Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

WEYERBACHER BREWING COMPANY

Touring Weyerbacher Brewing Company in Easton and Tasting Their Delicious  Beers - Uncovering PA EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA Established in 1995, Easton's increasingly popular WEYERBACHER BREWING COMPANY has become one of Pennsylvania's largest and prestigious microbreweries, competing against long-time stalwarts such as Troegs, Victory and Yards. Under the guidance of master brewer, Dan Weirback, Weyerbacher has produced some of the best malt-heavy brews on the East Coast. Specializing in richly complex flagship offerings given hilariously ludicrous monikers (Merry Monks Tripel, Old Heathen Imperial Stout and Blithering Idiot Barleywine), this expansive brewing facility concentrates strictly on its uncompromising beer. I'd already tried over fifty different Weyerbacher beers before visiting the brewery on my initial Sunday at noon November '16 jaunt. Inside a large tan brick warehouse, Weyerbacher's unassuming exterior and no-frills atmosphere contrast against the ultra-sophisticated full-bodied elixirs that dominate the Tap Room Menu. Some of my absolute faves (all reviewed in Beer Index) include Heresy, a dry chocolate-y stout with tannic grape-soured cherry tartness; Blasphemy, a cherry kirsch-like quad with brown-sugared molasses saaping and ripe dried fruiting; and Insanity, a caramelized barleywine with endless cognac warmth. I grab a seat at the U-shaped 30-seat bar and order some samplers emanating from the thirty 6-barrel tanks in the large rear brew room. Six barreled tables provide further seating. The space may be raw, but the colorful chalk-boarded beer insignias, fascinating tap handles, inspiring refrigerated bottle selection and cathedral high ceilings need no extra highlighting. And today's NFL game keeps the sports fans involved. Taking in the autumn weather, I begin with Festbier, a traditional German marzen exposing a leafy hop earthiness and peaty malt dewiness offset by light clementine, tangerine and navel orange illusions. Dark-roasted black chocolate malts picked up nut-charred coffee dryness to contrast sugared molasses notions for Easton Brown & Down. Next, vinous white wining consumed oak-dried Brunicorn, a raspberry-flavored Pinot Noir-barreled sour ale with blush rosé, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay notions amidst green apple tartness overridden by eye-squinting vinaigrette piquancy. A collaboration with nearby Two Rivers Brewing, tannic French oak-barreled Sixth Street Sour brought bittersweet cherry and raspberry fruiting to black-malted coffee tones, sticky anise whims and nutty respites.  Delightful Belgian blonde ale, Mellow Monks, proved to be a sessionable Merry Monk as dry white-peppered hops casually cavorted with sweet banana-clove propensities, subsidiary apple-pear fruiting and herbal lemongrass-chamomile notions. Complex dark saison, Jester's Choice, enhanced its stylish orange-peeled lemon zest and earthen herbal minerality with a maltier-than-expected wild rice and toasted buckwheat influence (plus latent brandy wining). Image result for WEYERBACHER BREWING Fabulous and far-reaching Imperial Pumpkin Ale invigorated its pumpkin pie spicing with sweet cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and clove spicing as well as tertiary whiskey, raisin and anise notions. On the dark side, worthy limited edition Sunday Mole Stout used the foundation of Weyerbacher Sunday Morning Imperial Stout for its capacious dark coffee-chocolate expressiveness, adding peppery heat to subtle mocha-spiced bruised black cherry, bourbon, cinnamon and powdered cocoa undertones. Nitro-only Sunday Mole Stout Pilot Batch #2 swimmingly coalesced black coffee, dark cocoa, cinnamon and chocolate illusions atop light ancho, pasilla, mulato and chipotle peppering. Feeling like a nitro with its smoothly watered resolve, dry-bodied Oyster Stout serenaded its briny sea-salted black malting with boggy peat moss. www.weyerbacher.com

DU VIG BREWING COMPANY

Image result for du vig brewingImage result for du vig brewing BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT In a gray industrial mall just north of New Haven in the coastal town of Branford, DU VIG BREWING COMPANY opened for business during 2014 (and closed February 2023). As the story goes, homebrewing neighborhood buddies Kim and Dan Vigliotti decided to hook up with Scott and Darcy Dugas to create a friendly local microbrewery featuring approachable fare that "remain true to style." Working with a small 6-barrel system with a hanging TV separating the rear brewing area from the cozy tap room, Du Vig's sessionable suds reinforce the front-walled motto, Deconstructing Beer. During my quick October '16 stopover on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I pick up a few growlers and sample five lively offerings. Pleasantly off-dry Cream Ale brought sugar-spiced pilsner malting and lemon-limed grassy hops to light earthen graining. Lactic lemon-seeded sourness gains a bitterly salted coriander edge above its wispy white wheat bed for the soft-tongued Berliner Wiesse. Stylishly heady Leetes Island Amber Ale balanced citric Cascade-Centennial-Chinook hop pining with peaty mineral grains and toasted caramel malts. Barley-roasted nuttiness inundated chocolate-malted English Brown Ale, a fine moderation with ample peanut-shelled walnut illusions picking up gentle lemon-soured green raisin, apple and plum notions. Best bet: illuminating American Pale Ale maintained a crisply clean carbolic mouthfeel as its sunny yellow grapefruit tang and brisk orange rind bittering spread across the oats-dried wheat husk and bark-like wood astringency. www.duvig.com

ASSAWOMAN BAY BREW PUB & RESTAURANT

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Right on Ocean City's bustling bayfront in a large multifaceted complex, ASSAWOMAN BREW PUB & RESTAURANT features a cement-floored pub area, sizable restaurant space, second floor banquet room, kitschy tiki bar, windowed brew tank station and patio dining section. Within walking distance of the Civic Center, the yellow-hued frontage and red lettering hail from the days Shallow Water Pub & Restaurant existed. Open for biz since 2015 (and closed 2017), my wife and I grabbed a seat at the sidewinding wood lacquered bar (with cool brewing coasters and stickers) for our late afternoon snack time, June '16. Equipped with 36 tap handles (dedicated to its own brews plus several fine craft beers), plentiful wood furnishings and Edison lighting, the red-bricked barroom centers Assawoman Bay's interior. Classic reggae music plays in the background as I sample seven stylish elixirs. We move outside when the enjoyable Texas Toothpicks (beer-battered jalapeno and onions with sriracha mayo) arrive and the place fills up with the Monday dinner crowd. For starters, Assawoman Bay's initial release, Bayside Blonde, took a walk on the wild side with its minty cucumber adjunct adding a sage-like tease to the tropical mango-guava tang, candi-sugared yellow fruiting and lemon-soured pineapple juicing overriding mild diacetyl buttering. Beechwood-smoked peat malts imbibed For Peat Sake Scottish Ale, a mildly nutty mocha-spiced moderation with wavered black cherry and black grape notions. Spiced rye malts, dry walnut and fig secured Red Head Rye Ale, a soft-toned medium body. Instructive 'peppercorn' and garlic' adjuncts provided a unique sidebar to Pony Swim IPA, where dry wood shavings tingle sharp Cascade-hopped orange and grapefruit spicing as well as caramelized pilsner malts.   Assawoman Bay Angry Clown Brown AleEasygoing Angry Clown Brown Ale brought nuts, raisin and dark cherry to the fore as caramelized biscuit malts and coffee-stained Fuggle hop bittering gained latent hazelnut, fig and molasses undertones. Not as clearly defined, TransPorter traipsed dry cocoa above desolate vanilla and caramel tones. The darkest ale, Commodore Decatur Black IPA, brought thriving black chocolate and dark cocoa overtones to dry grapefruit tartness while its damp-wooded hop char gained bitterness. Unfortunately, the ever-popular Weizen Shine Hefe kicked right before we entered. Though this copious venue may seem mainstream with its affluent sportsbar feel, family-styled pub dining and mall-like atmosphere, Assawoman Bay's fine beer selection will capture everyone's attention. assawomanbaybrewing.com

MOTHER EARTH BREWING

Image result for MOTHER EARTH BREWING' KINSTON, NORTH CAROLINA Taking up a whole street corner in Kinston's rustic downtown, MOTHER EARTH BREWING has taken the Inner Banks section of North Carolina by storm and helped revitalize the small community since starting production during 2009. Run by owners Trent Mooring and Stephen Hill and brewmaster Josh Brewer, Mother Earth's expanded into a large operation with its own bottling line, beer garden, windowed brew tanks, boutique store and exquisite modern deco-styled taproom (with U-shaped 16-seat bar, side tables, couched lounge and snazzy blue and white hanging lights). During my mid-morning stopover June '16, I picked up five bottled and one canned brew running the gamut from ever-popular Weeping Willow Wit to stylishly wondrous Endless River Kolsch to sessionable Park Day Bohemian Pilsner to Sisters Of The Moon IPA to Dark Cloud Dunkel Lager and Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter (all reviewed in Beer Index). But the best way to discover Mother Earth is thru its sterling taproom, where limited edition, one-offs and seasonal specials prove just as worthy as the bottled-canned staples. The environmentally responsible brewery also makes use of recycled material, organic compounds and spent grain. Anyone traveling thru the heartland of Carolina needs to discover this fine gem. www.motherearthbrewing.com

WILMINGTON BREWING COMPANY

Image result for wilmington brewing WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA Going to college in Asheville (commonly known as "Beer City USA") inspired young Wilmington natives John and Michelle Savard to begin a homebrew equipment shop that expanded to one of North Carolina's finest brewpubs by summer 2015. In a tan 11,000 square-foot industrial building with three barrel system and cozy beergarden, WILMINGTON BREWING COMPANY just began kegging its homemade beers as of my two-hour June '16 sojourn. Within walking distance of North Carolina-Wilmington University, its family friendly tap room features 15 draughts at the wood-topped aluminum bar, five small tables, various games, childrens' toys and 32-ounce crowlers to go. First up, refreshingly dependable Bier Garden Kolsch balanced sweet honeyed malts with orange-dried tartness and lemony sourness Splendidly balanced Tropical IPA matched floral-perfumed citrus hops to sugar-spiced crystal malts as the fresh-watered medium body gathered tangy grapefruit-peeled lemon, mango, guava and peach illusions above mild resinous pine astringency. Dried cocoa, black chocolate and sour coffee inundated Damn Good Brown Porter, gaining a walnut-seared hop char to increase its latent molasses-dried cola nuttiness. Dark-roast coffee and menacing charred hop bittering overwhelmed vanilla bean sweetness for rich Vanilla Coffee Porter. Creamy Blair's Breakfast Stout let dark-roast Focal coffee take center stage over soothing chocolate cake and vanilla tones as subtle cappuccino, toffee, hazelnut and espresso illusions wavered. Here's more Wilmington Brewing beers yet to be tried: Raspberry Saison; Jalapeno Saison; Beach Banger Session IPA; Midtown Swank Double IPA. On my next Carolina trip, I will venture to Wilmington's Dutch Square Industrial Park to peruse Broomtail Craft Brewery and then hit downtown's Good Vibes and Waterline breweries. www.wilmingtonbeer.com

IRONCLAD BREWERY

Image result for IRONCLAD BREW WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA A few blocks from Wilmington's waterfront lies the Medieval-inspired IRONCLAD BREWERY. Open February '15 and visited pre-dinner June '16, Ironclad's a jumbo-sized public house with a spacious ground level and barn-topped loft area (with elegantly elongated wood-stained L-shaped bars and multiple tap handles). Preserving the original structure of the brick-walled pub, previously an auto body repair shop, was essential to maintaining its historic integrity. Upon entering the stone castle-designed edifice (with oversized Chamber-styled wooden front door), customers are welcome to the rustic Old World ambiance of the low-ceilinged, cement-floored, Industrial-styled ground floor. Upstairs, a balcony lounge area with vast seating (sometimes used for banquets and weddings) surround the classic 25-seat bar. My wife and I grab seats at the bar and get the hummus with crackers (also available were chicken wraps, sandwiches, pretzels and popcorn). New brewer Laren Avery will bring his own recipes to the expansive beer menu that included ten well-rounded house brews and a few excellent local microbrews upon my springtime perusal. Sweet honeyed Lydia's Lager brought Helles-like pilsner malting to Noble hop spicing and a snickering lemon lick. Nearly as light-bodied, honey-spiced Old Baldy Golden Ale retained a laid-back lemony orange tang. Fine English-styled moderation, Fish Tale Pale Ale, coalesced sweet orange peel, dried cherry and caramel apple over light dry hop bittering. Earthen amber grains picked up cherry, fig and apricot snips for Nash's Irish Red Ale. Easygoing Cape Fear Defender IPA let lemon-dried grapefruit peel tartness contrast sweet crystal-malted melon and honeydew snips above soft piney hop astringency. Spicier and pinier than the aforementioned Defender, Teddy Hopper Double IPA placed lemony orange-peeled grapefruit rind bittering above syrupy peach sweetness and white-sugared barley malts. Girardelli white chocolate infused White Squall White Chocolate Brown Ale, a sweet, soft-toned, sessionable dessert treat with subtle fig-dried spicing. Nutty mocha-fronted India Brown Ale contrasted glazed pecan and hazelnut sweetness against seared walnut astringency as mild mocha malting reached the surface and subtle perfumed hops wafted beneath. Cask-conditioned India Brown Ale, regaled with peach, plum and date adjuncts, retained the original version's perfumed nuttiness and a more definitive fruited flavor profile. Brewer Avery's newest elixir, Laren's Black IPA, lifted dried cocoa, black chocolate and coffee tones above charcoal-hopped black grape and blackberry rasps.     www.ironcladbrewery.com

FLYTRAP BREWING

  Image result for flytrap brewery WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA Everyone should have a true blue neighborhood brewery as friendly, convenient and cozy as Wilmington's inconspicuous FLYTRAP BREWING. About a half-mile up the hill from the waterfront at the Brooklyn Arts District and "specializing in small-batch Belgian and American ales," Flytrap's entrepreneurial brewer, Mike Barlas, opened this kind boutique pub in October 2014. Tucked into a residential community, its white stucco brick exterior and white brick interior provide a clean sheen. The raw space features an aluminum ceiling with heavy metal girds.  The brewtanks behind the centralized 16-seat wooden bar serves eight tables with twelve tapped selections (four home brews were available for my June '16 late-afternoon sojourn). Eight outside picnic tables provide plenty of room on this clear blue-skied Saturday. Flytrap's best selling flagship, an approachable moderation called Rehders Red, brought lightly spiced orange and apple fruiting to caramel-roasted sweetness, providing dry yellow-wooded hop astringency for contrast. Dry-bodied Saison draped lemon meringue, orange marmalade, white grape esters and sour lemon onto its buttery Chardonnay finish, picking up mild banana daiquiri tones as well. Atypical Rye Pale Ale weaved dry rye and spiced fig into unexpected pine lacquering and wispy herbal gestures. Bittersweet dark-fruited mocha malting inundated lightly embittered Stout, a medium-bodied dark ale with blackberry, black cherry and black grape snips as well as dry plank wood reminders. www.flytrapbrewing.com

ALEMENTARY BREWING COMPANY

Image result for ALEMENTARY HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY In a raw tongue-n-grooved warehouse with aluminum fixings just off Route 4 in Hackensack, ALEMENTARY BREWING COMPANY let those cranky conservative Bergen County folks understand what fresh quality ales have to offer the washed and unwashed masses ('til its January 2024 closing). Featuring two community tables, ten-seat hardwood bar, side garage doors and windowed stainless steel brew tanks as of May 2016 (expansion is imminent and bottling seems forthcoming), the 'rustic-chic' Alementary is owned and operated by former chemical engineer, Blake Crawford, and molecular biologist, Dr. Mike Roosevelt. On draught today are four crisply clean light-hued ales, three interrelated dark-hued ones and a contrastive Cascadian Dark. Interesting gose-styled initiation, Let's Begin, brought salty lemon-dropped lime parch to dry ginger tones before warming up and allowing its Graham Cracker sweetness to cut thru the gentle Seltzer fizz and proved to be a nice aperitif. A sturdy followup, The Kolsch tossed lemon-limed tartness at lemongrass herbage and dried fig-apricot nuances. Easygoing IPA, 1st Session, provided soft-toned piney grapefruit bittering as well as lemon-pitted pineapple and orange tones above moderate hop resin. Refreshing flagship beer, A-Game, a sharply rounded IPA, retained its piney orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and peach tang atop lightly sprinkled sugar-spiced crystal malts. On the dark side, Vindication succinctly blended black patent malt bittering with tart yellow grapefruit and black grape tones over dark-roasted ashen hop pungency and charred pine remnants. Mild Dark English Ale, Mr. Stevens, engaged light-roast coffee nuttiness with wispy black chocolate tones. Two similarly mocha-forward dark ales, The Porter, and its even smoother nitro version, placed nutty coffee, black chocolate and dried cocoa illusions atop laid-back dark-roasted hops, but the nitro porter never amassed a sinewy maple molasses sweetness. At Shepherd & Knucklehead - Hoboken, quaffed Alementary 1st Session, a sessionable IPA with zesty grapefruit, orange, lemon and pineapple tang receiving wispy 'strawberry, mango and melon' illusions as well as grassy-hopped herbal snips. My wife and I revisited Alementary on Boxing Day, 2021, sitting at the barreled seat closest to the lacquered wood serving station. Surveying the electronic beer menu, I spotted four more previously untried suds to swallow. Interesting dry-hopped, Italian-styled, light-bodied pilsner, Rock Opera, imparted a more floral-herbed citric aspect than its Czech-German rivals, bringing adjunctive lemon-limed Bergamot orange tartness to sweet-corned oats base. Dedicated to pioneering microbrew enthusiast and Cloverleaf founder, George Dorchak, George's Pre-Prohibition Lager, a rustic straw-yellowed moderation, coalesced maize-flaked barley malt crisping with a wispily orange-rotted dry champagne spritz, peppery herbal snip and leafy hop astringency. Soft-tongued, smoothly creamed English mild ale, Doris, a cask conditioned ESB, brought subtle musky cellar fungi to earthen truffle, dewy peat and powdered cocoa illusions above bread-crusted barley graining. A superfine mocha-induced nightcap, Arecibo, a blended Imperial Stout, 'amplified' coffee coconut-fused Porterico and milk-sugared Launchpad Oatmeal Stout, allowing caramel latte, cappuccino, espresso, Bakers chocolate and Black Forest cake richness to reach its gingerbread-spiced Graham Cracker spine (with dwindling bourbon vanilla-daubed coconut toasting). During sunshiny June '22 one-hour afternoon visit, found four more previously untried brews. Honeyed banana wheat breading, mild coriander-clove spicing and white-peppered plantain dryness festooned Reizendbier, a durable hefeweizen with sugared wheat wafer base. Dryer than most Belgian pale ales, Tune Up brought candied lemon tartness and peppery herb-tinged phenols to lightly vanilla-creamed banana spicing sweeping its gentle pilsner-malted white wheat sugaring. Another dryer-than-expected Belgian styled brew, High Visibility Saison, let lemon-licked orange peel tartness pick up mild black peppering contrasted by bubble-gummy banana sugaring. As its fluffy cream head subsided, briny Philippine lime tartness took over Island Life Fruited Gose, leaving subtle coriander seeded minting upon distant tangerine, kumquat and white grapefruit illusions.   Limey strawberry rhubarb salting guided pinkish amber-hued Vast And Terrible Magic (Strawberry Rhubarb), a slightly vinous sour ale with wispy oaken vanilla tannins.    www.alementary.com

THESE GUYS BREWING COMPANY

Image result for THESE GUYS BREWING NORWICH, CONNECTICUT Just off Main Street in the olden harbor-bound merchant town of Norwich, Connecticut (a.k.a. The Rose of New England), THESE GUYS BREWING COMPANY opened August '15. Tucked into a red-bricked urban setting with a black-framed window frontage and oval hop-designed signpost, this homey establishment has the interior appearance of a Prohibition Era Speakeasy with its stamp-tinned copper tile bar walls, starburst Edison light bulbs and winding exposed pipes. A sterling red brick-walled beer garden atrium (shown above) adds a greenhouse affect separating the front pub from the backroom brewing area (formerly used as grain storage for a Revolutionary Wartime hotel) where seven stainless steel tanks store brewer Rebecca Alberts' well-rounded craft beer offerings. Image result for these guys brewing co Working under the tutelage of famed Willimantic brewmaster, David Wollner, Alberts (currently Connecticut's only female head brewer) claims she brews what she likes to drink, adding that "creative people like creative beer." Though I didn't get to sample the food on my initial May '16 stopover, the varied menu features splendid dishes such as Braised Short Ribs over stout onion risotto, Lobster-stuffed Mac & Cheese, Tuna Tartar and other well-designed main courses. My wife and I grab seats directly across the central beer draughts at the bar to consume seven diverse homemade elixirs. There are also a few draughts set aside for outside brews such as Outer Light Ninja Trail Green Tea, Relic Flaven Foal Double Dry-Hopped IPA and Black Hog Citra (reviewed in Beer Index). First up, tartly fruited moderation, Jeanne's Dream Apricot Wheat, wedded hop-dried apricot puree subtlety to orange-candied red apple, peach and tangerine scurry - like a liquified Fruit Roll-Ups. Next, brusquely crisp Hop Sense Pale Ale showed lots of IPA-related depth as its lightly pined orange-peeled grapefruit bittering contrasted lightly creamed pale malt sugaring over the buttered biscuit base. Tantalizingly centrist caramel-spiced Thames River Red will please lighter thirsts as well as bolder palates with its toasted oats sweetness, glazed red fruiting and earthen dewiness. Brisk West Coast-styled Hop Spring IPA let yellow grapefruit-juiced orange rind bittering receive wood-dried Centennial-Columbus hop resin to contrast floral mango, peach and pineapple tropicalia over clean celery watering. Tangy Against The Grain IPA competed favorably with its tangerine, clementine and navel orange fruiting picking up lightly embittered grassy hop insistence and sedate pine underbrush. On the dark side, wonderfully rich Kaiser Willy Imperial Stout draped creamy black chocolate malting and coffee-roasted bittering over ashen hops, gaining ancillary cocoa nibs, espresso, cappuccino and vanilla tones at the bulky mocha finish. The intriguingly serene cask conditioned Kaiser Willy maintained soft-toned splendor as the coffee-roasted black chocolate creaming gained black cherry illusions and oats-charred sedation.         www.theseguysbrewing.com

PROCLAMATION ALE COMPANY

Image result for proclamation breweryImage result for proclamation ale company WEST KINGSTON, RHODE ISLAND At a West Kingston-based stone quarry inside an unassuming tan aluminum warehouse lies one of Rhode Island's most promising breweries, PROCLAMATION ALE COMPANY. Opened for business since January, 2014, the rapidly expanding alehouse, headed by brewmaster Dave Witham, gained immediate attention for its 'Big Beer from a Small State' and now bottles several of its exquisite elixirs. An amber Proclamation sign (below the arched entrance) leads lucky patrons thru a long hallway to a tongue-and-groove wooded tasting room with pine-lacquered bar top, community table, barrel staves, sofa and exposed pipes. Upon my initial 4 PM May '16 visit, the small space packs up as several locals stop by to pick up screw-topped jug handled growlers of their favorite brews and a few out-of-towners sample all five available draught selections before deciding on which ones to carryout. Knowledgeable tasting room manager, Tom Pereira, provides goblets of two fascinating pale ale 'derivatives,' one collaborative rye-spiced IPA and a sessionable German-styled pilsner. I'd already tried excellent citric-embittered IPA, Proclamation Tendril (reviewed in Beer Index), at now-defunct Track 84 a year hence. For starters, Flummox, a traditional Bavarian-styled pilsner, brought crisply clean spelt-dried Vienna malting to its soft grassy-hopped floral citrus sheen, leaving subtle lemon traces in the recess. Then, two of the best full-flavored East Coast pale ales caught my attention. Sunny fruited spritzer, Derivative: Mosaic Pale Ale, retained a subdued yellow grapefruit tang, zesty lemon brightener and ancillary pineapple-peach-mango-orange juicing above mild dry-hopped pungency. Even better, modestly complex Derivative: Galaxy Pale Ale had a dryer, danker profile, spreading Galaxy-Citra-hopped tropicalia all over grassy pine resin and fresh celery watering. Its tangy tangerine ripeness picked up lemony pineapple, mango and grapefruit zest. In collaboration with nearby Tilted Barn Brewery, Rype IPA provided peppery rye malting for its apricot-pureed tartness, fig-dried tangerine snips and teasing herbal lilt. http://www.proclamationaleco.com/

PINELANDS BREWING COMPANY

Image result for pinelands brewing Image result for pinelands brewing LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NEW JERSEY At Little Egg Harbor's Great Bay Business Park in a beige aluminum warehouse with red awning lies PINELANDS BREWING COMPANY,  a nanobrewery looking to expand to a 7-barrel brew system by May 2016. Presently, Pinelands raw space contains an office area, brew tank room and tap room (with slate-topped bar, picnic table, small community table and green-walled beer bottles). Brewmaster Jason Chapman utilizes exquisite locally sourced water to craft an ever-changing lineup of well-rounded brews. As of my April '16 one-hour stopover, Chapman's already created 30-plus elixirs in a few months. Two fine flagship beers initially caught my senses. Easygoing Pitch Pine Pale Ale brought lemony orange tang to mild leafy hop pungency, subtle pine resin and wispy herbal restraint. Bright 'n lively Evergreen IPA bettered Pitch Pine with its crisper clean-watered minerality underlining juicy grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and woody dry-hopped astringency. Smoked rye malts and peppery nuances gave Rye Nugget Pale Ale a certain uniqueness as its carbolic spritz tickled the nose while the diacetyl vegetal tinge never seemed out of place. Coming on like a beefed-up amber ale, perhaps, Sharpshooter IPA provided an apricot tea-like sweetness for caramel malts, leafy hops, dewy peat and dried fig. Gathering spiced yellow fruiting, caramelized pilsner malts and grassy hops, Bueno Con Taco (a moderate-bodied lager) must've been made to go alongside simple Mexican dishes since it's light flavor doesn't overwhelm snack foods. Great Bay IRA (Imperial Red Ale) softened its sharp grapefruit-seeded orange rind hop pining and black tea-like bittering with caramel-roasted amber malt sweetness, tangy peach-apple-grape conflux and crisp tobacco respite. Perhaps my personal fave, Evan John Porter, let toffee-spiced vanilla bean sweetness pick up sugared coffee, Kahlua, caramel latte, hazelnut, cappuccino and Coca-Cola tones above its dewy earthen base. Not to be outdone, Zero Shuck Oyster Stout wedged creamy oyster-shelled sinew into black patent-malted dark chocolate, cocoa bean and vanilla overtones and bitter French-roast coffee sedation. On early March '22 stopover, snow came down as I indulged in a few more Pinelands libations. Thin cream ale, Raspberry Jam, found soapy raspberry chalkiness lingering lightly in salty lemon-hopped astringency. Juicy tropical fruited floral spicing and dry pine resin indulged Imperial IPA, Tucker's Beacon, unfurling sunny grapefruit, pineapple, peach, orange and tangerine tanginess upon sugared pale malting. Nitrogenated Evan John Porter added coffee-roasted cocoa bittering to tarry chocolate malting and molasses-draped toffee spicing. Milk-sugared coffee and dark chocolate syrup graced Cockeyed Milk Stout, leaving wood-seared hops to buttress its molasses oats bottom. Bettering all of 'em, Gnarly Pine Barrel-Aged Barleywine let caramelized bourbon vanilla drape brown chocolate sweetness, whiskeyed Scotch warmth and toffee-spiced dried fruiting. www.pinelandsbrewing.com

BIG OYSTER BREWERY – REHOBOTH BEACH

Image result for fins big oyster brewery Image result for fins big oyster brewery REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE Right along Route 1 Coastal Highway at the mall-bound Rehoboth Beach strip lies BIG OYSTER BREWERY, a collaboration teaming Fins Ale House & Raw Bar with brewer Andrew Harton's equally worthy pub. Inside a Wild West-styled Main Street re-creation, this seafood-related beer joint brings the best of both worlds since Big Oyster joined the fold June '15. Broken up into six sections, Fins controls the left side barroom (with wood-top counters, 20 bar stools, 10 taps, tin ceiling and beer-bottled refrigerator) and beautiful brick-enclosed outdoor deck (with 10 tap lines). Meanwhile, Big Oyster runs the far right gift shop, adjoining dining area and rear silver-tanked brew room. Customizing wide-ranging beer recipes, Harton got his start after college brewing at three different Iron Hill breweries (West Chester, Wilmington and Voorhees). Fresh oysters were being shucked when I visited late-morning May 1, 2016. On the light side, easygoing Kolsch brought zesty lemon, mandarin orange tartness and light herbal nuances to its gentle white-breaded spine. Using freshly-chopped ginger, the herb-enhanced Daywalker Kolsch gained a minty tingle to accent citric-perfumed hops and dainty pale malts. Juicy fruited Session 5 - Pineapple ably combined its sweet-tart pineapple adjunct with yellow grapefruit pith bittering and steadily mild Mosaic hop tropicalia. Utilizing Ardennes Belgian yeast to gain its barnyard-dried fruit spicing, Solar Power Belgian Blonde stayed crisply clean, letting coriander-spiced yellow grapefruit, peach and pineapple tones receive a brisk Seltzer-like spritz. Bitterest selection, Hammerhead IPA, a West Coast-styled dry body, allowed yellow grapefruit, orange rind and pineapple to embitter moderated piney hops and mild herbal snips. Another West Coast-inspired medium body, Resistentialism (Imperial IPA) surrendered intense tropical fruiting for lightly creamed crystal malting, leaving grapefruit, mango, pineapple and sweet orange peel illusions on the tongue. Creamy Big Oyster Stout conveyed a syrupy oyster-stewed brown chocolate richness and bitter dark-roast coffee streak over dried oats (with wavered black cherry nuances). Best bet: Classic Belgian Tripel, Noir Et Bleu, a limited edition full body strewn with bittersweet blueberry lacquering, banana liqueur splendor, lemony peach tartness and dried apricot snips residing above its recessive black tea adjunct (and finishing with a fusel vodka-licked 9.2% alcohol whir). On a windy November '21 Saturday afternoon, revisited Rehoboth's Big Oyster to enjoy six new libations at the newly furnished red brick-walled side deck. Musky orange-oiled lemon souring softly settled into crisp Captain Kolsch, a mildly herbed light body. Tart 'coconut lime yeast-raised donuts' were mashed into Donut Kill My Vibe, a kettle sour with coconut-watered Margarita liming and recessive glazed donut sugaring. Heavily fruited lactose sour, Soft Serve Cherry Vanilla, brought sweet 'n sour cherry puree to tart cranberry-strawberry musk in a creamy vanilla marshmallow setting. Briskly sharp hazy IPA, Craig's Secret, let tangy grapefruit, orange, mango and peach zesting reach creamy vanilla sugaring to contrast herbaceous pine resin. Waxy floral fruiting coated double dry-hopped West Coast-styled IPA, Big Oyster Boom!, contrasting lemony passionfruit-gooseberry tartness and zesty yellow grapefruit bittering with peachy tangerine tanginess and candied orange licks as resinous pine seeped inside. Sourly embittered NEIPA, Nectar From the Stars, provided tannic grape wine esters for Nelson Sauvin-hopped passionfruit tartness and Galaxy-hopped orange-pithed grapefruit rind bittering above soft wood tones. www.bigoysterbrewery.com