NEW CITY, NEW YORK
Just next door to Burger Loft in simple nuevo fashion sits New City's
DISTRICT 96 BEER FACTORY. Opened July '17, but serving draughts to Burger Loft since at least January, this elegantly devised open space will be treasured by beer enthusiasts for its easygoing suds (mostly small-batched pale ales and IPA's) and "illuminating Industrial chic" design.
The storefront-windowed pub features a beautifully vaulted skylight ceiling, plasma cut metal boarded beer listing (with radiant District 96 lettering) and sundry Edison bulb lighting. Sporting twelve white-tiled draught lines plus one nitro line and cider tap, District 96's fifteen-seat oak bar services eight tables at the red brick left side wall and its burger-centric neighbor at the other side of the entrance.
Owner John Potenza hired New England Brewing Company's Chase Planson as head brewer to run the daily operation. And the large lower-leveled brew tanks taking up the spacious back area will help make expansion at this site much easier.
I had consumed eight homemade draughts (listed in Beer Index) at Burger Loft over the last several months, but found four previously untried brews one rainy September '17 evening.
First, approachable
The Wit House let funky fungi-herbed Belgian yeast lightly affect floral orange-peeled lemon tanginess to its delicate white wheat base.
Sessionable
Misunderestimated IPA brought bright yellow grapefruit and zesty lemon to the fore as grassy hops picked up mild piney bittering.
More stylistically robust, turbidly yellow-hazed
Sexual Relations IPA allowed juicy yellow grapefruit, pineapple, mango, papaya and guava tropicalia to gain mild orange rind bittering above creamy crystal-malted sweetness.
For dessert, dry
Dark Money Porter recalled an Irish Stout with its mildly creamed Bakers chocolate, burnt coffee and espresso tones upending moderate hop charred bittering (and distant black grape esters).
During May '18 return, settled into eight more previously untried brews.
Dry pale wheat ale,
Wickard V. Filburn, let soft-toned orange-peeled pineapple, lemon and grapefruit zestiness lead the way atop pilsner-malted white wheat.
Dry-hopped, kettle-soured
Have You Tried This Yet Pale Ale left rotted lemon tartness on the tongue above dank earthen oats graining.
Then came four slightly varied India Pale Ales.
Lively orange, grapefruit and tangerine tang gained light lemon zest for
Mother Of All Bombs, a 'crushable' Double IPA with latent passionfruit, mango and pineapple illusions.
Dry-hopped IPA,
Candidate 8, brought affable orange-pineapple-peach tanginess to perfume-spiced wood tones and rye-flaked red wheat malts.
Fruitier
Candidate 9 (Haze Of Representatives), an Imperial IPA, allowed Citra-Mosaic hops to spread juicy pineapple, orange and grapefruit zest all over light pilsner-malted wheat and oats.
"Fresh-squeezed tangerine explosion" occupied
Political Juice IPA, gaining orange-spiced licks to coerce mild musky hop astringency.
Bittersweet raspberries pierced black chocolate malts for medium-bodied porter,
Razzignation, a tart dessert with mild cherry rasp, sedate coffee tones and nutty cola respite.
Meanwhile
, Razzignation Nitro softened its mildly creamed cocoa-dried chocolate resonance while streamlining its raspberry puree influence.
On tap during late January '19 visit were five more jolly suds. For light-bodied bohemian lager fans,
Circle Back Pilsner will suffice. Its floral-daubed grapefruit and orange tang brought zesting to rustic grain malts.
Oats-backed pilsner malts provided a mild bed for the Nelson Sauvignon-hopped white grape, orange peel, lemon juice and grapefruit pith tropicalia of briskly carbolic moderate-medium-bodied IPA,
Vote "Em Out.
Next, mild champagne wining graced
Champagne Room, a dry Brut-styled IPA with spritzy lemon zest and frugal holiday spicing.
For Cascadian dark ale,
Dark Politics, bitter dark chocolate syrup draped Citra-Mosaic-hopped dried fruiting and mild charred pine to its toasted pumpernickel base.
Lastly,
Oil Money, a centrist stout, secured its caramelized chocolate sweetness and dark-roast coffee bittering with ancillary tobacco-charred nuttiness, tingly burgundy licks and mild molasses oats.
Found four new ones during March '19 dinner.
Offbeat hazy beige-yellowed moderation,
Photo Op New England IPA, let its orange-oiled grapefruit bittering pick up mild lemon lime acidity, candied pineapple tartness and syrupy pear sweetness alongside piney hop resin.
Tropical Imperial IPA,
Photo Bomb, brought tangy grapefruit-embittered lemon zesting to vanilla-creamed mango, orange, pineapple and peach illusions atop its mild grassy herbal respite.
Soft-tongued farmhouse ale,
Reliable Yield, splattered buttery Chardonnay wining onto pepper-spiced saison yeast to affect its friendly orange-peeled lemon meringue, bruised banana and tangerine fruitiness.
"Vibrant" yellow-hazed bohemian pilsner,
Test Launch, gathered candied grapefruit, figgy apricot and melon rind illusions to settle gently above oats-sugared malts.
On March '20 dinnertime visit, enjoyed three rangy IPA's, a sour saison and luxurious pastry stout while eating Burger Loft mac and cheese. At this point in time, District 96 has expanded into the right side space for a canning line that'll give their beers better exposure.
Cultured saison yeast added sour white grape esters to misty lemon-bruised bittering for lightly vinous
Drowned Lands Low River Saison, leaving barnyard leathering on its dry pilsner malting.
Sharp wood-dried yellow grapefruit juicing inundated Pacific Coast IPA,
West Wing, letting tart lemon juice, salted pineapple and dank pine resin embitter its clean citrus finish.
Exotic New England IPA,
Tear It Up, let waxy herbal-cologned tropical fruiting gain sour lemondrop tartness alongside salted passionfruit, pineapple, papaya, yellow grapefruit and orange pith illusions.
A vibrant collaborative Imperial IPA with Obercreek Brewing,
Political Flow let its tart pineapple, mango, papaya and orange juicing receive mildly creamed crystal malt sweetener in a clean mineral water setting.
Vermont maple syrup draped pancake-battered blueberry puree for richly creamed pastry stout,
Presidential Breakfast, leaving dark-roast coffee, bruised black cherry, molasses and honeyed rye illusions upon its bittersweet dark cocoa resilience.
During March '24 burger with mac 'n cheese dinner, consumed five more interesting newbies.
Dry Italian pilsner,
Unrecognized Palazzo, let mild floral-daubed yellow grapefruit tang and distant raw honeyed bittering receive musty pilsner malting before doughy baked breading ascended.
Muskily orange-peeled cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove spicing faded for sour creamed coconut milking, lightly syruped treacle and dusty chocolate powdering of
Sleeveless Flannel Winter Ale, resembling a German chocolate cake for a sec.
Rum punch-derived 11% ABV NEIPA,
Man Meets Machine, brought boozy fruit salad, lemon-infused vodka, orange marmalade gin and pineapple screwdriver illusions to its gluey pale malt base.
Rummy vodka boozing also soaked tropical NEIPA,
Crowned King Kobra, a 'pineapple-candied' swerver with peachy orange peeled sweetness, salty mango-kumquat-lychee-guava assist and lacquered pine restraint.
Mustily creamed dark-roast coffee and black chocolate bittering reinforced Cascadian dark ale,
Total Eclipse, a black patent malted(?) full body with cola-walnut conflux and ashen hop char bettering most of its stylish competition.
Serving Rockland County's affluent Clarkstown community with a fine menu of ever-changing beers, District 96 has already got local Hudson Valley patrons hooked.
www.district96beer.com
ATHENS, NEW YORK
Just a few miles from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge on the west side of the Hudson River lies the historic town of Athens, New York, home to friendly cornerstone pub, CROSSROADS BREWING COMPANY.
Inside an old opera house and furnished with vintage décor, this reliable downtown spot opened in June 2011 and has become a nifty staple for its sleepy riverside village.
On a snowy afternoon, December '17, during Athens annual Victorian Walk, a few horse-drawn buggies pass by while my wife and I go to grab seats at the simply gorgeous mahogany bar (with centralized blackboard beer menu, 12 tap handles, two TV's, shelved books, growlers and scattered paraphernalia).
The right side windowed brew tanks and backroom kitchen service the bar as well as the wood tables along the front and sides. As a salute to olden New York macrobrews are wall-hung serving trays advertising iconic staples such as Pabst, Genesee, Ballantine, Rheingold, Schaefer and Hedrick.
Besides the nearly dozen proprietary beers on draught, there's one cider, a few wines and several spirits available alongside silver vessel-contained Rum Punch.
Having previously quaffed Crossroads' Mc Ginn's Scottish Ale, Outrage IPA and Brady's Bay Cream Ale, I settle into seven new discoveries.
Thrifty pale ale, Nine Lives, contrasted candied pineapple-peach-tangerine tanginess and sweet Maris Otter/Crystal malting against resinous hop dankness, picking up groaty oats at the waxy finish.
Centrist caramel-roasted Brick Row Red let spiced red fruiting gain earthen autumnal foliage, sweet amber graining and nutty notions above its biscuit base.
Easygoing moderation, Lane 4 Session IPA, brought brisk grapefruit and orange peel tanginess to honeyed pale malts and moderate Citra hop bittering.
Tangy orange, tangerine and lemon zest lifted Hemming & Hawing Double IPA, an Eldorado and Nelson Sauvin-hopped medium body with mild pale malt backdrop.
Kettle-soured Short Tart & Handsome (a collaboration with Albany Pump Station) retained a slightly vinous dry hop veneer as lemon-soured green grape tannins and strawberry rhubarb tartness enhanced its latent lactobacillus assault.
Dry espresso-roasted Black Rock Stout allowed Baker's chocolate bittering to pickup minor wood-charred earthen soiling.
And broad-ranging winter warmer, Yukon Cornelius, let its apprehensive brown-sugared molasses sweetness, glazed pecan sugaring, light cinnamon-ginger-cardamom spicing and tea-leafed tobacco crisping gain a minty gingerbread snap atop its buckwheat-floured bottom.
www.crossroadsbrewingco.com 
PALENVILLE, NEW YORK
Just down the road from happy hippie haven, Woodstock, after breakfast at tiny café, Shindig, and a quick trip to Bearsville Theatre, my wife and I visited RIP VAN WINKLE BREWING COMPANY during a snow-filled Saturday in mid-December '17. Formerly known as Angela's Italian Bistro, this traditional family-styled restaurant/ brewpub serves homemade pizza and Mediterranean cuisine to go alongside more than a handful of proprietary beers.
One hundred miles north of New York City in the bucolic pine-laden Catskill Mountains at the tiny hamlet of Palenville, this gray doublewide house-styled pizza and beer joint is easy to reach via Route 287.
We grab a few chairs at the oak-topped central bar in the Tap Room to try all seven proprietary brews currently available. Brewtanks are stationed in the rear while an open kitchen sidles the bar and two separate wood-furnished dining areas go to the left and right. A bronze faux-tin ceiling classily encases the bar area.
First up, reliable Mountain House Helles provided raw-honeyed lager yeast for muted citrus spicing and light grassy hop astringency.
Next, approachable Palenville Pale Ale let semi-sweet orange, red and yellow fruiting pick up subtle hop astringency and grassy earthiness over a raw-honeyed pale malt base.
Then, traditional autumnal moderation, Oktoberfest, brought leafy foliage to spice-tingled citric licks and light wheat graining.
Polite Rip Van Winkle Wit placed perfumed herbal spices across Belgian candi-sugared crystal malts and honeyed banana illusions.
Sweeter and more complex, Fawn's Leaf Belgian Dubbel loaded sweet-honeyed cherry, peach and nectarine fruiting alongside toasted amber grains and mild wood tones.
On the dark side, sturdily medium-bodied Kiskatom Brown Ale let mild chocolate-cocoa chalking lightly affect burnt caramel sugaring before receiving an ashen nuttiness that increased the light-roast hop bittering.
Finally, dry Peek-A-Boo Porter draped dark chocolate malts and toffee notes atop earthen hops.
DALLAS, TEXAS
Open during 2014 (and closed November '21), Dallas-based BRAINDEAD BREWING quickly became friendly competition for neighboring Deep Ellum Brewing.
A no-frills pub with a mind-blowing 30-plus taps of proprietary beers and ales, Braindead's best fare may well be the one-off barrel aged elixirs, robust Imperial Stouts and brettanomyces-laden sour ales.
Serviced by an 18-stool polyurethane-wooded bar with diamond plate backing and unique refrigerator-doored tap mounts, this roomy freestanding site also features a spacious front deck with fireplace and umbrellas as well as a street-side black railroad engine.
Several wood tables and booths plus two vast community tables and stacked liquor barrels consume the interior. Illuminating palletized drum-shaded lamps light the facility. In the back, large brew tanks hold the serious suds I'll quaff with my friend, Jeff, during a 2-hour stopover, November '17.
Out of the four 'Core' offerings, only Gritz, a pre-prohibition-styled cream ale, will be missed.
Zesty beige-yellowed dry-hopped wheat ale, Nimbus, brought lemony grapefruit tanginess to grassy herbal notions.
Pleasantly off-dry Red gathered raw-honeyed grapefruit tartness, crisp cereal grain toasting, mild grassy hop bittering and quaint candied spicing.
Approachable Imperial Pale Ale, P-Wing, let sweet honeyed malts contrast piney hops while orange-juiced tangerine and peach tanginess briskly surfaced.
Fruit Loops-like Belgian Pale Ale, Fumble Brag, allowed dry-hopped floral fruiting to access herbaceous whims as sugared grapefruit, orange and white grape spicing took hold.
Leafy Octoberfest, Gemutlich, let dry fig-apricot fruiting lightly creep into biscuit-y cereal malts and astringent hop resin.
Elegantly tart saison, Good Morning Dave, brought limey grapefruit souring to horse-blanketed hay dryness.
Distinct compost-wafted sour ale, Dr. Dreipricot, regaled orange-peeled apricot puree with sour-candied lemon peel bittering over wild oats.
Softer thirsts should imbibe the three lagers found on this initial perusal.
Simple Mexican Dark Lager, Cerveza Oscura, a mocha-malted moderation with muted mango fruiting and mellow toffee hints sufficed. As did light Polish-style pilsner, Exhausted Nihilist, musky malt liquor-like fodder with mild grassy-hopped astringency and biscuit-y malts. Another, wildflower-honeyed Honey Lager, stayed dry as floury grist consumed grassy hop astringency, unripe fig tartness and herbal notions.
Things got much more interesting with the complex dark ales to follow.
Easygoing Export Extra Stout coalesced mild espresso bean, dark chocolate and chalky cocoa bittering with dried black currant spicing above dark toffee malts.
Mincemeat-like Imperial Stout, We Own The Night, draped bitter Blackstrap molasses over spicy dried fruiting, dark chocolate malts, cold-brewed coffee tones and tarry hops (gaining tertiary tobacco chaw, maple oatmeal and walnut illusions by the bittersweet mocha finish).
On the sweeter Imperial Stout side, creamily resilient We Own Brunch poured Blackstrap molasses and dark chocolate syrup atop sweet vanilla, sugared coffee, maple oats and cinnamon spicing, leaving slight burnt wood notions at the back end.
Luxurious Imperial Wheat Porter aged in bourbon, Hammer Of The Gods 2017, seduced its creamy chocolate-coated sweetness with bourbon, burgundy and port tones as well as vanilla-sugared cinnamon and nutmeg spicing.
Didn't get to try these barrel aged elixirs: Given To Rye To Rye Brown Ale aged in Whiskey barrels; red wine-barreled raspberry-pureed Sexport Stout; oak-aged Memory Hole Barleywine; bourbon-rye-barreled dubbel, Priory Of Orion.
www.braindeadbrewing.com 
DALLAS, TEXAS
One mile south of Deep Ellum's arts community in South Dallas' light industrial Cedars district, FOUR CORNERS BREWING CO. outgrew its initial spot near the Aquarium and now consumes two large, well-maintained buildings as of October 2017.
Moving its brewing operations to a separate storage facility also utilized for prodigious canning and increased keg capacity, Four Corners decided to keep their sizable taproom independent.
Inside a rustic red brick-walled edifice with painted proprietary beer banners, epoxy floors, exposed pipes and high ceilings, the meticulous, yet spare, taproom (with open kitchen) features a 12-seat left side bar with aluminum-chaired wood tables, a few comfy lounge couches and upside down assorted lamps. Neon lettering above the bar spells out the brewery's moniker while windowed silver tanks store smaller beer batches and a stage area in the rear hosts local entertainers.
Across the way, Four Corners sprawling brewing operations take up an entire factory-sized compound. Part of the Cedars' recentralized urban cosmopolitanism, this rooster-symbolized brewery currently crafts six year-round offerings and a few special one-offs.
On my sunny Saturday afternoon November '17 visit, I try their six staples alongside two new recipes.
First up, dry golden ale, Local Buzz, utilized locally sourced honey to spice up its musky brown tea likeness and toasted rye breading.
Sessionable pilsner-malted Sol Y Luna stayed brisk as carbolic lemon fizz tickled earthen-grained fennel, straw wheat and spelt crisping.
Dry-hopped amber ale, Heart 'O Texas, slipped lemony grapefruit tanginess into mild toasted grains.
Honeyed citrus gave El Super Bee its misty zest over corn sugared pale malts.
Murkily piney fruited India Pale Ale, El Chingon, let grassy hop resin seep into cedar, floral and citric illusions.
Bitterly mocha-smoked oatmeal stout, Notorious O.A.T., surrounded treacly black chocolate with cola nut, dried prune and leathery grain nuances.
As for the one-off specialty beers, cereal-grained Homie Brew Texas Steam Beer plied mild sour fruiting to millet, wheat and alfalfa grist.
Best bet: easygoing East Coast-styled IPA crossover, El Oso White, a spicy tropical-fruited moderation, brought floral-bound grapefruit, orange, peach and mango tanginess to mild piney hop bittering and lightly sugared pale wheat malting.
Bringing just a hint of Mexican spirit to proudly mainstream Texas beers, Four Corners relies on centrist brews for casual tastes.
www.fcbrewing.com 
DALLAS, TEXAS
Residing at a well-maintained warehouse in Dallas' Design District (five miles northwest of Deep Ellum's arts and entertainment neighborhood), PEGASUS CITY BREWERY concentrates on crafting five endlessly approachable core beers as well as a few reliable seasonals since opening July '17.
At the right side entrance, a natural varnished wood bar top invites customers to the modest pub. Eight tap handles service the eight-stooled bar where a wood-engraved, black-outlined, white lettered Tiny Tap sign sits atop the bar. Across the way, two overhead garage doors saddle a large-ceilinged lounge area with wrought iron patio furnishings and a massive rear brewing area.
On my November '17 jaunt, I grab a seat in the lounge and sample all seven currently available draught offerings.
Easygoing Summer Special Blonde Ale, a polite Belgian-styled moderation, brought honeyed citrus tones to the fore as mild grassy hop astringency contrasted light banana-clove sweetness and minty lavender herbage.
Another seasonal offering, Big D Jamboree Festbier, let raw-honeyed dryness seep into dried fig, nutty caramel and baked bread illusions for a crisp marzen styling.
As for the Core 5, "deceptively easy-to-drink" Nine Volt DPL Tripel unveiled white grape esters and bittersweet orange tanginess to complement its candi-sugared spicing and contrast its earthen grain bottom.
Crisply clean Cannoneer Bold Amber coalesced grain-roasted caramel malting with dewy earthiness and chestnut illusions.
Mild flagship beer, Highpoint Porch Ale, an English mild, delivered roasted mineral graining to casual honeyed nuttiness and latent vegetal nuances.
Dry-toned Sixth Floor Easy Porter relied on dewy compost earthiness to scour its day-old roasted coffee souring, bittersweet Baker's chocolate mustiness and desiccated plum snip.
Dark-roasted German-Mexican-styled Texican Black Lager relegated its maize-flaked South of the Border influence for Germanic oats-sugared mineral graining and toffee malting (picking up latent prune and raisin fruiting).
www.pegasuscitybrewery.com 
MILLHEIM, PENNSYLVANIA
Near the center of Main Street in rural Central Pennsylvania outpost, Millheim, red-bricked General Store-like bistro ELK CREEK CAFE & ALEHOUSE opened for business in December 2007. A quaint smalltown pub with a warm, friendly atmosphere, the rustic butterscotch-walled coffeehouse is equally at home serving 11 AM weekend brunch as well as the finest homemade draught beer around.
Olden hardwood floors and wood furnishings bedeck Elk Creek and its menu features locally sourced food. The right side 20-seat bar (with a dozen tap handles, local distilled liquor and wines) counters macramé-designed artwork at the left end.
My wife and I stopped in for a plentiful Sunday brunch (Sausage, Gravy & Biscuit alongside a breakfast burrito) on a rainy Sunday morning in October '17 after visiting nearby Penn State University for a few days. We sampled eight approachable brews as noon time approached.
Easygoing Winkleblink Wheat Ale woke up our tastebuds with tingly lemon-candied spicing and floral-daubed grapefruit notions hovering above doughy baked breading.
Lightly kilned grain malts picked up grassy hop astringency and spritzy orange tartness to saddle Elk Creek Copper Ale's brown-breaded caramel malting. The hand-pulled nitro version diluted its wavered toffee sugaring for softly creamed Scotch-licked dewy peat earthiness.
Leafy foliage provided autumnal resonance for Elk Creek Oktoberfest 2017, a tea-like pale-toned moderation with red-orange fruit subtleties.
Stylishly 'bold' Great Blue Heron Pale Ale covered its splashy citric-spiced tang with peppery herbs peppering and grassy hop astringency.
Maybe the best and most popular offering, vibrant Double Rainbow India Pale Ale brought lingered lemony grapefruit tanginess to grassy dry-hopped astringency and herbal notions.
One of my faves, English-styled Brookie Brown Ale let caramel-burnt dark chocolate malts infiltrate toffee-sugared walnut and almond illusions as well as sweet vanilla wisps.
For dessert, enjoyed the five malt varieties consuming Poe Paddy Porter, where dark-roast chocolate consumed earthen truffle, raw molasses, bitter coffee and cacao nibs illusions.
www.elkcreekcafe.com 
LONG BEACH ISLAND, NEW JERSEY
In the heart of Long Beach Island in Beach Haven's Bay Village, SHIP BOTTOM BREWERY came into fruition during the summer of 2016. On a second floor loft overlooking the bay, this increasingly popular brewpub features a steady flow of year-round beers (lager/ hefeweizen/ IPA/ stout), seasonals and one-offs readied for crowlers-to-go or on-site imbibing.
A spacious right side brew area with small serving table holds several mid-size tanks while the left side tasting room offers 10-seat bar with several community tables, electronic wall board (with beer listing), rustic white-boarded walls, six draught lines and one cask.
During October Chowderfest '17, I got to quaff five diverse homemade suds.
Dry German-styled Barnegat Lager brought grain-toasted pale malting to perfumed citric pleasantries, earthen fungi must, sweet toffee reminders and light vegetal tones.
Candied Blood Orange Wheat Ale let its tangy blood orange adjunct pick up tangerine, clementine and grapefruit illusions above mild wheat malting.
Seasonal Imperial Pumpkin Ale on Cask contrasted honey-sweetened pumpkin pie spicing against vegetal earthen gourd dryness.
Sharply clean The Shack IPA decorated its spicy grapefruit, orange, mango and lemon tang with resinous pine tones and musky earthiness, leaving a spritzy citrus finish upon the tongue.
Sweet chocolate countered cocoa-dried coffee sedation for Barnicle Bottom Stout, a medium-bodied dark ale with mild Blackstrap molasses sinew and dark-roasted hops saddling its brown-sugared oatmeal base.
On return visit, June '18, quaffed sharp-tongued heater, The Chicken Or The Egg IPA, a mighty cayenne-habanero-doused mouth burner plying grapefruit-orange peel bittering to dry pale malts and herbal snips below its distinct red pepper singe.
During October '18 Chowderfest, got to try four more Ship Bottom brews, three of which took their stylistic dimension to new extremes.
Thinly flat cask-conditioned The Shack IPA with Soarchi Ace, let fennel tea-like sedation and celery-dried lemongrass dismiss its dill-pickled lemon licks and wispy barnyard acridity.
Brut champagne added bubbly sparkling wining to I Am Groot IPA - Brut, a sharply bitter hopped medium body with crisply dry-wooded yellow grapefruit and orange rind bite.
Mildly briny oyster shells contrasted milk-sugared chocolate sweetness for Chowderfest 30th Anniversary Oyster Stout, a creamily seductive dessert treat gathering tertiary cocoa, vanilla, tobacco and hazelnut illusions.
For a tropical changeup, busy OG Series: Double Hazy Imperial IPA brought juicy grapefruit, pineapple, orange, peach and melon tanginess to candy-spiced pale malts in a briskly carbolic manner, leaving gluey oats groats in its wake.
During September 2020, grabbed some stools at the makeshift ballfield patio and consumed two fine brews with wife.
Stylishly mild NEIPA, Hop & Hazy, brought zesty grapefruit sunshine and tropical orange-mango-pineapple tanginess to piney hop resin above creamy crystal malting for truly approachable serenity.
Light-roast coffee permeated The Local Stout, leaving ancillary espresso, dark chocolate and cocoa tones on the mildly nut-seared back end.
After hot Saturday in August '23 body surfing in Holgate, discovered three more Ship Bottom brews.
Spritzy lemon spicing brightened easygoing Murmaid Blonde Ale, letting gentle herbage to seep into the biscuity wheat base.
Tart cranberry adjunct got sweetened by honeyed wheat for pilsner malted Bucket Of Chum Wheat, leaving watermelon candied red cherry and raspberry illusions on its cranberry tip.
Pumpernickel rye breading anchored Beach Haven Bootlegger Pub Ale, an English-styled moderation with fungi-cellared earthen peat mossing.
On a warm Friday afternoon, April '25, discovered a few more Ship Bottom brews.
Crisply dry-hopped Italian pilsner, Grazie, hid bubblegum sweetness beneath lemony watermelon snicker and mild herbal spicing.
Czech-styled dark lager, Rough Seas, slipped burnt caramel thru mild coffee stead as dewy Saaz-hopped earthiness ascended.
Powder-sugared candied blueberry tartness road atop pale wheat malts of Blueberry Wheat, leaving Pez-like reminder.
Zestfully tropical The Shack IPA (with Simcoe/Citra/Mosaic hops) placed lightly spiced lemony grapefruit, orange and pineapple tanginess across mild pine tones in spritzy mix.
Pastry-like cream ale, Coffee Cake Cream Ale, let lemon-sugared coffee entry pick up light hop astringency.
SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA
Settled into a quiet mall with three black steel porch tables and two picnic benches welcoming customers, CHECK SIX BREWING COMPANY gave North Carolina its southernmost brewpub in 2015 (then closed in 2019). Just south of Wilmington in the Cape Fear region of Brunswick County, the family-run business began in 2015.
Inside the epoxy-floored red-brick pub are a constant flow of famous wartime aircraft memorabilia, several hanging propellers, a large Check Six insignia and 2 TV's. At the 10-stool wood bar are 20-plus tap handles to service a community table, several tables and front-walled counters.
Most of the homemade brews dabbled with stylistically hybridized originality and all were named after fighter pilot's components and lingo.
For starters on this hazily humid Friday afternoon, August '17, spritzy moderate-bodied German-styled Broken Prop Pilsner countered lemon-candied sugar wafer sweetness with mild hop astringency.
Just a tad more astringent, Gee Bee Honey Pale Ale brought mild honey-spiced fruiting to the fore over dry-hopped grain malts.
Raw-honeyed orange sourness and a 'touch of pomegranate' inundated mild crystal-malted Wendy's Blonde Ale.
Bustling with rich flavor and a mild coconut adjunct, hybridized Flying Circus Coconut Hefeweizen allowed sour lemon-dropped banana-clove tartness, beechwood-smoked pilsner malting and honeyed Chardonnay tones to coexist (alongside a lemon custard tanginess).
Dewy dry-bodied Mc Elroy's Irish Red Ale gained a tidy cherry-spiced whimsicality.
Mild peppery heat guided Fox 2 Chipotle Irish Red Ale, a red and orange fruit-spiced medium body with mild earthen hop bittering.
In the same vein, gentle jalapeno peppering heated up lightly pale malted San Philipe Pub Lano Ale.
Dewy English malts gave Hat In The Ring IPA an earthen tone increased by herbal wood-toned hop seepage and countered by tangy grapefruit-orange-pineapple juiciness.
Floral-spiced Aerial Aggression Double IPA let dry-hopped citric juicing take the lead at the mildly bitter finish.
Nutty hop bittering centered Curtiss Jenny Brown Ale, a dry moderation with compost-like dewiness and charred walnut tones.
Smoothly creamed nitro-like Wrong Way Corrigan's Irish Stout brought cola-dried Band-Aid astringency to lemon-wedged black chocolate malting.
Dry cocoa-powdered Flight School Cocoweed Stout gained a light coffee-roasted black chocolate serenity.
Mild milk-creamed chocolate malts gave Dugan's Chocolate Stout its brownie-fudged Mild Dud/Yoo-Hoo sweetness to contrast wispily astringent hop-charred nuttiness.
Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans led Harley Pope Imperial Porter to its oats-sugared hazelnut center and wood-smoked black chocolate finish.