Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

DISTRICT 96 BEER FACTORY

United States Brewpubs,

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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

SHIP BOTTOM BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

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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.

shipbottombrewery.com

CHECK SIX BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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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.

www.checksixbeer.com

LEGEND BREWING DEPOT

United States Brewpubs,

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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

MAGNIFY BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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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!

magnifybrewing.com

BRIX CITY BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

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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

EQUILIBRIUM

United States Brewpubs,

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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.

Image result for equilibrium grille

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.

www.eqbrew.com

CLEMSON BROS. BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

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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.

www.clemsonbrewing.com

PETICOLA’S BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs, ,

Image result for peticolas brewing COMPANY Image result for peticolas brewing INTERIOR

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

NOBLE REY BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs, ,

Noble Rey Brewing Co. Has Been Sold and Is Closing | Dallas Observer

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.

www.noblereybrewing.com

DEEP ELLUM BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs, ,

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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.

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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.

www.deepellumbrewing.com

FOUR BULLETS BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

RICHARDSON, TEXAS

Affluent Dallas suburb, Richardson, got its first genuine brewpub in 2015 when entrepreneurial brewmaster, Drew Smeeton, decided to create handcrafted “English ales with a Texas twist” for commercial consumption under the Wild West banner, FOUR BULLETS BREWERY.

Interestingly, the Brit-born zymurgist (now a 30-year-plus homebrewer) lived close to my hometown in Northern Jersey for a decade and experienced Suffern, New York’s now defunct, but once quintessential, Mountain Valley Brewpub.

During my initial visit, July ’17, assistant brewer Doug Steele joins Smeeton and I to talk beer styles and history while my wife and friend, Jeff, dig the rangy English Pale Ale on tap.

Inside a crude cement-floored warehouse at a corporate Industrial area just off George Bush Highway, Four Bullets’ friendly tasting room features a cozy living room with TV, several stainless steel brewtanks, a handful of draught lines, wood furnishings and strewn British flags. A rustic back porch with patio furnishings provides extra space.

Just for kicks, Smeeton’s original brews utilize cool card game jargon as monikers.

Dewy moderation, What Are The Odds English Pale Ale, brought dried fruiting to mild reedy and floral tones as well as leafy hop crisping.

Sweet-honeyed dark rye toasting enriched Royal Flush Red Ale, leaving ancillary apple-plum-pear illusions and mild floral hop daubs.

Leaning towards an IPA, emboldened Cascade-hopped Two Pairs Pale Ale dangled dried cherry, tart grapefruit and tangy tangerine illusions atop mild wood tones and caramel malts.

Stylishly combining the dewy peat mossing of a British IPA with the sharp piney fruited caramel malting of a West Coast version, All In retained a cornucopia of flavors.

For dessert, Four Bullet’s signature elixir, Black Jack Brown Ale (a traditional English Brown Ale) let its nutty core receive mild caramelized chocolate, cocoa and toffee creaming.

www.fourbulletsbrewery.com