On tap at The Oath, simple “ballpark ready” Czech-styled pils retains clean, crisp, dry mouthfeel. Spritzy citrus spiced briskness gains dank earthen malt graining, herbal grassy hop astringency and mild floral daub.
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
POCONO BREWERY COMPANY
SWIFTWATER, PENNSYLVANIA
The newly designed old brown lodge housing the rebuilt POCONO BREWERY COMPANY increased capacity and benefited promptly from upgrading its pub menu and original beer recipes.
Reopened June 2017, the dynamic freestanding restaurant-brewery just off Route 80 gives fair competition to nearby Tannersville’s Barley Creek Brewery.
The stone-walled 20-seat central bar (with TV’s at every angle) serves brewmaster Jean Luc’s inspired eclectic fare. Meanwhile, traditional Italian-styled pizza and fresh pasta get cooked inside an interesting cement, stone and tiled oak-burning oven at the far left open kitchen.
Well-designed wood furnishings, candlelights and chandeliers give PBC a warm setting. And its semi-private loft area gets utilized on weekends.
An enormous backroom with fireplace and stage area provides plenty of family dining and a redwood back deck with red and yellow umbrellas and green metal chairs gets services by a 20-seat tiki bar. Specialty cocktails are also available along with fine wines.
On my mid-afternoon July ’17 perusal, ate Porto Fino (olive-oiled, feta-cheesed sausage with tomato and basil) while wife enjoyed the terrific Pizza Margherita (plum tomato-sauced, olive-oiled mozzarella with basil).
As for the brews, ‘rustic’ Pokawachne Golden Ale brought earthen hay and wild oats to lemon-soured orange candy tartness and mildly spiced floral herbage.
Rustic raw-honeyed oats and dried orange spicing consumed the dryer-than-expected Magic Bus Dunkelweizen.
“Tropical hops” brightened honey fruited Wally Wilson IPA, a boldly embittered medium body with dewy malts and lemony orange snips battling lingered hop astringency.
Recalling tart raspberry jam, Pocono Rhubus Raspberry IPA gained strawberry rhubarb illusions and berry tea notions while its Noble hop bittering wavered.
Unique basil-seasoned Baison Basil Saison gained a light perfumed cologne waft as its stylish orange-soured lemon and pineapple tartness expanded.
Molasses-sapped black chocolate malting defined hop-charred, oats-flaked 570 Oatmeal Stout, leaving in its wake ancillary espresso and dried cocoa notions as well as earthen floral nips.
Took wife and dog, Roscoe, to PBC, on a crisp November ’18 afternoon, drinking on the back deck while loving Pesto Pizza.
Dry light-bodied pale lager, Mauch Chunk, tamed its corny amber grains with musky hop acridity and wavered cologne spicing.
Delicate clear-yellowed moderation, Peach Blonde, retained subtle lemon-spiced peach tartness above white wheat malts.
Turbid orange-hazed, pectin-soured Strawberry Fields Wheat Ale, brought tangy lemon-licked pureed strawberry tartness to its dry herbal-perfumed cracked wheat base.
Richer ‘Imperialized’ version of oats-flaked 570 Oatmeal Stout retained its dry coffee-roasted black chocolate roast and mild cocoa restraint while expanding the wood-seared hop char.
Pocono Brewery’s back deck had been expanded to a large wood-covered pavilion upon my July ’22 return. Plus, there was a right-side mezzanine with metal chairs and tables installed where my wife and I consumed four previously untried brews with dog, Roscoe, in tow.
“A lightly bitter red ale,” Ryan’s Disappearing Red let mild lemon-seeded orange souring drift into tobacco-roasted crisping and phenolic apple-pear snips atop doughy whole grain breading.
Newly anointed flagship, Wally Wilson IPA, brought spice-tingled citrus tanginess to spruce-tipped pining and tea-like pale malts caressing its mild earthen bottom.
Pale reddish pink kettle soured IPA, Wally C137, fused hibiscus tea into dryly salted raspberry, cranberry, strawberry and crabapple tartness over dank earthen Simcoe hop woodiness.
An Imperialized whiskey-barreled stout from the Burial Series capped the night off as an electric violinist captivated the crowd. Its burgundy-laced whiskey warmth gained bruised cherry sweetness above treacly black chocolate malting.
www.poconobrewery.com
NORTH COUNTRY STATION 33 FIREHOUSE RED
On tap at Bonnie & Clyde Pub, middling Irish Red Ale regales tea-like earthiness, tobacco-roasted peat mossing and slight fungi mustiness with musky apple-pear illusions.
NEBRASKA FATHEAD BARLEYWINE
On tap at Ambulance, provocative whiskey-barreled full body with dark brown-sugared chocolate spicing and bourbon vanilla dalliance boasts warming 10.8% ABV. Oaken wood-chipped whiskey influence enhances booze-soaked cherry, plum and fig subsidy to piquant chocolate truffle finish of richly silken dessert treat.
PIPEWORKS SWEET HEART WAFFLE MOUNTAIN STOUT WITH SPICES
On tap at Ambulance, suitable caramel-spiced brown chocolate sweetness validates easygoing, if stylishly underwhelming, breakfast-related Imperial Stout. Mild toffee, vanilla, butternut, maple molasses and cocoa illusions need deeper thrust.
BURIAL TIN CUP CAMP STOUT
On tap at Growler & Gill, sessionable moderate-bodied sweet stout works medium roast Counter Culture coffee bean nuttiness into emphatic espresso milking. Mildly creamed molasses-sugared black chocolate and vanilla licks lightly underscore espresso overtones above oats-flaked cereal graining. Wispy Kahlua, cappuccino and crème brulee illusions reinforce backend.
SCHLAFLY COCONUT CREME ALE
On tap at Cloverleaf, curious coconut puree-fermented cream ale may be a bit unassuming, but not unpleasant. Though aged in lightly toasted coconut, its brisk carbolic thrust and lemony orange-pineapple zestiness nearly supersede the delicate vanilla-daubed flaked coconut sweetness.
(BARLEY FORGE) THE PATSY RYE STOUT WITH COCONUT
Stampeding toasted coconut adjunct gains espresso-beaned dark chocolate malting and Blackstrap molasses sinew above dry rye spicing. In the distance, peanut-shelled cola and hazelnut illusions pick up mild vanilla trace and cinnamon stick sweetness.
THREES GOOD TROUBLE DOUBLE IPA
On tap at Ambulance, sessionable Imperial IPA proves that subtler tropical fruiting doesn’t necessarily make for less exciting beer. Understated lychee, passionfruit and apricot tones stay on par with usual prominent IPA suspects – grapefruit, orange and lemon. Light citrus-sugared finish maintains refreshing summertime spritz.
DECADENT OPULENCE (WITH MANGOS AND VANILLA BEANS)
On tap at Ambulance, briskly fruited adjunct-laden flagship overrides mango and vanilla bean influence with resilient dry-hopped citric-pined IPA attributes. Mild vanilla-extracted mango juicing abruptly defied by orange-peeled yellow grapefruit tang and zesty lemon twist above wispy white-wheated pilsner malting.
SPIDER BITE OPEN WIDE DOUBLE IPA
Mellow orange-peeled grapefruit entry gains resinous piney hop bittering and grassy astringency over sugar-spiced pale malt base. Ancillary peach, mango and tangerine tang stays brisk.
TALL TALES BONNIE & CLYDE DOUBLE INDIA PALE ALE
Mediocre moderate-medium body lacks direction. Mild grassy-hopped grapefruit rind bittering contrasts sweet orange peel zestiness, delicate peach tang and honeyed caramel malts, but dewy earthen fungi gains unwanted soapy sourness.
