LITTLE FERRY, NEW JERSEY
At a rustic cement-floored warehouse on a quiet cul de sac in Meadowlands-bound Little Ferry,
BRIX CITY BREWING has gained widespread Northern Jersey exposure since opening for business, May 2015. Crafting some of the state's most creatively inventive libations, this freestanding warehouse (with plainly decorative white walled hop cones) is home to dozens of fascinating one-offs, hybrids, offshoots and semi-perennials.
Though I'd consumed about two dozen original Brix City brews at every worthy Bergen-Passaic-Morris County beer pub imaginable, there were a few more to be had at my initial August '17 visit.
After purchasing a home brew kit in 2010, Hasbrouck Heights schoolyard pals, Peter Reuther (an Army vet) and Joe Delcalzo (local accountant), decided to try their hand at full-time brewing. The results have been quite impressive and the dynamic duo now utilize 16-ounce cans to satisfy the growing demand for big sellers such as celebrity-inspired Jaromir Lagr, Derek Wheater and Brews Willis.
A large map of Newark (the inspirational Brick City that once housed tons of breweries before prohibition) covers a side wall and a few colorfully chalked blackboards boast of regional brewpubs and provide today's draught menu. Several wood barrels consume the back area near the brew tanks and four community tables get serviced by the eight draught lines at the wood lacquer-countered, red brick-fronted serving station.
Heritage rock music by the Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton plays loudly in the raw space as my wife and I plow into a delectable Belgian blonde, a sturdy pilsner and two glistening IPA's.
Enchanting candi-sugared
Gloria Belgian Blonde Ale had a certain summertime serenity as its lemony banana tartness and sweet vanilla creaming gained mild floral herbage, pithy clove-coriander piquancy and a smooth vermouth sway above the prickly salty bottom.
Pungently grain-husked
Undiscovered Worlds American Pilsner gathered dry wood tones, leafy hops and spiced pilsner malts.
Gently citrus-spiced
Just Another IPA brought mild lemon-juiced mandarin orange and navel orange tanginess to the fore above oats-dried malts.
Bitterer, heartier and more decisive,
Just Another Double IPA loaded tangier citrus spicing and resinous pine hops onto moderate crystal malt sugaring.
On my second journey to Brix City April '21, quaffed three rangy IPA's as well as two extravagant stouts and one dry traditional German.
Crisp pilsner-malted light body,
O.G. Kolsch, guided grape-dried lemon rot plus tart orange oiling thru straw wheat earthiness, raw grain musk and light herbal wisps in a sessionable way.
Fruitful Citra-Mosaic-hopped NEIPA,
Grateful Jams, let creamy vanilla-daubed crystal malting fluff up lemony pineapple-blueberry bittering, salted grapefruit-mango tropicalia and mild peach-orange-tangerine tanginess against resinous pine oiling.
Decisive shaved coconut toasting infiltrated
Coconut Connection, a hybridized New England-styled Double IPA with sweet marshmallow-vanilla licks penetrating subtle Citra-Mosaic-hopped orange, tangerine and blueberry brightener.
Marshmallow creme forthrightly sweetened
Get Peep'd, another Citra-Mosaic-hopped NEDIPA with ambrosial tropical-fruited vanilla yogurt milking revealing lemony pineapple-blueberry bittering, mild grape-guava-passionfruit souring and tangy tangerine-orange sweetness.
Conditioned on peanut buttered marshmallow, lactose-creamed Imperial Stout,
Snorting Brix (a collaboration with Bolero Snort), brought honey roasted legume sweetness to the surface as brown chocolate, toasted coconut and confectionery marshmallow swirled above the profound wheat-sugared Graham Cracker spine.
"Luscious" bourbon barreled
Silk City 2021 BBA Coffee Stout caressed its light-roast java frontage with brown-sugared bourbon vanilla sweetness and hazelnut-glazed marshmallow and coconut toasting, topping it off with cocoa powdered milk chocolate syruping.
During quick March '22 stopover, downed lactic Citra-Mosaic-hopped
Wild Beery Jams, a vanilla-creamed sour ale with pureed strawberry, raspberry and blueberry adjuncts leaving Pez-candied tartness, sugared bubblegum riffs and tertiary kiwi-pineapple liming.
www.brixcitybrewing.com
PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA
Inside a historic white stucco Town Hall featuring exquisite wood furnishings, Old World architecture and large Gothic archway columns, LEGEND BREWING DEPOT sits prominently alongside Portsmouth's famous seawall. While the original Legend Brewing in Richmond built a solid reputation as one of Virginia's longest lasting modern brewpubs (since 1993 and closed September '22), its well-established brewmasters wanted to expand and hit the jackpot operating this refurbished "Olde Towne" Chesapeake Bay crown jewel.
Situated 90 miles east of Richmond and overlooking Norfolk, Legend's satellite site sticks out like a rounded castle at the prime Portsmouth pier. Its pristine maroon-beige interior offers simple elegance and the spacious pier-side deck couldn't be more majestic on this sunny Saturday afternoon in August (just days after the establishment opened).
I'd tried everything on the menu on a few Richmond trips, except one easygoing dark ale and a sassy li'l seasonal offering.
Sweet bourbon-whiskey wisps gathered subtle hazelnut-almond-praline illusions and tingly citrus-spiced hops above caramelized chocolate malting for dainty dandy, Bourbon Barrel Brown Ale (very popular amongst deck-bound quaffers this day).
As for crisply clean Z-Dam Summertime Ale, its zesty lime adjunct, refreshing ginger snap, distant lemony orange tang and fluttering chamomile subtlety created a bright sunshiny glaze for the lightly honeyed pale malt backbone.
www.legendbrewing.com 
FAIRFIELD, NEW JERSEY
Just off Route 46 in the Pio Costa Industrial mall, Fairfield-based MAGNIFY BREWING COMPANY has become one of Jersey's finest and most recognized microbreweries in short order.
Specializing in sessionable India Pale Ales, but not afraid to dabble in sundry other styles, Magnify came to fruition after founder Eric Ruta discovered Portland's "amazing craft beer scene" during college. He eventually hooked up with experienced brewmaster, Erich Carrle (who'd worked at Kelso, Almanac and Speakeasy).
Open since 2015, Magnify's fluorescent blue, white and yellow insignia dons the front window and a small bench sits outside welcoming patrons to the rustic gray-walled interior.
A large blackboard with colorful beer descriptions lists all tapped selections currently available at the hardwood 8-draught bar (with jarred Edison lights). Eight bar stools, several tables and one community bench fill out the room. Large ceilings allow several tall silver beer tanks to prosper in the rear and the walls are sparsely decorated.
On a hot September '17 afternoon, I grab a seat and quaff three previously untried brews. Over the last few years, I had already consumed over 20 Magnify brews.
Today, Magnify has four worthy one-off IPA's to consume on draught or buy in cans for takeout. Each one packs a lot of flavor while never getting too bitter or bold for softer palates.
A collaboration with Long Island's Barrier Brewing, uplifting lupulin-powdered Don't Sneeze brought sunny yellow grapefruit tanginess and sweet orange peel briskness to the fore as juniper-embittered piney hop resin contrasted its lightly creamed caramel-pale malting.
Despite its brazen 8.5% ABV, delectably fruited One-Two Punch (utilizing newly designed Michigan Copper hops with the Mosaic varietal) ultimately mellowed down as its spiced-up grapefruit, pineapple, orange, peach and mango tang received a lightly peppered pine oiling.
Crushable triple-hopped Break The Bank let its beige-yellowed murk bring yeasty sinew to the surface. Lemony grapefruit and orange rind bittering aided hemp-oiled herbal hops to contrast candied pineapple, mango and peach sweetness.
Easygoing crisp-watered DDH Mouthfeelings IPA with Oats and Lactose added mildly creamed lactic acidity to lemony orange-spiced alacrity and mild bark-dried yellow wood bittering, fortifying its backend with dried oats.
Magnify, Brix City and Bolero Snort have gained a lot of ground over the last few years, receiving access at nearly every conceivable North Jersey beerpub. Cheers!
MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK
Just off the main drag of Middletown, in the red-bricked industrial foothills of rustic Orange County, EQUILIBRIUM Grille and Brewery opened in the spring of 2017. Owned in part by an experimental MIT engineer whose scientific principles and a passion for craft brewing led to the massively flavorful India Pale Ales and other fine beverages guiding this outwardly opulent signpost.
Yet despite the gargantuan Equilibrium trademark stretched across its ample pale green aluminum side, the white grain silo-enhanced garage housing the pub is actually quite modest.
An unfinished cement-floored tasting room (with open overhead door, exposed ducts and spinning wheel light fixtures) fronts a cozy mezzanine area where pub fare gets served alongside the well-balanced homemade ales and choice cocktails. Three two-stool tables, a few seated tables and one community table fill the tasting room as my wife and I head up to the Edison-lighted wood counter at the bar to sample all six draughts available this sunny Sunday afternoon.
A local band at the mezzanine plays Nirvana tunes while I quaff three worthy IPA's, two stylishly 'big' pale ales and one resilient sour ale.
Smoothly 'crushable' flagship, Photon Pale Ale, lets politely enduring apricot, peach, tangerine, mango and pineapple juiciness gain mild piney hop resin and lemony orange tartness for a true 'go-to-ale.'
'Conditioned' on lemon-limed grapefruit, tangerine and orange zest, hybridized Photon Citrus Pale Ale concentrates its original fruity base with citric hops, leaving sour lemon rot upon the earthen tea midst.
An undeniable favorite, resonant Fractal Citra/ Galaxy IPA allowed subtle passionfruit, guava and peach tones to illuminate the creamy crystal malting and contrast its resinous hop bittering.
Easygoing Hoptimization IPA retained a soft-tongued grapefruit and pineapple tang as well as a less distinct sour lemon splurge above herbal wood-toned hops. Meanwhile, juicier Hoptimization 2 IPA brought mellow floral spicing to pine-needled lemon, grapefruit, orange and mango tanginess.
For a complete changeup, There And Back Again Sour Ale loaded dry-hopped lactobacillus yeast on vinous green grape tartness and salty lemon-limed acidity while frisky grapefruit, pineapple and passionfruit undertones waver.
While sojourning to Middletown, don't forget to complement your Equilibrium trip with a visit to nearby Clemson Bros. Brewery as well.
MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK
Named after historic Middletown metalsmiths, William and George Clemson, CLEMSON BROS. BREWERY came into existence during October 2015. Inside a three-storied red brick factory with white window frames, its glass-encased brewtanks lead to the main room featuring an elongated right side bar, closed kitchen, several dining tables, local homemade beer and pub fare (burgers-pizza-appetizers).
During my 1-hour August '17 stopover with wife, Karen, made ourselves comfortable at the roomy back deck beergarden. A comfy open area with separate 12-stooled covered bar, six umbrella-covered tables, slate-topped side counters and small stage area, the pleasurable outdoor setting truly fits the sunny summertime atmosphere.
Refreshingly fruitful Sun-Kissed Mango Pilsner loaded sweet 'n sour mango tanginess alongside grains of paradise, passionfruit and guava tropicalia for a crisply clean light-bodied delight.
Soft-toned Lola's Blonde Ale relied on light mineral graining and tingly citrus spicing while hybridized Lola's Raspberry Blonde Ale added raspberry powder tartness and floral accents to the mix.
Murky cherry tartness and white wheat wince could use deeper penetration for mildly creamed Jack Of All Trades Cherry Wheat.
Mild rye breading inundated Rye's Above as dried fruiting and herbal hops merged with rustic milled graining.
Approachable Manhattan Project Double IPA plied grapefruit, pineapple and orange tanginess to mild piney hop bittering.
Just as easygoing, dry-hopped Brewer's Mistress Session IPA brought mild reedy astringency to lemon-soured mango, grapefruit and pineapple tones.
Zestful Tower 22 Imperial IPA draped its lemony grapefruit, pineapple and orange tang with dry fungi-like musk and light spicing.
Chocolate-y peanut butter ensconced Porter's Porter, a smoky medium body with dark-roasted coffee and cocoa tones above charred hop sedation.
DALLAS, TEXAS
Easily one of the most popular draught breweries 'round Dallas, PETICOLAS BREWING COMPANY lies just off the main drag in a spacious freestanding warehouse at Turtle Creek's Industrial Park district. Owned and operated by Michael Peticola, its busy taproom opened January 12, 2017, and found instant favor with local denizens.
With its judicious slogan promising 'honest, friendly, down-to-earth brewers delivering world class passion in a glass,' Peticolas blue and white insignia dons the brick exterior while an expansive cement-floored tap room with 20-plus draught handles, separate ground-floored community tables, rustic backroom bar, mezzanine loft (with foosball and shuffleboard) and exposed black pipes affix the interior.
During my 1-hour stopover with wife, youngest son and old college pals Bob and Jeff, quaffed a rounded selection of fine draughts. While the sun baked outside, we grabbed a table in the loft to consume sampler trays of nine reliable brews this sweltering July '17 afternoon.
Dry light-bodied Golden Opportunity Kolsch brought mild lemon souring to light herbal musk and doughy bread crust. Crisply clean Come And Take It (a Cascadian Kolsch) regaled a refreshingly tart Cascade-hopped lemondrop-candied piquancy and leathery oats-dried backdrop.
Dry Scotch licks affirmed Great Scot!, a moderate Scottish ale with a lemon twist and rye whiskey misting.
Mild Irish Red Ale, Irish Goodbye, let dewy peat earthiness seep into red apple, pear and apricot fruiting.
Brown-sugared caramel sweetness draped flagship Imperial Red Ale, Velvet Hammer, with floral-hopped pine resin and nutty residue picking up mild medicinal alcohol warmth at the polite finish.
Supremely confident Sledge Hammer Triple Imperial Red Ale lent a light woody smokiness to dewy peat mossing, brisk orange-peeled grapefruit bittering and red licorice snips.
Nitro Irish Dry Stout, Turn Out The Lights, gained sedate black patent malt bittering and sour-milked black chocolate luster for its mildly creamed Guinness-like eclair-headed mocha setting.
Decadently dark-roasted Imperial Stout, Black Curtains, coalesced black chocolate, cocoa bean and espresso overtones above muted hop-charred bittering.
Before leaving the crowded hotspot, enjoyed vibrant fruitful cornucopia, The Duke, an amber-paled barleywine allowing lemon-soured citrus zest and tangy orange, peach, pineapple and mango juiciness to create a veritable 'passion punch.'
www.peticolasbrewing.com 
DALLAS, TEXAS
Inside a taupe brick industrial building on Farrington Street near the Trinity Strand Trail, Dallas-based NOBLE REY BREWING COMPANY opened in 2015 and proved to be one of the most eclectic pubs in the Lone Star State. An old wood-paneled floor offers support for the open warehouse area and red umbrellas with tables fill the chaired deck.
Several colorful caricatures line the pub and the serving station's tap handles are built into the black-boarded wall. A small front stage, cozy couch area, arcade games, a few TV's and a beer-to-go refrigerator inundate the one-room setting.
A second Noble Rey taproom will open on nearby Harwood Street, November '17.
My friend Jeff and I visited the charmingly roughhewn brew room July '17, quaffing each of the twelve wide-ranging draught selections available.
Corn-flaked popcorn-like light body, Sex In A Canoe Lager, allowed wispy sour apple, spiced fig and dry whiskey illusions to flutter.
Stylish peculiarity, Golden Rey Dandy Bavarian Witbier cuddled banana-clove-coriander sweetness with sour lemondrop tartness and strangely, a herbaceous peppercorn-parsley-ginger twist.
Raw-honeyed citrus souring deluged Bee Hurder Honey Kolsch, a dryer-than-usual stylistic moderation with lemon-rotted pale malt musk.
Spiced apple and peach tones guided Off The Leash Red Ale, a Lipton tea-like moderation with dewy amber-grained malt crisping.
To support Ales For ALS, Ice Bucket Pale Ale let honeyed citrus spicing and floral-perfumed herbage meander thru the dried fruit midst.
With its brisk IPA fruiting and pine tones, Paladin Pale Ale brought tangy grapefruit and orange juicing to perfumed hop spicing.
Sharp East Coast-styled IPA, Tactical Combat Firefighter, linked cherry, grape and orange fruiting to polite hop astringency and dry gin snips.
Another East Coast-styled IPA, The Juice Is Loose, gained a juicy peach-orange-pineapple tang above caramelized pale malting.
Sessionably mellow Vertigo Double IPA stayed off-dry as its spiced grapefruit-mango-peach-orange-berry tang picked up dank earthen mustiness.
Dry lager yeast informed Steampunk Hoppy Amber Ale, a California Common Steam beer with dewy tea earthiness and leafy hop astringency contrasting mild honeyed fig-apricot sweetness.
Earthen nuttiness sheltered Baracus Brown Ale, a light-roasted medium body with molasses caramel-spiced walnut, dark chocolate and vanilla illusions.
The most eccentric delight, Pink Tuxedo Kettle-Soured Blonde Ale brought hibiscus flowering to oaken cherry dryness, puckered cranberry bittering, cologne-like musk and mildly pungent alkaline acidity.
DALLAS, TEXAS
In the bustling arts and entertainment section East of downtown Dallas, DEEP ELLUM BREWING COMPANY came to fruition during 2011 (and closed in 2022 when Monster Beverage Corporation closed its Dallas taproom and production facility but retained a few flagship offerings).
Inside a rustic blue and gray brick warehouse with a nifty Love Runs Deep mural on its side corner, this spacious pub features a wide right side bar with colorfully designed chalk-painted beer plaques, community tables, stool seating and a tucked-in merchandise area.
A grain silo, aluminum-covered stage area and oversized beer can collection enhance the back deck for this sweltering Saturday afternoon block party, July '17.
Cool local minions and a steady flow of brewpub-searching travelers try to beat the heat sucking down several rewarding suds. A great local band, enjoyed by all, plays raspy blues-rock and baritone sax-led Morphine vignettes.
We stand in the furthest back space behind the brown trellis wall and quaff six trusty brews, three of which were well-defined India Pale Ales.
First up, sessionable summertime quencher, Easy Peasy IPA, brought brisk lemon-peeled grapefruit, peach, pineapple and tangerine tanginess to the fore as its mild resinous pine bittering contrasted the tenacious sweet pale malting.
More rounded than Easy Peasy, mid-range flagship brew, Deep Ellum IPA, let its lemon-peeled tangerine adjunct integrate with floral-bound orange, grapefruit and mango tropicalia spread across moderate piney hop bittering.
Raw cane-sugared Dream Crusher Double IPA allowed dry oaken pine bark to embitter its lemony pineapple and grapefruit tang above honeyed Vienna malts.
Mild sun-kissed sour ale, Cherry Play Date, merged dry cherry tartness with mild date tartness (and lemony green apple subtleties) above lactic acidulated malts.
Gentle lemon-peeled chamomile and hibiscus flowering caressed easygoing dry rye spicing for Deep Summer With Spice, gaining distant date and fig illusions at the finish.
Sessionable milk-sugared dark ale, Local Legend Stout, plied dark-roast coffee, espresso, dried cocoa and black chocolate to mild oats-dried hop bitterness.
On November '17 revisit, discovered three more brews.
Musky Deep Ellum Lager placated pale lager malting with earthen grains as well as sour lemon and wayward cabbage nuances.
Hybridized Neato Bandito Czech-inspired Mexican Lager combined musky herbal hops (Czech) with dry barleycorn crisping (Mex), leaving unripe fig illusions in its wake.
For Stage Fright IPA, lemon-sugared pineapple and orange tang contrasted mild grapefruit bittering and grassy hop astringency.
LEHIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA
Rustic RED CASTLE BREWERY, an interestingly decked-out Medieval-themed, Polish-influenced restaurant-brewery located in the perfect rural spot across Lehighton's imposing mountain range abutting the Lehigh River, benefits from busy crossroad traffic, well-priced authentic Eastern European cuisine and easy drinkin' homemade brews (but closed by 2020).
Two small parlor chairs and tables welcome local minions and road-weary beer hounds to the cozy aluminum-topped, plank-wooded shack. Roughhewn planks also bedeck the small maroon-hued one-room interior (with left side private seating) and the 14-stool L-shaped bar serves a few front tables as well as a small side deck.
Six draught handles and one nitro tap adorn the flat-stone designed centerpiece at the bar (along with a Polish-American plaque). Halupki, a cabbage-stuffed pork, rice and spice dish, Haluski (cabbage with noodles and spices), Perogies and Smoked Mac & Cheese went well with the easygoing five original brews on tap this sunny July afternoon, 2017.
Local wines, kielbasi, gourmet burgers and potato pancakes round out the splendid menu.
For a fruity appetizer, Blueberry Shandy sufficed, with its sweet 'n sour blueberry tartness receiving lightly vinous green grape esters and teasing cranberry snips above a delicate straw wheat spine.
Soft-toned English pale ale, Smash English Malt, brought raw-honeyed corn malts and mineral grained earthiness to light lemon wisps.
Likable Lancers Lager retained a dryer-than-expected Helles profile as earthen Noble hops gained cigarette tobacco crisping and neutral wheatgrass illusions for its sly citric tones.
Harkening back to English-styled India Pale Ales, Knights Of Mayhem Imperial IPA let malt-smoked Band-Aid astringency and earthen rye graining prosper alongside desiccated orange tartness.
For dessert, laidback Dark Dungeon Coffee Bourbon Stout hit the spot. Sweet bourbon licks affected light-roast coffee, brown chocolate and spiced toffee illusions to contrast sedate hop-charred bittering.
www.redcastlebrewery.com 
HOLBROOK, NEW YORK
Making some of the crispest East Coast India Pale Ales your heart will desire out in Long Island, diminutive warehouse-bound SPIDER BITE BEER COMPANY also earns big points for its awesome Boris The Spider Russian Imperial Stout (reviewed in Beer Index) and several other stylishly resounding offerings.
An eight-seat bar with eight tap handles, proprietary bottled-canned selections, beer banners and one TV crowd the small main room as a few tables near the overhead garage door provide more capacity. Brew tanks are off in the back end.
Dry tea-like Craft Cares Irish Red Ale placed fig-spiced caramel malts alongside mossy peat earthiness and nutty biscuit residue.
Sweet 'n sour saison-fruited Blanc Grisette let lemon zest, sour orange and vinous grape gain a tart edge above leathery dry hops.
Approachable Fundur Session India Pale Ale brought tangy orange-peeled peach, grapefruit, mango and tangerine illusions to dank piney hop musk and herbal spiced licks.
Juicy Second Bite India Pale Ale let its bittersweet orange-peeled grapefruit tang awaken grassy hop astringency, pungent earthen musk, tingly sugar spices and grainy pale malts.
Less pronounced and more subtle, IDK IPA allowed subdued Nelson Sauvin hops to add passionfruit and gooseberry tones to its floral citrus midst and soft biscuit base.
Dry-bodied Melba's Toasted Brown Ale offered a crisp tobacco roast to wheat-floured Melba toasting and soft spicing.
A cool little spot the locals love, Spider Bite's definitely worth the ride.