Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

DANCING GNOME

United States Brewpubs,

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Consuming a large metal-furnished aluminum warehouse in the Pittsburgh borough of Sharpsburg, DANCING GNOME opened its original taproom one block down in 2016. An early focus on ‘hop forward’ brews eventually led to a more varied traditional menu crowded with appreciable Euro-styled fodder upon my October ’25 perusal.

A polished copper top bar faces the gray subway-tiled draught board, liquor-stacked wood shelving and large on tap menu. The epoxy-floored, gray-walled, high ceilinged taproom features skinny community tables, stooled wood tables, several orange crossbeams and windowed brew tanks. A wood benched patio section adds outside seating.

Dancing Gnome’s large screen TV showed the Penguins home opener against the Islanders while I snagged four easygoing yellow suds and two dark ales on a crisp autumn night.

Dry grained mustiness and musky hop bittering united for German-styled Pilsner, a fluffy-headed gold body with oated spelt barnyard acridity and light lemon licks meeting at saltine cracker stead.

Specialty-grained German moderation, Spelt Lager, retained earthen spelt, alfalfa and millet dryness for its frisky citrus hops.

Peacherine and Citra hops reinforced Cubism India Pale Ale’s brisk tropical zesting as lemony yellow grapefruit bittering, waxy gooseberry-guava tartness, candied pineapple tanginess and white peach sweetness gathered above creamy oats.

Even creamier oats regaled Art Deco India Pale Ale, underlining lemony grapefruit, pineapple and orange rind bittering.

On the dark side, cask conditioned English porter, Guard The Tower, welcomed coffee-burnt dark chocolate nuttiness.

A less mocha-insistent milk stout, Dead Sleep, encored with dark chocolate syrup draping nutty coffee, mossy soy and charred wood.

CHIMERA BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Just south of Pittsburgh in the suburban borough of Castle Shannon, CHIMERA BREWING COMPANY opened in the summer of 2024 at the former spot housing Mindful Brewing. Renovated and rechristened as Chimera, their ‘craft, cuisine and community’ logo and modern Greek mythology twist prove worthy.

Inside an Industrialized, cement-slabbed cabin, its elegant aluminum atrium and angled roof mesh with the cabin’s brown wood base. A picnic-tabled turf patio welcomes patrons to the cozy neighborhood pub. A prominent Chimera insignia centering two winged lions takes up a side wall. The twelve plastic-seated bar features a silestone top and twenty-plus tap handles line the white tiled draught board.

Nifty ancient Greek characters brighten the back walls and a right side dining area services brews alongside pizza, burgers, wings and sandwiches. Three pinball machines counter the bar and TV’s pack the place.

Never afraid to experiment beyond stylistic boundaries, Chimera is one of Pittsburgh’s best breweries.

On my late afternoon October ’25 jaunt, I ate Italian Rhapsody pizza (sweet sausage, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, ricotta and spinach) while polishing off eleven of the fourteen choice homemade four-ounce draughts.

Rustic barnyard mustiness saddled raw-honeyed lemon musk, letting its overall dryness envelop moderate-bodied Persephone’s Light Lager, a subtler kolsch variant.

A ‘historical’ German kottbusser, nebulous oats flaked pilsner malting, raw molasses acridity and mild lemon oiling made Oat So Sweet the only mediocrity in the bunch.

Lacquering candied peach Schnapps syruping atop honeyed wheat, Fields Of Elysium Peach gained sharp perfumed hop musk.

Flagship New England IPA, Perpetual Flux, splashed spritzy Citra/ Nelson Sauvin hop sunshine thru mild pine lacquer as bittersweet lemony orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess mingled the dainty guava-gooseberry tartness moderating its sugary pale malting.

Authentic Belgian yeast serenaded Bacchus Trappist Tripel, a spunky alcohol-fueled delight with orange-bruised lemon meringue tartness, honeyed banana sweetness and mild herbal spicing.

Doughy peanut buttered Vienna lager, Mc Nutter’s Afternoon Delight, picked up drifting red grape and dark cherry snips over floury cocoa buttering.

Confectionery dark lager, S’more-Gasm left marshmallow fluff upon dark chocolate and vanilla-creamed Graham Cracker base, segueing to phenol hop astringency.

Another dark lager, German-styled dunkelweizen Dumb Dumb & Dunkel, stayed creamily smooth as chocolate-breaded fig and date reached molasses toast bottom.

Powder-sugared pumpkin pie spicing and mild citric perfuming embodied Pie Oh My!, an autumnal charmer sprinkling ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon on pastry-floured pie crusting.

Dryer-than-usual Baltic Porter, Daddy Fabric, placed caramelized dark chocolatey black coffee alongside plummy black cherry tartness.

Loud chili peppering perked up Mole-inspired stout, Mexican Emperor, leaving slight Band-aid astringency on the backend.

REVELATION BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE

Birthed in 2016 as a pilot brewing test station, REVELATION BREWING COMPANY soon operated as a bustling residential neighborhood pub in Rehoboth Beach – and since 2023, a production facility in Georgetown, Delaware (at the former 16 Mile brewery) opened about thirty miles away from this beach town watering hole.

For those “pouring and consuming” Revco beers onsite at the gray aluminum Rehoboth barn house, a casual pub atmosphere surrounds the cozy joint. Its snug concrete-floored main space features an L-shaped bar with twelve draught taps and two sidled TV’s. Interestingly, the bar top’s lacquered surface includes black and white photos of Delaware’s brewing history.

Just outside, aluminum-tabled wicker seats fill the tent area. Splendid homemade wood-fired pizzas went well with Rev’s highly sessionable suds.

Musky barnyard hay contrasted sweet corn sugaring and biscuity bottom of 1791 Pilsner, a polite light body with herbal Saaz hop sash.

Dry Mexican lager, Equilibrio, left spritzy lemon-limed fizz on tortilla-chipped corn malts, leaving a slight tequila hint on its easygoing profile.

Classic lime-juiced ginger beer, Sussex County Mule, a blonde ale based on a mule cocktail, gained tart orange spot and botanical chamomile snip.

Gluten-free Citra-Amarillo-hopped Truth In The Juice Hazy IPA merited stylish attention with its lemon-sugared tangerine tang and millet-grained biscuity rice base given slight marshmallow vanilla fluff.

Brisk grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering fronted dry Mother-In-Law IPA, a smooth medium body with grassy-hopped herbal pining and mild peach-mango-guava splash.

Dry-hopped Imperial IPA, Grateful Nation, serenaded orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess and zesty tangerine twist with lacquered pine atop sugary pale malts.

Bettering its nebulous dark lager-related stylish competition, Schwarzbier’s dewy mossing soaked dehusked dark malts, prune-stewed black cherry tartness, black-red licorice spicing and musty grape tannins.

Light-roast coffee oiling paraded sweet coconut toasting for Cocoa Nut Joe Porter, a peat-mossed, dark roast-hopped medium body with dried-fruited mocha java center gaining buttery chestnut-pecan conflux.

Soft-toned Irish nitro stout, Brother Phineas, combined chocolate wheat sweetness, light cocoa powdering and nutty coffee mildness.

WOODSTOCK BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Inside a roughhewn, pine-fronted, Western-styled mini-mall in the tiny Catskill Mountains hamlet of Phoenicia, WOODSTOCK BREWING provides easygoing straightforward beers in an “Industrial chic setting that suits the relaxing environment of this hunting and fishing community.

Woodstock’s rustic epoxy-floored main room features a slate top bar with twelve draughts at its white tiled back plus pipe-fitted wood community tables, unfinished benches and black metal rooftop beams. The large glass-encased production facility supplies beer and a separate left side space adds more seating.

My wife and I perused Woodstock late July ’25 mid-afternoon to quaff nine stylishly standard suds. Cocktails, margaritas and wine were available alongside sandwiches, tacos and salads.

Unfiltered German-styled light body, Woodstock Pilsner, stayed dry as honeycomb astringency and barnyard hay acridity reached fresh baked breading.

Dry pale-bodied helles-styled Woodstock Lager plied raw honeyed citrus spicing and fresh-cut grass to pilsner-malted baked breading.

Flagship pale ale, Baby Dragon, a Cascade-Citra-Columbus-hopped moderation, draped candied orange tanginess and Meyer lemon zest atop oats-flaked pilsner malts.

Exquisite Imperial IPA, I Dream In Yellow, let crayon waxed orange lollipop tartness, vibrant grapefruit zesting, dry rum sugaring and floral lavender peppering coalesce above lightly creamed oats.

Another worthy Imperial IPA, Endless Cycle, gathered sunny grapefruit tanginess and mellow guava-gooseberry tartness into resinous pine dryness atop oats-flaked wheat creaming.

Candi-sugared pilsner malting saddled Westmalle-styled Outer Rings Tripel, a rummy Belgian pale ale (9% ABV) with lovely lemon meringue, creamy banana and pineapple candy fruiting plus slight vodka nip.

Tart raspberry-jammed strawberry and blueberry acquired salty lemon-dried acidity for fruity gose, All The Berries, finishing with a pink rosé sparkle.

Fulsome Baltic Porter, Before The Fall, blended Maris Otter malts with milk chocolate sweetness and dewy rye flouring, leaving modest coal, hazelnut and walnut snips.

Bustling (11% ABV) barleywine, Shikkoku No Senshi, combined dried fig, desiccated orange and spiced rum illusions over mocha-kissed Maris Otter malts.

SUBVERSIVE MALTING & BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Opened February 2020 in an inconspicuous overhead-doored gray brick mechanic’s garage, SUBVERSIVE MALTING & BREWING is a nifty New York farmhouse nanobrewery in the town of Catskill. A rickety black foil sign leads patrons to the grain silo-sided pub house.

Crafting “simple and expressive” beers appealing to a wide range of people’s palates, Subversive takes its farm-to-table motto seriously.

Rustic cafe benches and a cozy couched section front the parlor-styled plank wood bar (cornered by two TV’s). Brew tanks are staged at the rear alongside a small canning area. As a malt house, Subversive utilizes floor-germinated roasted malts made from locally sourced grains.

Wine, hard cider and cocktails were available as well as burgers, sandwiches and salads.

It’s noontime in 105-degree weather as I sink five Subversive suds at one of the stone-grounded black picnic table under the covered deck on my late July ’25 trip. Unfortunately, they were out of flagship, Tiny Glasses Kolsch.

“Pillowy Euro pils,” Puff Puff, a light-bodied softie, left fizzy lemon upon its sweet-spiced floral hops and mild herbal tinge above doughy bread-crusted cereal graining, picking up latent maize straw dryness.

Year-round hazy India Pale Ale, NY Nectar, stayed soft on the tongue as well, letting yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering delicately graze subtle spicing, light pining and grassy hop astringency.

Offbeat dry-hopped West Coast IPA, Verdant Voyage, let dank pine and nutty rye redirect pineapple-guava tartness plus wispy papaya-pineapple tanginess above mild pilsner malting.

Classic farmhouse ale, Subversive Saison, stayed easygoing as orange-bruised lemon meringue and dried plantain retained candi-sugared coating.

Smoothly creamed nitro stout, Dark Harvest, placed roasted coffee next to Cocoa Puffs chocolate malting, creamy eclair fluff and dewy earthiness.

ARROWOOD FARMS

United States Brewpubs,

On a warm and humid Thursday afternoon in late July ’25, my wife and I enjoyed an all day brewfest going south from the Catskill’s Subversive Malting & Brewpub, then Phoenicia’s Woodstock Brewing and finally, Accord’s sustainably-minded farmhouse brewery and distillery, ARROWOOD FARMS. Crafting “unique beverages inspired by nature, tradition, and regional agriculture,” Arrowood sits atop the hilly rural farmland village.

Becoming a tap house during 2016, the brown aluminum cement-floored barnhouse also includes outdoor tents, a metal-furnished slate porch and small-staged pavilion. Inside, the expansive wood top bar services a casual lanterned table area and couched section. Like an elegantly designed humble abode, Arrowood’s homey warmth and highly approachable, stylishly conservative brews prove to be relaxing.

Cider, cocktails and wine were also available alongside light pub fare. I consumed all eight in-house draughts.

Dry German pils, Accordion, sprung spritzy lemon fizz upon light herbal spicing and salted pretzel-like pilsner malting.

Flaked corn adjunct gave sessionable light lager, Cicada, its cereal grain crisping, leaving salty lemon fizz and dotted herbal licks.

Coriander-spiced white ale, Rabbits Foot, put lemony orange and banana fruiting subtly atop delicate oated wheat base, picking up white peppered lemongrass and ginger snips.

Dry-hopped hazy pale ale, Sky Top, brought lemon candied tartness to lively spicing and subtle herbage.

Honey India Pale Ale, Petal Pusher, let mild wildflower honey astringency spread across lemony grapefruit peel zesting, floral orange blossom grassiness and oaken vanilla snip.

Hazy IPA, Polly, placed dry lemony grapefruit tanginess across resinous pine tones, leaving mild pineapple-mango tropicalia on its lightly spiced citric finish.

Fruited kettle sour, Porch Beer – Cherry, sank salty cherry musk into oaken vanilla, green grape tannins and lightly embittered cranberry-raspberry flourish.

On the dark side, Black Sheep Brown Ale serenaded its dewy cocoa base with mild dark-roast hop bittering contrasting honey-roasted macadamia, walnut and hazelnut illusions.

VOSBURGH BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Situated at an unassuming gray overhead-doored barn house in the Hudson Valley town of Elizaville, VOSBURGH BREWING COMPANY began its journey in 2015. On the former site of Sloop Brewing at a family-owned farm, Vosburgh is an agrarian-based nano pub designed by Mark and Hope Stier and ex-Gun Hill Road brewmaster Kieran Farrell.

Perched in the rural rolling hills, Vosburgh’s grey cement-floored barroom features old catacomb columns, round and square wood tables, exposed pipes and ten draughts at the sight-stooled bar (with plank wood backdrop). Windowed brew tanks peek out from behind. Most of the stylish liquid fare is dry or off-dry.

My wife and I head outside to down seven proprietary brews at one of the awninged picnic bench on a warm mid-July ’25 eve.

Dry German light body, Terra Pils, let Hallertau Blanc hops provide green grape tannins, guava tartness, mandarin orange sweetness and lemon musk for its barnyard-dried oats base, picking up mild lemongrass, green tea and ginger illusions.

Utilizing local Vosburgh hops (grown on the farm), easygoing dry lager, Elizaville Helles, scattered prickly lemon licks alongside raw-honeyed graining and hay-like earthiness.

Lemony grapefruit briskness led Chinook-Centennial-hopped moderation, Summer Ale, picking up mild orange tang to contrast arid grassy-hopped pining over its white bread base.

Red, orange and yellow fruiting gained mild dry-spiced perfuming for wheat-honeyed maibock, Poppybock, allowing apple, tangerine, peach and pomelo illusions plus fig licks to gather.

Perfectly centrist New England IPA, double dry-hopped How Lucky linked lemony grapefruit bittering and mild white peach, mango and guava tropicalia to delicate floral spicing and resinous pining over light oats creaming.

Another NEIPA, Silver Nails, utilized Nelson Sauvin hops to awaken dry green grape and gooseberry tartness alongside piney grapefruit bittering.

Aged in Taconic Distillery barrels, the 10% bourbonized version of Boom Pah Imperial Stout let bourbon chocolate syruping melt into maple oats sugaring, bruised cherry sweetness and milk coffee creaming.

KINGSTON STANDARD BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

KINGSTON, NEW YORK

A casual delight, KINGSTON STANDARD BREWING COMPANY proudly serves ‘simple small batch beer’ alongside downhome pizza. Clean is what brewer Tait Simpson’s shootin’ for with these snazzy sessionable suds. Open six years by May ’25, the Kingston-based nanobrewery resides in a white brick barn house (with high arched ceiling, matching overhead doors and small brew area) next to the coolest grocery store ever.

The cafe-styled pub features a spiffy off-white wood paneled serving station with stainless steel bar top and stainless steel draught taps. Seven community tables and picnic benches crowd the covered front deck. Side picnic tables add further seating.

On my mid-July ’25 early evening sojourn, tried all seven tapped Kingston Standard brews and brought home a few more (reviewed in Beer Index).

My favorite, soft-toned dry-hopped India Pale Lager, El Dorado, let its hard-candied yellow fruiting spread alongside dried pine tones, bitter currant waves and sweet floral riffs, leaving El Dorado-hopped yellow grapefruit, pineapple and lemondrop glisten.

Lively lemon licks and light herbal spicing dotted marzipan-sweet Helles Lager.

Floral-spiced lemon zest and woody hop restraint regaled off-dry Pale Ale.

Busy cold filtered moderation, Kolsch, sprinkled spritzy lemon mist on sweet corn sugaring, polite herbage and mild arugula peppering, retaining fresh-baked French breading.

Dry barnyard crisping and hay-like wild oats desiccated blanched coriander-spiced orange sweetness for white bread-backed Wit, a slightly astringent stylish departure.

Soft-toned Altbier prodded sweet peat moss with musty dried fruiting and dark floral dusting atop black pepper breading.

Needing a tad more oaken cherry tartness, dry Flemish Red, Frida, retained moderate acidity as green grape esters, cider vinegaring and raspberry souring seeped thru.

Unofficial flagship, light roasted black lager, Schwarzbier, coalesced mild dark roast coffee with dehusked barley, debittered chocolate and musky dried fruiting.

OBERCREEK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

WAPPINGERS FALLS, NEW YORK

Celebrating their 8th year anniversary in a few months, OBERCREEK BREWING COMPANY has been a detail-oriented certified organic farm operation since 2017. Inside a rustic tannish brown barnhouse in the Dutchess County village of Wappingers Falls, Obercreek’s exquisite fare show off steadfast attention to detail and stylish range.

Founder Alex Reese, an environmentalist, utilizes local ingredients at his multi-generational family farm. He teamed with Chris Woolston and Phil Shaw, former home brewers, to man the 2-barrel nano tanks behind the cozy standing room pub. Going from a draught-only garage operation to a slightly larger taphouse with limited tap selections and a small canning line.

The cement-floored interior features a few benches, beer barrels, a blackboard tap list and random wood barrels while the bark-sided, wood-lacquered serving station (with gothic hanging lamps) holds only four dedicated draught handles.

My wife and I sit in one of the canopied black metal-furnished tents to consume all four available draughts on a magnificent sunny afternoon, July ’25.

Delightful New Zealand-styled pale ale, Rugged Child #2, combined lemony Citra-hopped yellow grapefruit sunshine with vibrant Nectaron-hopped guava, mango, peach, pineapple and papaya tropicalia, leaving a hint of vodka on its heavily oated wheat spine.

Similarly stylized Imperial IPA, Quartet #196, utilized tropical Nectaron, Nelson, Citra and Riwada hops to fortify bitter lemony orange-peeled grapefruit glisten, crayon waxed guava-gooseberry tartness, salted mango tang, tannic green grape sway and dried chive spicing over heavily creamed honeyed oats.

Another fine Imperial IPA, Double Obsession, supplied summery Mosaic hop fruiting as sunny orange tanginess and lemony grapefruit bittering received grassy hopped pine resin atop sugary pale malting.

Bringing ultimate serenity to my midafternoon jaunt, mighty ‘nightcap,’ French Press Coffee Stout, brought tongue-coating dark roast coffee nuttiness to the fore as debittered black chocolate, espresso, dark cocoa and dark cherry nuances completed the score.

OLD KLAVERACK BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

HUDSON, NEW YORK

At a large farmland in Hudson, New York’s rural hills, OLD KLAVERACK BREWERY came to fruition in 2015 when homebrewer Erik Bell began crafting recipes in a horse barn. By 2019, an onsite wood paneled tavern was being set up for Old Klaverack to operate inside and a hop farm began cultivation.

A rustic homespun brewery with epoxy floors, wide plank wood paneled walls, bark-lacquered 12-seat bar, wood-chaired round tables, earthtone curtains and two TV’s, this farmhouse brewery also serves wood-fired pizza and appetizers.

My wife and I grab seats at the grassy picnic table on a warm July ’25 Thursday afternoon, quaffing a Mex lager, seasonal ale and hazy IPA and bringing home a few more (reviewed in Beer Index).

Easygoing Mexican Lager retained light lime spritz for sweet Scotch-licked maize base, picking up mild salty Tortilla chip crisping.

Sunshiny Summer Ale tucked slight lemon-orange peel bittering, lemongrass herbage and grains of paradise tartness inside white wheat breading, staying brisk as tertiary white peach, Meyer lemon and mandarin orange illusions trickle.

Zestfully tropical fruited New England IPA, Pixel Punch, let orange-peeled grapefruit bittering, gooseberry-guava tartness and mango tang gain a waxy lacquer atop lightly creamed oated wheat.

ICARUS BREWING – BRICK

United States Brewpubs

BRICK TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

ICARUS BREWING has become one of Jersey’s largest and most successful microbreweries since its Lakewood inception, November 2015. Crafting at least 100 different beer recipes and now canning a large batch of best-known fare, Icarus moved into its capaciously monumental new digs during 2024. A dedicated glass-encased barrel aging room creates a fabulous spirits-derived lineup.

Inside a cavernous high-ceilinged freestanding building (shared with an established burger joint), Icarus’ cement-floored interior features 40-plus draughts at its expansive right side bar. There are several wood tables and seats surrounded by multiple TV’s. Exposed ducts complete the 5,000 square-foot open space. A front patio supplies another hundred seats.

On my July ’25 journey, I take my son, Chris, to discover three worthy Heaven Hill bourbon barreled elixirs and one delectably fruited Berliner Weiss.

As a delightful aperitif, lactose-free Berliner Weiss variant, Drinking Bellinis For Breakfast – Oat Fluffed, let sour lemon curd intensify lightly marshmallow-fluffed cara cara orange and toasted coconut adjuncts in heavily oated creaming.

Conditioned on Heaven Hill bourbon, barrel-aged dessert stout, Crunchy Drippie, soaked its milk chocolatey bourbon vanilla with caramelized granola and walnut as well as molasses-sapped pecan, hazelnut coffee, sweet cedar, nutmeg and pine nut illusions.

Superfine Heaven Hill bourbon-aged Baltic Porter, Eastern Horizons, a collaborative variant with Abomination, rushed mellow chocolate sweetness thru Madagascar vanilla beans, picking up molasses, glazed hazelnut, peanut butter, anise and blackcurrant snips in a dry debittered black malt setting.

Finally, luscious nightcap, Life Unraveled Barleywine, also aged in Heaven Hill bourbon, placed Maris Otter-malted rye and ‘aggressive’ Chinook hops atop subtly smoked dark chocolate, gaining sweet caramel, toffee and dried fruit serenity.

OLD HIGHTS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

HIGHTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY

Occupying a dark tan aluminum-sided warehouse facility in the Raritan Valley borough of Hightstown, OLD HIGHTS BREWING COMPANY opened its beer garden June 2020. Creating consistently interesting traditional beer styles, some with a slight offbeat twist, the pristine cement-floored tavern keeps local favorites on tap alongside a bevy of friendly one-offs.

A re-cased bookshelf centers Old Hightstown’s wood-shingled, aluminum-topped kiosk that serves as the bark-sided, Formica-topped bar (with two tap stations holding eight draughts each plus caged Edison light fixtures). An upstairs loft and silver brew tanks fill out the freshly furbished pub.

Old Hightstown’s open-air backspace includes a covered wood block deck with patio seating alongside an Adirondack-chaired bench area with string-hung bulbs.

A mellow groove ensues as Creedence Clearwater Revival fills the air with music at my sunny Sunday afternoon April ’25 sojourn.

Lo-cal Belgian table beer, Make A Racket, set candi-sugared taffy and banana chip sweetness against dry plantain starching.

Clear golden English-style pale ale, Electric Shop ESB, let honey-spiced vanilla pickup floral-daubed vanilla and roasted chestnut illusions.

Pleasant light-bodied fruited Belgian witbier, Smith House, conditioned on tart blackberry, retained lemon-licked, coriander-spiced banana respite and soapy blackberry finish.

A ‘rustic’ amped-up amber ale, Brickyard Biere De Garde, snuck desolate caramel fruiting thru wispy perfume spicing and sedate truffle-like earthiness.

Traditional Irish red ale, St. Patrick’s, merged crisp tobacco roast with nutty caramel swirl and biscuity Maris Otter malting.

Sessionable crayon-waxed tropical fruiting embraced New England IPA, Washed Away, letting nubian hops (Nectaron/ Krush) emit lemon-sugared yellow grapefruit tang, tart passionfruit-pineapple-gooseberry zing, mild floral aspect and bubblegummy smidge contrasting herbed pine resin.

Dried fruited compote sweetness, mild toffee sugaring and seared walnut graced the dewy peat soiling and oily hop resin of chalky dark chocolate-coated Baltic Porter, Buggy Ride, leaving dry espresso finish.

Before heading out, downed smooth 10% ABV ‘wee heavy’ Scotch Ale, Ebson’s Metal Casket, a dewy firkin aged, soft-toned medium body with dry Scotch perk, ‘nutty vanilla’ subtlety and earthen compost bottom.