Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

NEXUS BREWERY & RESTAURANT

United States Brewpubs,

Nexus Brewery - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Almost directly across Chama River Brewing off Pan American Freeway, Albuquerque’s awesome NEXUS BREWERY & RESTAURANT champions the flavorful ethnic diversity of this Southwestern Rio Grande Riverbed mecca. Since the Craft Beer Revolution gained national prominence, most of its brewmeisters and entrepreneurial investors have been white males. However, dark-skinned Nexus owner, Ken Carson (a former banker), and female head brewer, Kaylynn McKnight, prove there’s cresting talent beyond the litany of pale-faced zymorgists.

In a tan stucco building next to Best Western, Nexus provides a delightful pub food change-up by offering hearty New Mexican-styled Southern soul food (such as chicken-fried chicken, red chili-peppered collared greens and gumbo) to go alongside impeccable house brews on my April ’16 two-hour lunchtime jaunt.

Since its initial 2011 opening, Nexus has expanded beyond its pristine cocktail-lounged 8-seat grey bar (with glass-encased copper brew tanks, silver spaceship lighting and multiple TV’s) to a remodeled cement-floored side dining  room with beer-centric murals and small outdoor deck. As my friend, Dennis, and I grab a dining table, we dig into New Mexico Soul Burgers (with red chili-sauced bacon, onion and pepper jack cheese) while quaffing eight beer samplers.

New Mexican Soul Food Restaurant in Albuquerque, NM | Best Brewery Restaurants | Good Places to Eat near Me

Starting with dry-hopped American Red Ale – a nifty moderate-bodied offering with spiced red and orange fruiting glazing toasted caramel malts over tobacco-roasted barley crisping –  the quality and care given each well-balanced stylistic elixir was immediately evidenced.

Rounded flagship, Scottish Ale, had a similar malt-spiced profile as the Red Ale, adding nutty pecan, almond and hazelnut illusions to caramelized molasses sweetness and mild peat-smoked hop astringency.

Amiable Honey Chamomile Wheat brought chamomile tea florality to coriander-salted orange and tangerine tang as well as Bee’s honey sinew.

The heightened 9.3% ABV given Imperial Cream Ale (compared to the original version’s pre-prohibition-styled 4% volume) provides sweet white-wined nuances to  crystal-malted cream soda sugaring and grassy-hopped astringency.

Mellifluous Imperial Pilsner placed crystal-malted mango, guava, nectarine, peach and lychee sweetness and tart pineapple-grapefruit-orange bittering alongside light woody hop dryness (and wispy vodka kick).

Briskly clean-watered IPA layered tangy grapefruit, orange and lemon zest atop sticky pine-needled hop resin, juniper berry bittering and herbal tea nips.

Dry English-styled Chocolate Porter slid chocolate-roasted molasses sweetness across dark-roasted coffee, anise and nut illusions.

Best bet: supple English Barleywine, a boozy 9% ABV dessert treat, plied sweet dried fruiting to caramelized Maris Otter malts, floral perfumed hops and rum-spiced sugaring, picking up tangy bruised orange, tangerine, red cherry, red grape and honeydew notions.

nexusbrewery.com

CHAMA RIVER BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

  Image result for chama river brewing

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

One of New Mexico’s first and best microbreweries (active since 2005 but closed August 2017), located in an exquisite sienna-hued terracotta barn house off Pan American Freeway, Albuquerque’s silver-roofed CHAMA RIVER BREWING COMPANY serves upscale pub fare (steak, seafood, pasta) to pair with its well-designed traditional brews.

Easy to spot from the freeway due to its large sidled grain silo, Chama River Brewing’s interior wood design, foyer-bound water feature (with resin pheasant), stone hearth and tiled front patio provide crystalline elegance. Its copper-clad center bar (with 10 tap handles, several stools and TV) services a private lounge and booth-laden Porter Room. Sterling glass-encased brewtanks store most of the nine proprietary offerings tried during my April 2016 sojourn.

For starters, rounded Class VI Golden Lager regaled German pilsner malts with raw-honeyed sour lemon musk, maize-dried graining and grassy hops.

Then a few moderate-bodied ales sufficed. Rio Chama Amber brought light honey spice to tangy navel orange briskness and toasted carafa malting.

Mild India Pale Ale-like citric fruiting guided Copper John Pale Ale, a floral-perfumed dry libation with zesty grapefruit-pineapple-orange juicing embittered by piney hop resin to contrast sweet sugar-spiced crystal malts.

IPA overtones also embrace soft-toned Vermilion Red Ale, a red and orange fruit-spiced nicety not far removed from Chama River’s most popular item, Jackalope IPA. Named after a mythical antlered rabbit, its tangy yellow grapefruit freshness and bitter lemon rind pucker overload the zesty tropical sureshot as pine-lacquered perfume hops contrast crystal-malted mango, pineapple, orange, tangerine and guava sweetness.

Orange blossom-honeyed coriander tweaked Broken Spoke Honey Wheat, a mildly citrus-spiced moderation backed by torrified husked wheat minerality, grassy hop astringency and floral daubs.

A fine collaboration with neighboring Nexus Brewery, nitro-injected The Darker Fare Irish Stout fortified its softly creamed black chocolate fudging with coffee-roasted espresso and charred nuttiness. Nearly as dry and arguably better, Sleeping Dog Oatmeal Stout coalesced sugary molasses oats with coffee-milked black chocolate, walnut, pecan and hazelnut illusions.

chamariverbrewery.com

TURTLE MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO

Situated inside the tan stuccoed 36th Place Mall in Rio Rancho (a few miles north of Albuquerque), TURTLE MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY began operations in 2012 when local Pueblo Indian descendant, Nico Ortiz, decided to join the evolving Craft Beer Revolution. A sizable pub with 12-seat back bar, multiple wooden tables and booths, one slate-topped community table, wall-sprawled beer banners and a banquet room with patio, Turtle Mountain offered wood-fired pizza, burgers, sandwiches and calzones to pair with its dominantly dry beer selections.

With 14 draught lines available on my April ’16 afternoon trip, nine were pouring worthy homemade beers while the others had popular local selections from  Bosque and La Cumbre.

For openers, light-bodied McDay’s Cream Ale offered zesty lemon spritz and spicy citric hops to corn-flaked barley malt crisping (allowing subdued celery, fennel and brown rice wisps to emerge beneath the surface). With a similar profile, Heidelberg Helles brought lemony hop briskness to sweet sugar-spiced pale malts and herbal lemongrass snips. Amiable rye-spiced Oku Amber caressed floral-fruited hops with cereal-grained barley and oats.

A ‘fun twist’ on an American pale ale, Parasol White Ale layered lemon-soured yellow grapefruit bittering above grassy hops and spiced crystal malts while the bolder West Coast-styled Hopshell IPA seduced its lemon-peeled grapefruit bittering and lacquered wood tones with floral citrus-candied sweetness.

Tart Gose With The Flow took its soft-toned pineapple adjunct to a salty-bottomed lemon-lime pucker. Vinous black grape esters seeped inside Amethyst Brett Double Stout, a brettanomyces-soured dark ale with light wine barrel aging, serene black chocolate overtones, timid burgundy flutter and peated earthiness as well as pithy black cherry, cola nut and roasted tobacco nuances.

Off-dry Snake Driver Irish Stout gathered dark cocoa, black chocolate, charred nuttiness and dark-roasted grains atop its dewy mildewed base.

Newest full-time dark ale, Stauffenberg Oatmeal Stout delegated dark-roast ground coffee overtones to amplify light charred nuttiness over its groaty barley-flaked rolled oats base.

turtlemountainbrewing.com

BLUE GRASSHOPPER BREW PUB

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for blue grasshopper BREWERY Image result for blue grasshopper BREWERY

RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO

On the right side of a mini-mall off Coors Boulevard in Albuquerque, casual cafe-styled BLUE GRASSHOPPER BREW PUB (closed August 2020) fills out a cheaply furnished cornered interior and blue cement-floored patio. An amber awning welcomes faithful locals and out-of-town beer enthusiasts to the graffiti-walled pub (with a few guitars and TV’s hanging behind the 12-seat L-shaped bar and portraits of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe nearby).

Featuring 20 slate-backed draught lines and a small kitchen serving wood-fired pizza, sandwiches, wings, salads and gyros, Blue Grasshopper also accommodates acoustic guitar performers with a small stage area. Ten cafeteria tables round out the intimate space.

Due to an aborted change of venue, Blue Grasshopper’s out of all its original house brews while the staff reassembles the brewing equipment they’d recently broke down. In the meantime, each tap line is dedicated to a local outside brew for this April Fool’s Day ’16 jaunt.

So I gladly settle in at the cozy bar to quaff seven previously untried New Mexican libations (fully reviewed in Beer Index), including La Cumbre’s South Peak Pilsner, Slice of Hefen and Not Even Brown as well as Red Door’s Shift Ender Golden Lager and Paint It Black Stout plus Abby Monk’s Tripel and Sierra Blanca Bone Chiller Brown Ale.

Those who’ve enjoyed Blue Grasshopper’s homemade brews confirm their goodness. In fact, the brewer was readying a light ale during my two-hour visit.

www.bghnm.com

BRICKTOWN BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for owassa brew bricktown

OWASSA, OKLAHOMA

In a freestanding red brick edifice in the Green Country ‘Cherokee Nation’ of Owassa, 15 miles northeast of Tulsa, lies BRICKTOWN BREWERY, opened 2014. A slick traditional American sportsbar with eight locations spread across Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas, Owassa’s Bricktown franchise brews off premise and serves better-than-generic fare that takes no stylistic chances with each specific offering.

A big American flag on the wall and exposed pipes at the high ceiling mark the spacious dining hall. A 20-stool bar with centralized refrigerator, large TV and Beer Board services several tables and features 20-plus tap handles plus bottled fare. Burgers and pizza went well with the seven proprietary draught beers available on my March 2016 visit with college pals, Jeff and Dana.

For openers, dry golden ale, Old King Kolsch, brought lemony Cascade hop zest and salty brine to its wheat cracker spine.

Wiley One-Eyed Wheat allowed tart lemon-wedged orange peel sweetness to its wispy white wheat base. 

Blues Berry Ale offered light-bodied perfume-hopped blueberry tartness to carbolic lemon-dropped spritz.

Sessionable Three Guardsman India Pale Ale maintained a soft citric flow as its subtly spiced lemon and grapefruit tang gained resonance.

Softly creamed Millie Mc Fadden Red Rye contrasted dry-hopped citrus tones against delicate rye-toasted cereal malts.

On the dark side, mediocre Bricktown Brown plied muddled nutty tones to citric-soured tea drear. Somewhat better, Single String Stout placed cocoa-powdered coffee sourness above cola nuttiness.

www.bricktownbrewery.com

 

CHILLY WATER BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Chilly Water Brewing Company | An urban brewpub with super food ...

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Proudly patriotic Midwest hub, Indianapolis already had a dozen well-respected brewpubs when CHILLY WATER BREWING COMPANY opened its doors, June 2014. But as the micro-nano brewery scene gained hyperactive nationwide momentum, startups like this fascinating Industrial downtown watering hole became just another prominent member of the ongoing American beer revolution. As of April ’16, its raw, unfinished feel appeared temporary since recent accolades such as Best Brewer at Indiana State Fair makes expansion seem imminent (though the low ceiling and exposed pipes offered a cozily rustic intimacy).

A covered front porch and windowed brew tanks lead to the entrance of Chilly Water. The 12-seat bar accommodates ten taps, two TV’s, and a host of classic rock albums (whose titles make up the name of a few beers) on the nearby wall.

Chili, quesadillas, paninis and soup paired well with nine rounded beer selections available this sunny afternoon. Specializing in a wide array of worldly styles, their lagers are as sublime and expressive as the ‘bigger’ ales.

Light-bodied flagship, Built To Last Pilsner bounced spicy pale malts against lemondrop dollops and grassy Noble hop astringency.

Easygoing Chilly Water Lager retained a dry wood tone and herbal respite to contrast barley-roasted pale malt sugaring.

Lemon-soured orange candy delicately embraced Smash Hit Belgian Wit, a coriander-clove-spiced dry body with plantain-banana snips.

One Hit Wonder countered subtle grapefruit peel bittering with wispy banana-clove sweetness.

Saison Du 92 stayed soft-toned as its mandarin orange spicing picked up light hop peppering.

Meditative moderation, Blazin’ Fiddles Scottish Ale layered sweet caramel malting atop peaty earthiness.

Tropical Mosaic-hopped One Hop Wonder brought tangy grapefruit-peeled bittering to clove-spiced banana, pineapple and mango auxiliary.

Taking its moniker from Pink Floyd’s space rock gem, Dark Side Of The Munich Dunkel surrendered brown-sugared fig sweetness, creamy toffee malting and sedate purple-red grape tartness to dewy peat mildew in a definitive manner.

On the dark side, worthy Hey Porter pleated brown chocolate sweetness to pecan, hazelnut and praline undertones.

For dessert, outstanding Chocolate Coconut Porter duplicated a Mounds Bar with its dark chocolate malting and toasted coconut center, picking up Pina Colata hints at the nutty mocha finish.

www.chillywaterbrewing.com

TOW YARD BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for tow yard brew

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Inside a multi-storied red brick industrial warehouse a few blocks from Indianapolis Colts indoor football stadium, TOW YARD BREWING opened April 2014 (and closed March ’18). A large concrete-floored facility serving local downtown businesses with expressive libations and good bar food, its sportsbar atmosphere certainly suits the basketball, hockey and football fans attending nearby games.

Tow Yard’s main 20-seat pergo wood-ceilinged bar and smaller right side 6-seat bar serve two community tables, several stooled tables, a backroom banquet area and wraparound front deck.  An enormous well-kept beer can collection spreads across the spacious interior walls and an on-site deli provides sandwiches, burgers, chicken wings and salads to go alongside homemade draught beer.

Purdue bio grad and head brewer, Tony Fleming (who replaced Indiana University alumni, Bradley Zimmerman), provides a wide array of stylistic brews – some of which are slightly off-the-beaten path.

Visited April 2016, I quaffed the three flagship beers first. Each of these approachable offerings are also available in cans for outside consumption.

Easygoing Goldie Hops Cream Ale placed spicy Saaz hops and honeyed wheat malts above a soft biscuit bottom.

Using Goldie Hops as the base, Hook Up Shandler, a soda-like Radler shandy, brought ruby red grapefruit sweetness and tart lemonade-powdered granulated sugaring to the fore as iced tea nuances wavered below.

Splendid Horsepower Double Pale Ale plied orange-spiced piney hop dryness and subtle peach-mango undertones to barley-grained Maris Otter malting.

Briskly dry-hopped moderation,  Impound IPA, contrasted grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering against sugar-spiced sweetness.

English dark mild ale, Who’s That Brown Ale, tasted like day-old coffee with roasted chocolate tones and a brown-sugared candied walnut glaze riding above the light hop-charred bittering.

A bit unusual, classic brown-hued Japanese malt liquor, Beat Box Samurai, delivered sourly dark-roasted chocolate nuttiness and peated soy sauce brininess to earthen wood tones.

Dark-roasted coffee and chocolate dominated Creamy Behemoth Imperial Oatmeal Stout, deepening its mocha frontage with caramelized oats and wispy nuttiness.

My fave: Oatis Redding Imperial Red Ale retained a silken flow despite its heightened 11% ABV as roasted caramel malting, subtle bourbon sweetness and sugary oats coalesced above mild dry-hopped bittering.

towyardbrewing.com

GUN HILL BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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BRONX, NEW YORK

Veteran brewmaster Chris Sheehan built a solid reputation at now-defunct Manhattan hotbed, Chelsea Brewing, then Newark’s Port 44 and Woodbridge mainstay JJ Bitting before hooking up with entrepreneurial New Yorkers Kieran Farrell and Dave Lopez to devise GUN HILL BREWING COMPANY. One of the guiding lights leading the charge for the resurgence of Bronx borough breweries (alongside Bronx Brewery), Gun Hill began operations May 22, 2014 (and closed May ’24).

Located inside an industrial warehouse space on Laconia Avenue between an auto shop and plaster caster, the ambitious one-room brewery takes its name from nearby Van Cortlandt Park’s Revolutionary War battle.

An unpretentious neighborhood joint with a large garage door entrance, high ceilings, cement floors, three picnic tables, three community tables and a large backroom brewing area, Gun Hill Brewing immediately grabbed hold. A 12-seat bar with several taps services walk-in customers while hundreds of kegs generate appreciable beer pub action throughout the Empire State.

On a warm March ’16 evening, I get to try six well-designed elixirs with a few friendly locals.

Sessionable flagship, Gold, an easygoing golden ale, plied pilsner-like pale malts and earthy bark-dried Noble hops to floral-perfumed lemon tones, picked up French-breaded toasting along the way. Though it’s descriptively oxymoronic, mild English strong ale, Who Spelt It, Dealt It, brought oats-dried spelt wheat flouring to sugar-spiced crystal(?) malting and grassy hops.

Endearing Simcoe-Citra-hopped mainstay, India Pale Ale, elevated its brisk lemon-dried grapefruit peel and orange rind bittering to dry pine lacquer in a crisply clean-watered setting.

Another charming medium body, Cherry Tree Red Ale gained a resilient red cherry-candied tartness above sweet honeyed wheat malts and mellow fruit-spiced hops.

Cascadian dark ale lovers will want to quaff Black Waves IPA, a mocha-doused medium-full body draping day-old coffee, dark chocolate and dry cocoa above oats-charred ashen hops while dried-fruited fig, apricot, brown pear and quince illusions stabilized beneath the surface.

For dessert, Void Of Light Foreign-style Stout emitted dry dark chocolate malting and cocoa-powdered coffee roast above moderate wood-charred hop bittering.

Right off the main thoroughfare of Gun Hill Road, this unassuming Bronx oasis will satisfy a wide range of beer enthusiasts with its sanguinely seductive sedatives.

gunhillbrewing.com     

OUTER LIGHT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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GROTON, CONNECTICUT

Just off Route 95 in the naval submarine-based New England town of Groton, founders Tom Drejer and Matt Ferrucci opened warehouse-garaged OUTER LIGHT BREWING COMPANY during April ’15. A few blocks from the Thames River in an unfinished space, Outer Light has already expanded sufficiently with its three new silver-shined 60-barrel fermenters. And an upgrade for its skeletal tap room seems as imminent as the soon-to-be utilized bottling line.

While crafting over 30 small-batch brews since its initiation, three flagship offerings took hold. During my 1-hour stopover, March ’16, I get to try the well-designed trio plus one peachy saison and oyster-shelled stout. Served in 5-ounce candleholders at the 10-stool bar from tiled steel taps, each tidy sample delivered expressive flavor profiles heightened by clean mineral watered crisping.

The lightest and most accessible year-round libation, Lonesome Boatman Red Ale, brought caramel-toasted fruit spicing to the fore as dainty red apple, peach, tangerine and nectarine illusions took hold.

Next, Subduction IPA allowed mildly bitter yellow grapefruit and orange rind briskness to gain piney hop resin and light floral daubs over sugary caramel malts.

Just as excellent, Libation Propaganda Coffee Stout piled profound dark-roasted coffee intensity atop charred hop bittering as tertiary black chocolate, espresso and cacao nibs illusions added depth.

Another fine dark ale, Noank Smack Oyster Stout, let oyster shells provide a creamier base for black coffee richness, sweet chocolate sedation and oats-sugared mocha malting.

An intriguing hybrid, Nutmeg State Peach Saison plied its Belgian farmhouse yeast funk, salty coriander spicing and mineral-grained crisping with sharp lemon-soured peach tones.

As local beer lovers start filling the joint up and Red Hot Chili Peppers play in the background this sunny Sunday afternoon, the future sure looks bright for the vibrant Outer Light.  

www.outerlightbrewing.com

ANDEAN BREWING (KUKA)

United States Brewpubs,

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 BLAUVELT, NEW YORK

Surpassing its humble promise of being an “artisanal small-batch brewery inspired by food, fruits and spices” after taking its inspirational spirit from Peru’s magnificent Andes Mountains (where its branded Kuka reference translates to “food for working travelers”), ANDEAN BREWING opened its taproom during the summer of 2013 (and closed during 2020).

Quickly developing a bottling line for their unique maca-rooted beers (such as the ever-popular Kuka Banana Nut Brown Ale), entrepreneurial Manhattanite, Andria Petito, a super-fan of Widmer Hefeweizen in the ’90s, expanded her palate over the course of time.

Meanwhile, current brewmaster, Alex Coronado, worked four years at Rochester’s CB Craft Brewers before joining Andean in 2015. A graduate of Fredonia State University’s arts and music department, Coronado and his ex-girlfriend became interested in home brewing post-haste.

Stationed in the light Industrial hamlet of Blauvelt, 25 miles north of New York City, Andean’s Kuka beer lineup benefited from its early reliance on the maca root, giving flagship staples like Kuka American Pale Ale, IPA and Belgian Blonde a delicately sweet chestnut-derived whim. Inside a tidy 6,500 square foot warehouse with high aluminum ceiling and plenty of space for expansion, Andean currently utilizes four fermenters and one bottling line.

On my early January ’16 visit, Coronado’s working with the mash tun for a limited edition 8-gallon pale ale while rock music blasts thru the cavernous brew room. An L-shaped bar (with lacquered table-top beer labels) in the gray-walled tap room provides local denizens with four different tapped brews. Some law school students share home brews as Petito tends bar, fills growlers and sells several bottled brews from the refrigerator.

I get two previously untried dark ales (reviewed fully in Beer Index) on tap while the crowd shuffles in. Lightly fermented on oak chips, Kuka White Chocolate Stout delights the senses as its spicy cocoa-nibbed brown and white chocolate sweetness serenades subtle vanilla, cinnamon, marshmallow and creamy caramel flam illusions.

Better yet, diabolical Kuka Devils Treat Imperial Milk Stout thrills tastebuds with richly creamed chocolate milking, recessive black coffee scurry, mild cayenne-peppered burn, cherry-pureed banana bruise, sticky anise trifle, wispy burgundy wining and oats-flaked maca root base.

During a hot June evening in 2017, returned to Andean to try two adjunct fruited saisons and one fabulous IPA.

Easygoing sparkling wine or summer shandy alternative, Blackberry Pretty Colored Marbles Saison, brought tart blackberry souring to delicate Sterling hops and dry wheat malts, picking up oaken cherry, cranberry and boysenberry nuances.

Nearly as likable, correlative Pineapple Saison offered subtle pineapple tartness and zestier tropicalia.

Delectably sacrilicious Lick The Mind Of God IPA plied brisk pineapple, grapefruit, orange and peach tanginess to moderate piney hop bittering and crystal pale malting with crisp, clean clarity.

www.kukabeer.com

MILL HOUSE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for mill house brewing

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

Right in the heart of historic Poughkeepsie, highly ambitious MILL HOUSE BREWING COMPANY opened for business November 2013. Housed in a lovely multi-sectional landmark building elegantly designed with exquisite rusticity, Mill House is easily one of Hudson Valley’s best brewpubs and expansion for a separate draught distribution center will soon do contract canning.

Proprietary brewmasters Larry Stock and Jamie Bishop, long-time friends “creating locally inspired beer with world class flavor,” started out many years ago making incipiently bad brews with a Mr. Beer Kit. But over time, Bishop received a masters degree from American Brewers Guild and decided to make his hobby a full-time pursuit, convincingly concocting traditional fare while being unafraid to experiment. The results have been fabulous as each quality brew Bishop and Stock crafted at Mill House has its own unique style to recommend.

Industrial wood, metal and plastic furnishings bedeck Mill House’s ground floor while an outdoor terrace, cozy second floor parlor (with patio), and third floor room for private parties consume the rest of this arch-laden colonial chalet. A red brick U-shaped bar with centralized archway, 20 stools and Edison lighting connects two distinct dining areas while the left side brew tanks service the main space.

A wood-fired hearth serves pizzas and the creative menu also includes lunchtime primers, ‘Bar Bites’ and eclectic burgers, sandwiches and entrees. Several homemade bar specialties and various wines and spirits complement the distinguished beer menu.   

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, January ’16, my wife and I thoroughly enjoy succulent best-selling Fig & Pig Pizza (with ham-like duck bacon, smoked mozzarella, black mission figs and arugula) alongside sessionable citric-hopped PK Pale Ale, a red wheat-toasted moderation hardened hop-heads won’t dismiss (reviewed fully at Beer Index).

After lunch, cruised thru eight more diverse brews. Briskly mineral-watered Kold One, a classic kolsch with crisp pilsner-Vienna malting, mildly astringent Noble hop bittering, sweetly soured lemon twist and light creaming may’ve bettered any similarly styled ale marketed.

Equally delightful, wholly eccentric and wildly popular, dry vegetal lawnmower beer, Queen City Cucumber Cream Ale, provided a strong celery-watered cucumber influence to sugared rice, corn and barley as well as a light citric spritz.  

‘Behemoth’ West Coast-styled IPA, Northwest Territory, placed honey-spiced peach, pear and apple fruiting alongside its stylishly emphatic grapefruit-peeled orange, pineapple and lemon tang while the mild cereal-grained Maris Otter malt base sweetened the load by helping to contrast the unobtrusive 9% ABV burn.    

Soft-toned Imperial IPA, Hubar, brought tangy lemon-peeled grapefruit buoyancy to the fore as crystal malt sugaring countered light piney hop bittering and radish-y celery remnant.   

Another approachable medium body, Belgian-styled dubbel, Zoe, plied white-peppered citrus spicing to creamy yeast sugaring, delicate pilsner malts and subtle butternut-walnut conflux.  
   
Velvety oak-chipped Scottish Ale, Kilt Spinner, retained light caramelized carafa roast, piquant vanilla sweetness and soft citric fruitiness.
Award winning stout, Velvet Panda, draped treacly black chocolate richness above bitter oats-flaked Black Patent malts and dried-fruited black cherry, raisin and fig cluster.    
Spirited wintry digestif, Dos Cien Cerezas, ‘laced’ sour Morello cherries (the fermented fruit in kriek lambics) through brown chocolate-y cacao nibs sweetness, rum-spiced whiskey warmth and soothingly medicinal 8.5% ethanol burn for an exceptional indulgence.
This place is a must for any and all brew hounds.
Revisited Mill House mid-July ’21 to down five more previously untried suds.
Dryer than most similarly styled blonde ales, Blunar Eclipse lacquers subtle lemon-spritzed blueberry tartness across raw-honeyed pale malting, spicy floral whims and distant green peppering.
Tart raspberry saltiness gave Cross Reference Raspberry Kettle Sour its initial sass while lemon-candied guava, watermelon and green grape souring settled at the earthy bottom.
Lemon-pledged pink guava salting, limey lemondrop tartness, sour papaya subtleties and bitter grapefruit seeding picked up botanical riffs for Gose Gone Fruity, leaving coriander spicing in the dust.
Yogurt-soured guava, papaya and peach tropicalia joined brief orange peel sweetness and mild pine tones for Grocery Getter, a softly rounded NEIPA with ancillary lemon-teased tangerine, clementine and mandarin tartness settling next to honeyed herbal respite.
Salted pineapple souring commenced Everything’s Coming Up: Pineapple, a zestfully fruited NEIPA with spritzy lemon prickle and lacquered pine wisp.
During August ’22, my wife and I journeyed once more to Millhouse, enjoying another four previously untried brews.
Dry DC Fair Pale Ale let mild IPA-like orange rind, grapefruit pith and salted pineapple bittering, dry wood tones and green tea-like astringency reach its lightly sugared pale malt base.
Salted mango entry faded on Everything’s Coming Up: Mango, a soft-toned NEIPA leaving ample pineapple-papaya tanginess and ancillary grapefruit-peach-nectarine whims atop heavily oated malts.
Lactic golden beige-hazed sour IPA, Hopthamology, allowed pink guava tartness, modest lemon-oiled yellow grapefruit bittering and wispy lemongrass minting to pick up residual acidity above milk-sugared white wheated oats.
Black Forest-caked pureed raspberry and dark chocolate-y liquid cacao lifted oats-flaked pastry stout, Piece Of Cake, picking up tart cherry, blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry snips.
www.millhousebrewing.com

     

DRUTHERS BREWING COMPANY – ALBANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for DRUTHERS ALBANY Image result for DRUTHERS ALBANY

ALBANY, NEW YORK

Just down the street from historic Albany Pump Station, DRUTHERS BREWING COMPANY turned an old brick warehouse into a rustic sportsbar/ brewpub during May 2015. The second Druthers location to emerge since its original Saratoga Springs location opened in 2012, its roomy interior includes a hearth-centered waiting area separating a left side dining room from the centralized right side horseshoe bar (with plentiful table seating, high ceilings, exposed pipes and multiple TV’s).

My wife and I grab a table near the huge windowed brew room, where several large tanks contain the suds we’ll be enjoying this frigid January ’16 evening. Alongside several fine brews are well-executed food entrees (BBQ Pork Skillet; Fish In Crazy Water; Steak Tips) plus pizza, wings and burgers. The beer selection varies slightly from the Saratoga Springs pub.

I consume the innovative Kimchi Fried Rice (and egg-fried shiitake mushroom with leeks, carrots, onions and wasabi peas) while my wife shares garlic-buttered Loaded Monkey Bread (with bacon-crumbled pepperoni and mozzarella) and a huge Cobb Salad (with bleu-cheesed butternut squash, cauliflower, bacon, egg, tomato and apple cider vinaigrette).

The varied small-batch beer selections included Harvest Apple, a sharp cider-like ale utilizing fresh-pressed Mac Intosh apples and peppery Belgian yeast spicing to gain its gingery cinnamon-toasted apple pie luster.

Dry kolsch-styled German pils, Golden Rules Blonde, brought soft-toned citric Cascade hop bittering and salted lemon tartness to tingly crystal malt sugaring. Subtle Brevity Wit offered ginger-spiced coriander sweetness to its fizzy lemon-orange spritz.

Modestly combining dewy Belgian yeast with toasted Vienna malts and Americanized IPA fruiting, Belgian IPA elevated its lemony orange-peeled grapefruit tang with piney hops and perfumed spices.

Hybridized Bavarian wheat ale, Against the Grain Smoked Wiezen, contrasted beechwood-smoked peat malts against sugary banana-clove sweetness.

After dinner, I thoroughly enjoyed rich Oatmeal Stout, an oats-flaked, molasses sugared mocha sensation with bittersweet black chocolate, cocoa and coffee tones abutting dried fig nuances.

www.druthersbrewing.com