REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE
Celebrating Coastal Delaware lifestyle, Rehoboth Beach-bound
THOMPSON ISLAND BREWING COMPANY is a fantastic fun adventure for family, friends and beer lovers alike. Specializing not only in a fine selection of well-balanced rotating beers, but also award-winning fried chicken and wood-grilled steaks, this copious grain-siloed Route 1 landmark (one mile off the beach) features a turf-floored partially covered front deck and barn-walled back deck beer garden (with 10-seat fire pit, bocce board and ping pong tables) that surround a spacious high ceiling interior.
Inside Thompson Island Brewing, a U-shaped bar centers the large dining space that includes an open kitchen partly covered by a center-walled US flag, enormous right side aluminum brew tanks and extra back dining area.
My wife and I get warmed by the heated and enclosed back deck patio next to the beer garden on this mild January '20 evening.
The fried chicken dish went well with the five rangy beers I imbibed.
Lemony mandarin orange and coriander brightened
Wave Check, a snazzy light-bodied witbier with lemongrass herbage, light vanilla creaming and white wheat spine.
Ambitious New England IPA,
Fresh: Passionfruit, Mango, Tangerine regaled pulpy mango, grapefruit and tangerine juicing for its lactose-aided passionfruit yogurt souring and mild oats base, sporting latent orange-peeled nectarine, peach, pineapple and papaya sweetness.
Perfumed floral fruiting contrasted dankly resinous piney hops for copper-hued
Maximum Effort Triple IPA, leaving grapefruit rind, orange peel, pineapple and peach tones upon the spiced-up pale malt bottom.
Mildly creamed dark chocolate syruping drapes milk-sugared coffee and toffee-candied sweetness for
Cosmic Cow Milk Stout, but its tarry wood-charred dried fruiting goes beyond stylish resolve in a good way.
Lovely digestif,
Canyons Imperial Stout, brought Blackstrap molasses sapping to milked coffee and dark cocoa tones over its maple oats bottom.
Crisply clean Little Friday Helles Lager, easy drinkin' Loblolly Blonde Ale and two sour ales were also available this calm winter night.
During early June '20 dinnertime trek, discovered five more enjoyable libations, three of which were truly divine India Pale Ales.
Novel crushed ice grenadine-like cocktail,
Fresh Double Caribbean Frozen Slushee (a nifty Caribbean Punch Fruited Sour knockoff), gathered zestfully tart lemon-limed pomegranate juicing and tangy pineapple-passionfruit-guava sweetness for its lactic vanilla yogurt milking in a dazzling frozen setting.
Just as unique, cookie-buttered maple honey pastry treat,
Magnificos Belgian Waffle Stout, brought light-roast coffee-bound cinnamon, vanilla and anise illusions as well as Black Forest-caked bruised cherry, toffee and chocolate brownie snips to the accommodating surface.
As for the trio of IPA's, briskly approachable
Daybreak Hazy Double IPA retained cleanly crisp summertime sunshine, bringing tropical fruited Azacca-El Dorado hop zesting to the fore. Lemony grapefruit zesting gains peachy mango tang, snappy orange-candied tartness, sweet floral respite, mild pine bluff and zippy vodka nip above dry pale malting.
Norwegian Kveik farmhouse yeast and sharply bitter citric-pined hop resilience dealt bolder tropical fruiting to
Clawback Hazy Double IPA, regaling mildly lemon-juiced grapefruit rind and orange pith bitterness as well as lactose-soured guava, mango, pineapple and passionfruit tartness to peppery juniper-spiced herbage atop rye-whiskeyed oats.
Lemony grapefruit zest and orange-candied pineapple tartness consumed dryly pale-malted New England-styled
Good Times Double IPA, a more conventional stylistic pleasantry with underlying honeyed wheat sweetness.
I gobbled fried chicken and my wife enjoyed the hummus dish while consuming seven lucky suds during early January '21.
Easygoing blonde ale,
Loblolly, placed pale malt-sugared orange zesting next to lemony peach tones above dank grassy hop astringency - proving to be a fine, semi-sharp, assertive moderation.
Sea-salted
Three Day Weekend Peach + Pear Gose engaged prickly pear tartness with fuzzy peach tones for sour-candied euphoria, leaving wispy mango, guava and kiwi tropicalia upon the light coriander-spiced pilsner malt spine.
'Fluffy' tropical fruited
Delirious Hazy Double IPA let brisk orange-peeled grapefruit and pineapple tanginess pick up mildly creamed Pina Colada-like rummy coconut-pineapple cocktail likeness in a lactic-soured yogurt setting.
"Intense"
Fabulous Tropical IPA stayed crisply clean as lemony pineapple, passionfruit and mandarin orange zesting gained herbal hop resin and a mild vodka whim.
Juicy tropical fruited masterpiece,
Escapades Double Pineapple + Peach, unleashed the tangiest pineapple-peach flurry upon polite pale malt sugaring in a smoothly clean-watered setting (with wispy mango, grapefruit and orange snips).
Luxurious holiday-seasoned brown ale,
Comfy Pants Gingerbread Ale, doused ground cinnamon-smoked gingerbread cookie sugaring with dark chocolate-spiced cumin, cardamom and allspice notions.
Richly complex Imperial Stout,
The Shoals, conditioned on cocoa nibs, plied nutty Guatemalan coffee-embittered dark chocolate intensity to wood-singed hop charring as glazed pecan, tart cherry, coniferous fern and tarry Blackstrap molasses illusions emboldened its back end.
During fruitful November '21 trip, sat in enclosed patio where newly installed L-shaped slate top bar (with 3 TV's on NFL Sunday) was packed early evening. Enjoyed ten delightful (previously untried) elixirs.
Classic autumnal amber lager,
Thompsonfest, allowed crisp sweet tea-leafed honey malts to engage herbal hops and spiced apple notions.
Dry golden lager,
No Bad Days, let mild maize musk and perfumed herbal hops pick up a spritzy lemon fizz in light-bodied fashion.
Mellow pumpkin ale,
Boooooo!!!, provoked its autumnal cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove seasoning with squash-like pumpkin meatiness, sharp citrus latency and leafy hop astringency.
Candi-sugared lemony orange tang lacquered honey-spiced peach, pear and apricot whims for
Delaware Devil, an herbal-tinged, white peppered, fungi-cellared Belgian golden ale.
Tart kettle-soured
Escapades Lingonberry Cherry, conditioned on brown sugar, maintained a sweet cherry pie piquancy and wispy lingonberry pucker.
Tarter kettle-soured
Escapades Passionfruit Raspberry, conditioned on cane-sugar, brought raspberry-seeded passionfruit tang to oaken cherry tannins.
Peachy mango and pineapple tanginess brightened lightly pine-toned IPA,
Shoptalk: Door, a zestful tropical fruited delight.
More 'intense' IPA,
Shoptalk: First Cut, let lime-peeled pineapple salting reach lemon meringued coconut sweetness and pleasant tangerine tang secured by herbal pining in gummy wheated oats setting.
Yet another IPA,
Shoptalk: In The Weeds, contrasted peachy mango tanginess and creamy vanilla sugaring with steadily lingered resinous pine bittering over a biscuity wheat base, gaining orange-peeled grapefruit zesting.
Dry whiskey-toned Scotch peating (from Makers Mark aging), port-barreled wining and oaken vanilla tartness combined for
Once Around The Sun, a second anniversary Imperial Stout with relegated roasted chocolate base.
thompsonislandbrewing.com
OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND
Right on the boardwalk in the heart of Ocean City, tiny 10th Street shanty saloon, BACKSHORE BREWING COMPANY, came into existence during 2015 (and closed November 2021). Relying on a small-batch nano system to pump out six draughts at a time for thirsty beachcombers, this cozily rustic shingled shack features eight interior seats and a small wood patio (with surf board-topped tables, small community benches and vintage Volkswagen bus).
Pinched in next door to Hammerheads Bar & Grill (whose cozy seating gets utilized by Backshore during winter months), the moderately ranged traditional brews available on this sunny Saturday in January '20 proved nebulous. Shandys and 'Moonshine Cocktails' were also available.
Lightly creamed light-bodied softy, Boardwalk Blonde, left mild lemon zest upon delicate herbal hop astringency and celery-watered vegetalia.
Mild dried-fruited nuttiness engaged Shoot The Glass Doppelbock, leaving tobacco-roasted fig, date, pecan and brown bread illusions above its dank earthen bottom.
Pleasant dry-hopped IPA, Maclunkey, brought wispily spiced grapefruit, orange and peach tones to mild pine resin and salty herbal wisps, contrasting its softly creamy vanilla sweetness.
Subtle brown-sugared pecan glaze contrasted sour fig above tobacco-roasted cereal graining for dewy Downtown Sugar Brown, a moderate English-styled ale with golden brown toasting.
Chocolatey peanut butter-oiled molasses porter, Anybody Want A Peanut?, gained sweet molasses breading and spiced toffee daubs.
Mellow caramelized bourbon warmth and Scotch whiskey tones permeated Admiral Jackbar Barleywine, a lusciously sedate 11.6% ABV barrel-aged elixir with wispy toffee, rum, pecan and vanilla undertones.
As I was about to leave, Backshore tapped brisk piney grapefruit-peeled medium body, The Professor, a juicy-fruited IPA relegating its dry wood tones and gentle caramel malting.
www.backshorebrew.com 
COOPERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Just seven miles Southeast of Allentown in the tiny town of Coopersburg, SAGE ALLEY BREWERY & GRILLE opened during October '18 and expanded to include the separate Corner Tap Room a few doors down a year hence. Inspired by the small town charm of Germany's historic breweries, Sage Alley delivers a well rounded selection of mostly traditional beer styles.
A cozy English-styled pub residing in a restored white-walled Victorian house with low ceiling and 14-seat central bar, the lacquer wood-floored brewery and grille featured a large tile-floored back patio with all-weather furniture and heated enclosure. A loungy alcove sits across the red brick hearth just behind the bar and brew tanks were located in the rear.
ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA
Right in the heart of downtown Allentown, ample beer-pizza watering hole HOP DADDY BREWING COMPANY came to life November '19 (and changed its name to Bru Daddy soon after - see separate entry). Part of Lehigh Valley's ambitious brewery Renaissance, Hop Daddy had only two of their own handcrafted brews on tap during my December '19 stopover, but the homemade pizza was fine and so were the local guest brews.
Inside the red brick-fronted public house, a 20-seat slate top bar with two draught stations each serving twelve lines featured three walled TV's, exposed ceiling pipes and silver tin ceiling tiles. A few Industrial wood-metal dining tables and bar stools crowded the storefront. A back kitchen served authentic wood-fired pizza and a beautiful beer keg mural hovered above the gas-powered oven.
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS
Magnanimously cavernous mall-bound 30-barrel brewhouse, MIGHTY SQUIRREL BREWING CO. opened for biz on December 7th, 2018. A pristine 24,000 square-foot corner space including a 40-draught main bar taproom, 20-draught club-styled stage room and tea-lit and lawn-chaired side deck (with food truck), the glass-windowed, epoxy-floored social drinking establishment may be sizable, but never ostentatiously so.
The massive left side L-shaped main bar (with cornered couch lounge) sidles the glass-encased silver brew tanks and canning line while the ample right side seating towards the stage showcases a glass-enclosed rock climbing wall. At the far left back, bottles-to-go are available beneath the illuminated orange squirrel insignia.
A fine soulful band plays Mighty Squirrel this cold Friday evening, December '19, on the outskirts of Boston.
I tried six of the twelve tapped offerings while perusing the commodious digs.
Dry grain-husked musk and dark floral Noble-hopped herbage front crisply clean Helles Lager, Munick, leaving lemon licks upon its astringent back end.
Candi-sugared dried fruiting consumed Monk's Choir Belgian Quad, leaving sweet fig, raisin and date illusions to further sweeten its toffee-spiced caramel malting and subtle rum, bourbon and brandy snips.
'Vibrant' Milkshake IPA, Peach Smoovy, brought lactic milk sugaring to abrupt peach juicing and light vanilla bean creaming while contrasting vodka-nipped piney hops and orange-peeled grapefruit bittering over delicate oats-flaked malting.
Pumpkin pie-spiced Gourdgeous Pumpkin, benefited from yam-candied nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom seasoning speckling dry pale malts in fine fashion.
Creamy cocoa nibs and milk-sugared cold brew coffee regale rich mocha stout, Velvet Moon, a soothing full body with wood-seared hop char contrasting tertiary maple oats, vanilla bourbon, anise and tar illusions.
For dessert, splendid Imperial Stout, Mississippi Mud Pie, melded sweet brown chocolate malting to milk-sugared coffee, bourbon vanilla and anise illusions above maple molasses oats to counter wood-burnt hop char at charming mocha finish. 
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside a red brick Industrial warehouse and up a few stairs to its rustic railroad-tied wood bar, BACKLASH BEER CO. opened for biz in 2018. After contract brewing for a few years at Holyoke's Paper City Brewery and canning at Foolproof, Backlash settled into the historic Roxbury neighborhood at a former piano factory where they stand proud crafting high quality brews in a no-frills atmosphere on the outskirts of Boston.
Reminiscent of a large loft apartment with its double-hung windows, olden columns, exposed pipes and Edison-bulbed free form bar shades, Backlash features a 12-seat, L-shaped, slate top bar with a blackboard beer list and ten white-tiled draught lines guarded by a toy bulldog.
Several community tables fill out the open space across the bar.
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
Quaint red-bricked neighborhood bistro in downtown Cambridge maintains cozy corner café appeal with freshly brewed coffee as well as beer. Inside a former auto repair shop, LAMPLIGHTER BREWING COMPANY came to fruition in 2016. Its back kitchen serves locally sourced breakfast items to folks at the 12 white-tiled parlor seats, main community table, right side area and front cove lounge on my early December '19 trip.
Glass encased silver tanks to the left service the twelve-plus draught taps of the rustically furnished white-walled, cement-floored, pipe-exposed coffeeshop/ microbrewery.
HATBORO, PENNSYLVANIA
A hidden gem in the heart of Hatboro 25 miles north of Philly, CROOKED EYE BREWERY came into existence when homebrewer Jeff Mulherin began experimenting in 2014. Growing into a seven-barrel microbrewery over a few years, Crooked Eye's sturdy stainless-steeled suds certainly deserve attention.
Set inside a garage-doored makeshift pub, its modern Industrial rusticity and Edison light-strewn canopy give the small space a welcoming neighborhood bar feel. And the stylistically straightforward brews will please any palate.
The corrugated-bottomed, wood-topped, 8-seat bar serviced three stainless steel industrial cart tables and a few wood-metal tables. A blackboard beer list and one large-screen TV fill out the room. Behind the black brick wall lies the silver brew tanks.
My wife and I stopped by during early November '19 for an enjoyable afternoon wakeup call.
The lightest offering, Boro Blond Ale, brought light orange-oiled hop bittering to dewy mineral grained French breading and delicate sugared spiciness.
Blending mellow orange-peeled coriander spicing with lemon-soured ginger herbage and fried plantain sweetness, White Tail Wit was a fine opener.
Smoothly mineral-grained Regimental 80 Scottish Ale gave its dewy tobacco sweetness a resinous brown tea musk, mildly spiced caramel malting and pastry-like flouring.
Earthen brown tea consumed dewy The Brit ESB, an easygoing moderation with subtle leafy foliage.
Designed close to an India Pale Ale due to its piney dry-hopped citrus bittering, Accidental Pail Ale retained a sweet pale malt sugaring to amplify its lemony orange-peeled tang and relegate the spicily floral herbage.
Creamily white-headed Hazy Eye Double IPA soothingly plied sunny orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess to mineral-grained wood lacquer and mild alcohol astringency, picking up juicy floral-daubed peach, mango and honeydew illusions for further roundedness.
Black chocolate malt bittering inundated dry-roasted pumpkin rusticity of Austin's Pumpkin Porter, a fine autumnal dark ale with cayenne-peppered cinnamon bark swipes and latent anise-nutmeg seasoning.
Sweet grain-roasted caramel malts received glazed pecan-hazelnut sugaring to combat dried cocoa powdering for Gangster Of Lover Imperial Brown Ale.
Dark-roast black chocolate malts rampaged forth for nitrogenated One Eye Dog Coffee Porter, leaving black peppered coffee remnants on the back end.
Creamily sweet brown chocolate gave nitrogenated Black Eye Oatmeal Stout its opening salvo as roasted coffee, molasses, charred cedar and hazelnut illusions play backup.
crookedeyebrewery.com 
HATBORO, PENNSYLVANIA
Located inside a former auto body shop (attached to a Goodyear repair center) and utilizing rock-related beer names, ARTIFACT BREWING opened its doors October 18, 2019. Just up the road from the center of town in the bucolic north Philly suburb of Hatboro (established in Colonial times by an English hatter), this rustic cement-floored pub features the works of local craft beer artisans Brian Mc Kinney and Matt Brzowski. Set up as a three-barrel nano brewery with four serving tanks and twelve-plus tap handles, Artifact became the borough's second operating brewery (behind Crooked Eye).
A green-walled cement floored space with a 14-seat, plank-sided, maple- topped bar, Artifact's small interior includes four community tables, three round cocktail tables and a wooden bar-walled American flag.
My wife and I head up to the bar and consume six well-rounded brews on our pre-Halloween '19 journey.
For their maiden voyage, Artifact created interestingly enigmatic pale ale, Paradigm Shift, a stylistically advanced dry body utilized citric-spiced Norwegian Kviek yeast to temper its beet-sugared maple syruping, complacent orange tartness and mild cherry coughdrop smidge.
Candi-sugared orange peel sweetness rode above spiced banana, vanilla and caramel illusions for delightful As Serious Can Be, a lightly creamed moderate-medium body perfect for Belgian ale lovers.
On the surface, floral-cologned juniper bittering picked up zesty lemon juicing for pleasantly offbeat saison, Forever Sleeping, leaving ginger-herbed rose hips, elderflower and chamomile undertones in its busy turpentine-lacquered kiwi-guava-induced Nelson hop wake.
Combining dankly herbal lemon-dried Golding hops with oats-backed German pilsner malts let hybridized English bitter-styled kolsch, Everyman, remain smoothly dry and crisply clean.
Dewy tobacco-sweet mossing inundated grapefruit, pineapple and orange rind dryness for subtly designed English bitter, Walk Like A Smile.
Before heading out on this sunny Saturday in October, quaffed today's only IPA (also note, there were no dark beers available).
Tropical fruit-spiced Galaxy and Vic Secret hops sharpened herbal-perfumed medium body, Contagious Smile IPA, a cucumber-watered refresher with tangy grapefruit, pineapple and orange piquancy gaining blissful lemon zesting.
www.artifactales.com/ 