWING COMPANY resembles a dimly-lit 1920’s speakeasy with its rustic red brick exterior, copper-embossed tile ceiling, dark wood veneer, old Classical columns, dramatic mirrored bar mural and ancient Telecom phone system. Open during 2012 by long-time married friends Judy and Brad Nelson and Kathy and Troy Reynard, Two Rivers delights in crafting a well-rounded batch of mostly limited edition fare.
A low-ceiling 20-seat bar (with two TV’s) services ten tables plus a few private upstairs rooms. My wife and I get seated upstairs for sinner in the maroon-walled room with single-pane windows and stark drapes. An ever-changing food menu includes several culinary delights such as the incredible pecan-seared walleye, delectable peach, beets and goat cheese salad, jalapeno hush puppies with molasses and cinnamon butter and a host of fabulous appetizers.
There are ten elixirs readied for my gullet this cold Saturday evening in November ’16. First up, tangy citrus briskness and pasty caramel malts sweetened moderate-bodied Pre-Prohibition Lager. Next, dry Hallertau hops and tropical Mosaic hops befit Main Street Mosaic Pilsner, a crisp light body with polite grapefruit, lemon and berry illusions.
Easton Farmers Market Festbier tossed autumnal leafy hop crisping at orange-oiled opulence and mild herbal nuances. Pumpkin pie-spiced Seven Spirits Pumpkin Ale picked up light cinnamon-nutmeg-clove-allspice seasoning above sorghum-syruped lemon-soured pale malts.
Lemony banana and clove fronted Pine Street Belgian Blonde, sprinkling white-peppered goodness atop candied sugar spicing while leaving a frisky carbolic spritz.
Spritzy lemon sourness picked up salty coriander-clove spicing, mild banana sweetness and earthen barnyard funk for Five Acre Saison.
Lilting lemon-limed souring gained resinous Cascade-hopped tropicalia and white-peppered herbage to propel oats-dried hybrid Aaron’s Bugle Farmhouse IPA.
Meanwhile, fruitful Gallows Hill Red IPA allowed tangy grapefruit, orange, tangerine and peach spicing to caress its toasted caramel spine.
For dessert, dark chocolate and coffee tones decorated the ashen nuttiness and light caramel malting of Bankers Brown Ale.
As an extraordinary nightcap, Easton Assassinator Doppelbock (named after local boxing legend, Larry Holmes) brought ripe raisin-prune-plum overtones to chewy toffee malting.
www.tworiversbrewing.com
OTHER HALF WHEAT WINE
On tap at Ambulance, gloriously fruitful wheat wine competes well against finest sherry. Veritable fruit cocktail gathers tangy peach, cantaloupe, nectarine, honeydew, cherry, peach and fig sweetness above caramelized Maris Otter pale wheat malting. In the midst, creamy toffee spicing contrasts mild hop astringency to seal the deal.
OTHER HALF SHORT, DARK & HANDSOME STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, rich molasses-sugared black chocolate syruping engages cocoa-powdered coffee roast above oats-roasted hop char. Vanilla bean, walnut brownie and espresso illusions flutter by. In the can, soft-watered maple vanilla surge hovers over mildly creamed dark chocolate malting while diluted Fuggle hop wood char lightly embitters the mocha molasses finish.
OTHER HALF SMOKE SCREENS AND OIL SLICKS IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, smoked cherrywood setting affects heavy black chocolate influence and bittersweet black cherry surge, receiving soy-sauced peat soiling above mild oily hop char. Far beneath, bitter cocoa tones and wispy dried fruiting waver.
EMPIRE BLACK MAGIC IRISH DRY STOUT
Smoothly unassuming nitro-carbonated dry Irish stout brings heady black malting to mild hop char and polite cola-walnut conflux. Black chocolate roast gains coffee bean, milked espresso, dried cocoa, raw molasses, soy sauce and anise illusions above smoked oats spine.
HILL FARMSTEAD TWILIGHT OF THE IDOLS PORTER
On tap at Ambulance, marvelously unique vanilla bean-aged holiday porter spiked with roasted coffee and cinnamon truly warms the soul with its smoky chocolate malting and wintry nutmeg-ginger seasoning. Richly creamed mocha syruping increases decadence alongside muscavado-sugared cinnamon coffee caking for affluent dessert treat.
LIC BEER PROJECT TRIPEL
On tap at Ambulance, brisk lemony yellow grapefruit bittering and salty white peppering contrast honey-spiced caramel malting of moderate-medium-bodied tripel.
EMPIRE SLO MO’ INDIA PALE ALE
Closer to a bitterer pale ale as its tropical Mosaic hop profile picks up gentle piney bittering that lingers above biscuit pale malts in a lighter manner than typical IPA’s. Lemony orange rind, grapefruit peel and mango tang receives minor alkaline astringency for crisply clean moderation.
SINGLECUT OCTAVIA WILD IIPA
On tap at Ambulance, atypical Imperial IPA-fruited sour ale lets mild brettanomyces yeast affect floral-dried lemon pit entry and yellow grapefruit tartness over resinous hop fade.
SINGLECUT MO SHUGGIE SOULBENDER IPA
On tap at Ambulance, vibrant tropical fruiting hovers above dank earthen grains and pasty-like wax grouting. Lemony grapefruit tang and juicy mango-pineapple-clementine-tangerine-papaya-kumquat-passionfruit subsidy blanket pastry-like pale malts.
