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
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 Bangbrought 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.
highhorseamherst.com
Inside a cavernous maroon-paneled, stone-walled farmhouse with twin grain silos at the back patio deck, FORT HILL BREWERY opened in 2014. Its natural yellow pine furnishings, A-framed Crawford ceiling and tree-cut bar top bring a natural bucolic warmth to this large countryside pub.
Entering from the cozy front deck, the 15-seat L-shaped bar features 20-plus taps and to the left is a small stage area for local bands. A Barnes Aquifier System is used for the crisp underground well water.
Leaning heavy on the India Pale Ales and bringing European tradition to its lager-pilsners, Foot Hills does a great job getting the most out of each stylistic brew.
Straightforward Czech-styled Hera Pils let light grain malt sweetness slip inside herbal grassy hop astringency in a pleasantly easygoing manner.
Delicate Saaz hop herbal musk and earthen grain dew soaked Branch Manager Pilsner, a dry German-styled moderation.
Mildly creamed hefeweizen, Vice Beer, gathered banana-clove-bubblegum sweetness for its honeyed Graham Cracker wheat sugaring and tart lemon spritz.
Dried fruit spicing ensconced Love Thy Neighbor Dopplebock, as fig-sugared prune, plum and raisin illusions rode alongside desiccated orange tartness over light Vienna malting.
Easygoing Farmers Fresh Session IPA gave its crisply clean lemony grapefruit tang a light vanilla-creamed crystal malting that sweetened above grassy herbal hop restraint.
Zesty lemony grapefruit and dry wood-toned pale malts headedFresh Pick New England IPA, a clean-watered moderate-medium body utilizing Simcoe-Mosaic-Citra hops to gain dainty orange, peach, pineapple and tangerine illusions to push forward its sunny grapefruit thrust.
Another grapefruit-empowered Imperial IPA, Jigsaw Jazz, let dry-hopped Citra juicing break out zesty grapefruit rind, pith and peel bittering complemented by lemony mandarin orange, tangerine and tangelo illusions.
Lively lemon licks brightened spritzy Checkmate Chuck Imperial IPA, picking up mild lychee, white grape and honeydew nips to offset its subtle grassy-hopped resinous pine bittering.
Refreshingly sea-salted gose,The Pianist, gained lightly acidic lime peel bittering and sour lemon briskness and will please wild ale fans.
Dark chocolate and iced coffee fronted delicately oak-aged Bill The Butcher Imperial Stout, a surprisingly dry departure with earthen dew mustiness and soured wort graining leveling off the mocha expectancy.
Cocoa-enriched Tim's Udderly Milk Stout plied dark chocolate syruping to mildly spiced dried fruiting, leaving light-roast coffee, molasses, toffee and hazelnut illusions in its wake.
DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside a preserved stationary factory in the tiny metropolis town of Dalton due northeast from Pittsfield, SHIRE BREU HOUSE opened in 2017 (and stopped brewing ops 2024). Its marbled hardwood floor, chandelier lounge and small hearth add elegance to the rustic concrete-columned exposed pipes.
The nearly oval 20-seat centralized bar featured upscale pub fare and fabulous spirits to go alongside rangy homemade draughts. Wooden booths and tables surround the 20-stool bar. A simple black-on-white-painted Shire Breu Hous insignia dons the back side wall.
Bananas Foster French Toast and smoked salmon were thoroughly enjoyed for brunch during my February '18 swing.
Shire's well-balanced house beer selection really kicked ass!
Tropical dry-bodied New England-styled hazy India Pale Alewrangled tart lemon-dropped gooseberry, guava and melon rind illusions out of limey Huell Melon hops, finishing quick with a spicy citrus zesting.
Another fine New England-styled hazer, Mango Milkshake IPA, let lingering yogurt-soured lactose acidity sink into vanilla-sweetened mango tartness, relegating its delicate melon rind, mandarin orange and honeydew snips.
Smoothly centrist Eagle ESB left dewy moss sweetness, brown-leafed foliage, nutty nuances and herbal notions upon biscuity caramelized malts.
Equally subtle, moderate Dunkel Weizen allowed mild honey-roasted dried fruiting to seduce delicate coffee-cocoa-chocolate tones.
RobustPolicemen's Porter injected mildly creamed coffee overtones and setback black chocolate bittering into walnut-dried hop char.
Creamy vanilla-beaned cocoa nibs reinforced richly complex golden stout, Trompe l'Oeil, leaving brown chocolate spicing alongside citrus-juiced pale malts.
Even more complex, lactose-aided milk stout, Colantha Mooie, draped dark chocolate syrup all over dark-roast coffee, sweet vanilla and smoky earthen peat.
Part of a rotating series of 'barrel-aged' elixirs, tequila-aged Key Lime Gose brought whiskey-soured lemon zest to salt-licked key lime pie tartness.
www.shire.beer
PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
In an unassumingly raw green aluminum warehouse in the Berkshire Mountains industrial corridor, diminutive Pittsfield microbrewery, WANDERING STAR BREWING COMPANY, was established in 2011 - just after railroad-bound Pittsfield Brew Works went out of business.
A rustic cement-floored pub with scattered seating, puny lounge area, wood pews and a billiard table, its small wooden serving station featured eight draught lines serving rangy suds from the rear brew tanks.
An intimate garage hangout, Wandering Star's gained credibility all over New England/ New York thanks to bustling entrepreneurial brewer, Chris Post, a guiding light concurrently advising nearby North Adams craft brewery, Bright Ideas Brewing.
On a frigidly sunny Saturday afternoon in February '19, I sampled all eight beers currently on tap.
First up, summery Tangerine Cream Ale loaded pulpy navel orange, blood orange and tangerine tartness atop acidulated wheat-crackered pilsner malting.
Next, bone-dry Brut 66 brought bubbly champagne fizz to mildly vinous white wining, brisk El Dorado-hopped citrus zest and parched Amarillo-hopped wood tones.
Smooth New England-styled IPA, Wobbly Pop, fortified its mildly embittered piney grapefruit tang with oats-flaked wheat malts and dry-hopped Mosaic, Simcoe and Amarillo varieties.
Dewy English-styled Thunderbolt IPA placed orange-dried lemon rot above toasted grains, resinous pine and vegetal musk.
Year-round flagship, Loopy Juice Double IPA, retained a juicy lemony grapefruit zesting underscored by mild wood tones and sugared pale malts.
Better still, dramatic Nelson Sauvin-hopped Loopy Juice spinoff,Horatio, rallied limey gooseberry, guava and green grape tartness against sweet 'n sour citrus tones.
Crystal rye malting anchored Catcher In The Rye, leaving sweet chestnut, bitter walnut and spiced citrus illusions at the pumpernickel-doused finish.
Fabulous dry Irish Stout, Mild At Heart Porter, brought dark chocolate syruping to peanut-shelled hazelnut, walnut and Brazil nut illusions as well as hop-charred molasses sap.
Candied tangerine-orange tang elevated cocoa-powdered black chocolate and dark-roast coffee for creamily mocha-bound Chocolate Orange Porter.
For dessert, gummy Arrowhead Apple Ale tasted like sweet apple cider with a mild sour citrus kick.
EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside the mammoth red-bricked Eastworks building, a 500,000 square foot converted mill on the outskirts of Easthampton, ABANDONED BUILDING BREWERY occupies a mid-sized back space since May 2015.
A wood-floored warehouse pub with maroon-butterscotch walls, high ceilinged exposed ducts, strewn rustic furnishings and centralized modern art design, its steady influx of people comes from the restaurants, shops, arthouses and marijuana dispensary inundating Eastworks multi-floored complex (as well as the local bike path riders).
A small wooden serving station features ten draught taps emanating from the rear brew tanks.
For starters on this sunny Saturday afternoon in February '19, I went with all the IPA permutations for comparison and contrast.
Abandoned Building's most popular brew, Dirty Girl IPA, spread spicy grapefruit juice all over earthen pine oiling and French-breaded pale malts in a pleasantly straightforward manner.
Summery tropicalia informed juicy yellow-hazed New England-styled Pan Galactic IPA, letting zesty lemon, grapefruit and pineapple tanginess gain New Zealand-hopped limey gooseberry souring.
Bolder and more stimulating, busy New England-styledThe Other End Double Dry-hopped IPA brought dewy spruce-tipped earthen tea moisture and resinous hop pining to bittersweet lemony grapefruit, orange and mango tanginess above bready pale malting.
Another hazy dry-hopped medium body, Temporary Sanity IPA, left rustic herbal barnyard acridity to temper its juicily hop-embittered yellow grapefruit tang.
Creamy vanilla-spicedShake IPA went after the milkshake dessert crowd with its sweet citrus-candied strawberry glaze contrasting mild plain yogurt souring. In its nitro version, the berry-citric nature gets downplayed as soft-toned yellow grapefruit bittering picks up recessive pine tones.
Underwhelming fruit-caked Odin Quadstayed crystalline, but its dried-fruited cherry, plum and raisin sweetness and dark chocolate malting lacked determination.
Stylishly mild Night Shade Stoutcasually spread coffee-roasted dark chocolate bittering across cola, walnut and hazelnut Nutty dark-roast coffee enriched java-enhanced Coffee Night Shade Stout.
Four Roses bourbon informed excellent Bella Donna Bourbon-aged Imperial Stout, where soothingly comforting whiskey-dried port wine warmth caressed syrupy chocolate-draped vanilla sweetness, mild molasses sapping and dry cherry snips.
abandonedbuildingbrewery.com
Crafting some of New England's finest hazy India Pale Ales, Northampton's PROGESSION BREWING COMPANY take extreme pride in producing their refreshingly crisp, clean beer. In the heart of town in a red brick building with a pristine round silver logo sign at the entrance, Progression opened for biz during November '18, becoming Northampton's fourth brewery.
Residing on Pearl Street in the former space of Gleason's Camping Supply, the centralized pub hipster Industrial setting features white-walled modern art, front-windowed lounge furnishings, cavernous pipe-exposed open space and illuminated light scheme. Its marbled red linoleum floor contrasts well with the three yellow-wooded community tables and four-chaired seating while a sectioned-off backspace is also available.
Brew tanks are located behind the ten-stool serving station where twelve taps serve the expanding crowd on this cold Saturday eve in February '19.
A separate refrigerator contains a rounded selection of Progression's canned fare. Celebstoner/Freedom Leaf editor, Steve Bloom, and friend Tom, joined me for some brews while consuming hearty minestrone soup and mac-cheese-bacon.
Exquisitely detailed Flourish Farmers Saisonbrought herbal white-peppered grape-skinned Hallertau Blanc hop dryness and mixed culture saison yeast to the fore, letting tart lemon-dropped mandarin orange spicing, bruised banana sweetness, tangy pineapple juicing and earthen plantain sedation gain a spritzy carbolic pep.
Juicy-fruited Sequence Double Dry-Hopped New England Pale Ale let tangy grapefruit, orange, peach, pineapple and mango overtones receive a zesty lemon spritz buttressed by sugared pale malts (nearly duplicating a citric IPA sans piney bittering).
Soft-toned meditational moderation, Evolve New England Double India Pale Ale, brought bright yellow grapefruit tanginess to lightly creamed crystal malting, leaving subtle orange, peach and pineapple sweetness in the floral-herbed recess.
Equally soothing, Onward New England India Pale Ale let bitterer yellow grapefruit and orange rind juiciness lead the way as light pine lacquering eased the way for ancillary lemon, pineapple and peach zestiness above sugary pale malts (and leaving a wispy alcohol burn).
Tangy clementine frontedUpward New England Double IPA, a floral-tinged grassy hopped medium body with ancillary tangerine sweetness, mandarin orange tartness and lemon rind bittering atop dry pale malts.
Crisply dry West Coast-styled Expanse IPAplaced lightly pined citrus juicing atop floral-dried herbage and grassy hop astringency, leaving orange, grapefruit and lemon zest in its wake.
On the dark side, percolated coffee grounds consumed dry full body, Portent Coffee Porter, a superior creamily textured java beverage with bitterly walnut-seared hop char.
SHEFFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
A lil gem of a place just off Route 7 near the Connecticut state line in the lower Berkshires, Sheffield's BIG ELM BREWING came to fruition 'round 2012. Inside a worn yellow aluminum warehouse with faded red cement floors, this quaintly rustic brewpub crafts distinct and wide ranging beers.
A small wood-topped serving station (with corrugated aluminum siding) provides a passive industrial setting. Twelve tile-bound tap handles release the backroom-brewed suds (listed on a colorful blackboard) for customers filling the four-stooled wood tables and extra window seating.
Today's offerings for a seasonally warm February '19 afternoon span the stylistic spectrum while leaning on the dark side.
Musky straw-cleared American Lagerwill delight blue collar thirsts with its corn-dried barley roast, maize-husked barnyard leathering, pungent herbal hop mustiness and fizzy yellow fruiting. It made a fine mainstream statement counteracting all the more creative and original recipes Big Elm concocted.
Sticking out like a lollipop-candied sucker was the one sour ale available. Salty blueberry souring faded over vinous green grape tannins, puckered cranberry-raspberry tartness and sparkling blush-wined rosé illusions for Sol Crusher Blueberry Gose.
Easygoing Fat Boy Double IPAbrought juicy orange-mango-pineapple sweetness to a lightly perfumed floral bouquet and wispy pine tones above caramelized pale malts.
Muskier perfumed hops, drier wood tones and latent herbal snips saddled the lemony yellow grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and sugary orange-peach tang of delightfully sunny West Coast-styledIndia Pale Ale.
Ambitious Magnum Ulmus Tripel regaled spicy candi-sugared fruiting with musky white-peppered juniper snips, buttery Chardonnay licks and rum-soaked oak chips. Sweet banana-clove-coriander overtones picked up tertiary peach, pineapple and apricot illusions as well as minty green tea notions.
Black-peppered chipotle and toasted cinnamon added pep to Mexican dark chocolate for rich El Luchador Spiced Porter, leaving tarry charcoal residue upon nutty molasses-sapped cocoa nibs.
Lactic milk chocolate consumed Gerry Dog Stout, an oats-sugared full body with dewy earthen soiling contrasting sweet toffee at the backend.
Just as easily defined as a sour stout, Love Dog Raspberry Chocolate Stoutallowed dry tobacco-roasted green grape tannins to desiccate its raspy raspberry tartness and powdery dark cocoa malting.
Wintry brown-sugared dried fruiting dappled Dead Of Winter Imperial Stout, where plummy fig tones grazed molasses-draped dark chocolate malting, mild coffee quips and dewy wet-grained sweetness.
www.bigelmbeer.com
Residing at a cement-floored Industrial mall inside an inconspicuous light blue-walled, black-ceilinged, 15-seat taproom (with track lighting and wooden US flag), NOBLE JAY BREWING COMPANY serves its quaint Mystic-area village of Niantic with a small variety of well-crafted homemade nano brews.
Owned and operated by proud military veteran, Mike Lincoln, Noble Jay dedicated three tap lines to lagers, a surprisingly large amount for such a small pub, during my mid-January '19 afternoon perusal. Its diminutive interior features a small living room space with couch, rug and overhead TV plus multiple service academy flags along the walls. Led Zeppelin plays in the background as I down the three lagers, one rangy saison and a porter.
Open for business since August '18 (and out of biz summer 2020), Noble Jay had joined Niantic Public House as one of Niantic's initial craft breweries.
Musky German-styled pre-Prohibitionist flagship, Mo Pilsner, retained wet-grained pilsner malt breading and herbal Noble hop lemon rot.
Brisk orange-candied Lager Jammin Double IPL gained grassy-hopped astringency to contrast its sugared pale malt spine.
Perhaps the finest lager, stylistically dryer Chappy's Red Valor regaled spicy red fruiting and dewy caramel malting to counter sour orange tartness in a briskly clean manner.
Inarguably, the most dynamic offering, complexly balancedFirst Ladies Saison coalesced its lightly sour fruit-spiced farmhouse dryness with the vanilla-sugared banana daquiri sweetness (and lemon meringue twist) of a heady tripel.
On the dark side, Fatty Boom Boom Baltic Portercontrasted soy-milked peanut oiling with sweet hazelnut-glazed caramel malts, leaving dark cocoa traces on the back end.
MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT
Just down the road from famous Mystic Pizza in the basement of a red brick warehouse building, BARLEY HEAD BREWERY opened in this quaint seaport village during 2017 (and closed during 2024).
Taking the rustic gray cement-floored space of a former jewelry store, Barley Head's diminutive low-ceilinged two-barrel nanaobrewery includes several small sectioned-off brew tanks, three-seated wood serving bar (with large blackboard menu), right-walled couch, four left scattered seats, two window seats and many one-off homebrews by ex-Cottrell brewer Drew Rodgers.
I visited the humble underground pub during mid-January '19, soaking up one signature staple and seven limited edition elixirs.
Approachable flagship offering, Saison du Maison IPA, coalesced dry saison yeast with IPA-like citric hops, leaving orange-peeled pineapple, mango and tangerine juicing upon mild herbal peppering, lemony grape esters and light earthen musk.
Another crossbred saison, Haley Farm Farmhouse IPA, brought sour lactic acidity and leathery barnyard funk to the lightly embittered citrus hop profile.
Dewy peat contrasted spicy yellow-orange fruiting for moderate Interstellar Secret IPA, an engaging English-derived, New England-styled moderate-medium body.
Floral citric herbage spiked2nd Enthrallment IPA, leaving lemony grapefruit and orange rind bittering upon piney-hopped grouted oats.
Tart cherry piquancy inundated Love & Pop, an easygoing fruited Belgian ale with murky grain malting.
Lightly creamed specialty grain ale, Chevy Levee & Rye let peaty caraway-seeded rye malting run amuck on brusque herbal citrus hops.
Chocolate-y raisin sweetness uplifted Dave The Great Dubbel, allowing mild burgundy, fig and date illusions to encounter dewy peat serenity towards the midst. The nitro version added mildly creamed walnut, hazelnut and black cherry nuances to the Raisinette-candied glaze.
www.barleyheadbrewery.com
OLD SAYBROOK, CONNECTICUT
Hidden inside a brick terra cotta warehouse-garage along the railroad tracks of Long Island Sound-bound Old Saybrook, 30 MILE BREWING CO. opened its doors in 2016 (and closed January 2022). A quaint cement-floored dig with green and grey walls, indoor patio setup and 3 TV's, its charm lies in its lean simplicity and good beers.
As of my initial mid-January '19 fling, there were bottles and cans available for outside consumption. I got to sample eight well-defined homebrews on my early afternoon stopover with wife and dog, Roscoe, before escaping the oncoming snowstorm.
Signature India Pale Ale, Baby Fight Club, stayed tarter than tangy as its spangling citrus gleam allowed spicy grapefruit, orange and tangerine juicing to rise above mild lupulin-oiled pine tones and dry pale malts.
Dryer citric conciseness saddled Baby Fight Club (Double Dry-Hopped), a zestful IPA securing tingly lemon, grapefruit, orange and tangelo licks with herbal-licked grassy hop astringency.
Easygoing Mosaic-Citra-Cascade-hopped smoothie, Sum Pulp New England IPA, retained its stylish grapefruit, pineapple and orange zestfulness above gentle coniferous pining and modest crystal pale malting.
For audaciously wondrous one-off, Going Sour: Pomegranate, mild acidic salinity underlined pleasantly tart pomegranate sourness contrasted to perfection by sweet vanilla sugaring (and picking up latent gooseberry-cranberry snips).
Nearly as fine, Going Sour: Black Currant utilized subtle blackcurrant-spiced tartness to appease its moderately acidic salinity, leaving white grape, green plum, green apple and gooseberry illusions in its wake.
Stylishly soft-toned Rymley's Winter Warmer, a dryer-than-sweet barleywine, placed muted red grape, red cherry and plum tones above aridly earthen caramel grain malts.
Happily abstruse Raison Saisonplied golden raisins to its banana daquiri-sweetened Graham Cracker spine while wispily white-peppered lime tartness secured the rustic grained underbelly.
Coming across like a delightful creamed coffee,Astute Stout brought vanilla-beaned espresso adjuncts to the fore while sweet caramel latte, cinnamon and dark fruiting shaded the jaunty java juggernaut.
30milebrewingco.com
NIANTIC, CONNECTICUT
Inside an inconspicuous beige-bricked square edifice tucked in behind the village of Niantic's Main Street just down from the Long Island Sound, NIANTIC PUBLIC HOUSE came into fruition during the autumn of 2018. The spacious blue-walled interior echoes to its black pipe-exposed ceiling height and a few small community tables sidle the bar.
Readied to expand their limited house beer lineup (only two available on my mid-January '19 late afternoon sojourn), Niantic did also feature ten well-selected local outside brews and fine wines. The electronic blackboard at the L-shaped wood-lacquered serving station listed all liquids.
During my friendly half-hour binge, tried well-balanced Audens Pale Ale, a double dry-hopped moderation utilizing the tropical Nelson Sauvin variety and leaving spicy orange-tangerine-grapefruit tanginess, tingly lemon zest and grassy musk upon its dry pale malted bottom.
Also quaffed crisply cleanShell Yeah! Imperial IPA, where floral-perfumed orange peel sweetness and tangy yellow grapefruit zest got glazed by candied malt sugaring.
www.nianticpublichouse.com
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 
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.
EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside the mammoth red-bricked Eastworks building, a 500,000 square foot converted mill on the outskirts of Easthampton, ABANDONED BUILDING BREWERY occupies a mid-sized back space since May 2015.
A wood-floored warehouse pub with maroon-butterscotch walls, high ceilinged exposed ducts, strewn rustic furnishings and centralized modern art design, its steady influx of people comes from the restaurants, shops, arthouses and marijuana dispensary inundating Eastworks multi-floored complex (as well as the local bike path riders).
A small wooden serving station features ten draught taps emanating from the rear brew tanks.
