Closer to an arid pilsner with its airy light-bodied summertime appeal given salty lemon spritz. Buttery sourdough breaded white wheat spine anchors floral-spiced alacrity and light herbal hop musk for sessionable fodder.
On tap at Triton – Long Beach Island, sessionable summertime light lager with corn-sugared powdered fruit tartness and lemon lime soda pop tucked inside Fruity Pebbles cereal wheat bed. Spiffy, but flattish, adjunct lager.
Brusque Austrian-styled Vermont/Mass collab bitterer than most German lagers due to upped Noble hop herbage. Slick roasted barleycorn crisping, saltine cracker remnant and mild whiskeyed rye bent gain polite orange oiling before pilsner/Vienna-malted baked breading emerges.
Dry straw clear German-styled premium pilsner retains stylishly bolder edge. Spritzy lemon effervescence perks up musky perfume-hopped raw graining, grassy hop astringency, black peppered herbage and sour vegetal whims. Sturdy, brusque and steadfast.
Classic crisply clean Cashmere-hopped German pils with cumulous white head over golden straw body stays dry. Stylishly bolder than most lighter pilsners, its mild lemon spritz receives abrupt musky herbal ascension and sustained pungent hop bittering atop whiskeyed Scotch wisps.
Mild dry Croatian pilsner with frisky salted lemon fizz, musky earthen barnyard graining and herbal Saaz hop astringency retains rustic tone as raw-honeyed wild oats, alfalfa and grassy hops buttress buttered biscuit base.
MASHPEE, MASSACHUSETTS
At the Cape Cop town of Mashpee not far from scintillating South Cape Beach State Park, NAUKABOUT BREWING COMPANY joined the small-batch brewing ranks in 2018. On a multi-tiered site including an event space, two stone-ground wood benched picnic areas and merchandise container, Naukabout’s sylvan tree-lined backdrop and pristine lake view attracts both families and ‘brewpies.’
Inside a weathered cedar-shake paneled barnhouse, its reclaimed wood-adorned main barroom benefits greatly from the earthily old-fashioned New England design. Head brewer Craig Moody offers a well-rounded and distinct selection of diverse brews to go alongside fine pub cuisine.
At the bark-topped kiosk bar, there are two block wood tap stations, chalked beer menu and rear windowed seven-barrel brew tanks. A fireplace secures the lodge-like setting.
While sitting at one of the community benches, sank ten Naukabout’s (including five winning IPA’s) and ate clam chowder on early June ’26 Cape Cod sojourn.
Flagship India Pale Ale, Quittin’ Time, forwarded frothy vanilla creaming to lemon-zested grapefruit, pineapple and yuzu tandem, picking up light white peppered herbage and dry pine tones.
Meanwhile, hazy IPA, Outdoor Shower, retained dry piney grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering above sugary pale malts in a briskly zestful Citra-Mosaic hop setting.
West Coast IPA, Buzzards Bay, stuck sticky pine lacquer to sharp juniper-embittered lemony grapefruit-peeled pineapple, navel orange, tangerine and mango tropicalia.
As for milkshake IPA, Cape Creamsickle, its milk-sugared vanilla marshmallow fluff cruised thru peachy pineapple tanginess, zestful lemon sunshine and and lightly acidic orange concentrate.
Serenading the entire fruited IPA spectrum, Sunset Daze, regaled lemony yellow grapefruit zesting, sweet orange peel tanginess, salted mango-pineapple zing and syrupy fruit cocktail swipe.
Beyond the IPA’s, dry moderation, Anotha Lahgah, with its salted lemon spritz and perfumed orange musk, received mild herbal spicing over pale malt spicing.
Easygoing wheat beer, Summer Ale, let lemon zest sparkle candied orange, lemongrass and white peach illusions atop white wheat-sugared floor malts.
Juicy raspberry pureed frozen strawberry adjuncts fronted fluffily fruited Smoothie-like hefe, Salmon Pants, sweetened further by thick vanilla-creamed banana and clove richness contrasting semi-sharp Citra-hopped orange concentrate acidity.
On the dark side, pastry-styled porter, D’Works Duke’s Donut Porter, merged dark chocolate with vanilla beans for a liquid chocolate donut steeped in hop-charred burnt wood and given tertiary roasted coffee, espresso and dark cocoa tinges.
Dry Irish stout, Nauki-ness, stayed soft-tongued as dewy peated earthiness provided a weedy bed for nutty dark cocoa bittering and and musty dark roast hop char.
During early October ’26 Cape Cod journey, revisited Naukabout on a Sunday afternoon to consume eight more fine offerings.
Crimson marooned blueberry-infused lemonade shandy, Show Me Your Bluebs, smudged candied blueberry tartness alongside blackberry, strawberry, dark cherry and banana subsidies.
Brisk off-dry American pale ale, 1999, had a true West Coast IPA feel with its mild pine-needled grapefruit peel and orange rind bittering secured by crystal pale malts.
Also utilizing IPA-related hops, New England pale ale, Mill Pond, gathered crayon waxed grapefruit, orange, tangerine and clementine tang plus peachy floral spicing above lightly creamed oats.
Crisp autumnal celebrator, Nauktoberfest, stationed dewy brown leaf foliage across biscuity amber grain malts, picking up mildly musky perfumed floral whim.
Cologne-soaked lemon peel zesting guided light wheat ale, Golden Hour, a nifty one-off.
Irish Red Ale, Red Sky, maintained delicate barley roast, dry red-orange fruit spicing and earthen Fuggle hop respite.
Another fall seasonal, Pumpkin Eater, placed mellow cinnamon-nutmeg-clove-allspice conflux inside gourd-skinned earthen crust politely sweetened by honeyed wheat.
Zestfully fruitful Imperial IPA, Bridge Backup, let piney orange-peeled grapefruit bittering and salted pineapple-mango tropicalia receive clean vodka licks over gluey pale malting.
Like a tropical milk-sugared popsicle, soft-toned milkshake IPA, Island Time, propped tart key lime brining, zesty pineapple juicing and coconut shavings for Pina Colada cocktail knockoff.
EAST FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS
Larger and more extravagant than its initial Martha’s Vineyard pub, BAD MARTHA FARMER’S BREWERY opened its East Falmouth location in September 2019. Inside a spacious weather-worn cedar shake farmhouse, the charmingly rustic Cape Cod facility offers a 15-barrel system, sterling canning line and mezzanine seating.
It’s the earthen outdoor elegance that first captures the eye. There’s a fire-pitted wooden pergola, exquisite all-around landscaping and cozy kiosk-styled entrance (with benched foyer leading to the main space). A grain silo with Bad Martha’s painted insignia welcomes guests to the countrified metal-stooled bar filled with olden wood chairs, barreled tables and rear brew tanks.
Head brewer Travis Londen, originally inspired by Belgian beers, came aboard in ’24 after a stint at Dorchester Brewing. His wide ranging brews oft-times go beyond stylish parameters or utilize offbeat adjuncts.
My wife and I settled in on a Friday afternoon, June ’26, to savor six previously untried suds.
Crisp lime zesting engaged Mexican lager, La Playa, leaving sweet agave, cologned perfume and lemon musk atop papery pale malt pasting.
Equally crisp and clean, mild Italian pilsner, Il Lido, spread sourdough yeast across lightly floral lemon zesting, sharp grapefruit-peeled Citra hop bittering, dry Huell Melon hop guava tartness and spritzy orange peel sweetness.
Rustic saison, Hey Honey, let desiccated barnyard graining meet floral-dried lemongrass herbage, starchy plantain fruiting and mild chamomile soaping over raw-honeyed red wheat flouring.
Another Belgian farmhouse ale, peachy apricot ‘fruit forward’ Shoulder Saison, picked up a lemony blood orange spree for the dry pilsner-malted oats setting.
Topnotch gose, Salt & Vine, a collab with Stone Cow Brewery, let sea-salted lime dryness seep into Concord grape tannins (as well as candied orange pucker and raspberry rhubarb tartness) above hay-like chaffed wheat.
For dessert, candi-sugared dark fruiting glazed boozy Belgian Quad, combining rummy banana caramelization with black cherry, blackberry, plummy fig and candied toffee illusions.
NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS
Down a cobblestone just off the main drag in the whaling Cape Cod mecca of New Bedford, MOBY DICK BREWING COMPANY resides at a restored 1927 waterfront building. A ‘chic Industrial’ brewery specializing in fine seafood cuisine, the red bricked pub was founded in 2017.
Moby Dick’s bold steel black columns, beige bricked interior walls, lacquered cement floor, low ceiling ducts and gorgeous marble top bar adorn the olden New England-styled tavern. There are 20 bar seats, a few two and four wood-chaired tables, hanging Edison bulbs, top shelf liquor and two TV’s fill out the spacious barroom while an outdoor patio adds further seating.
I bought all four flagship beers to go during my early June ’26 morning jaunt (listed in Beer Index) including Simple Sailor Light Lager, Ishm Irish Red, Quick Eternity WC IPA, Pulpit NE IPA.
BARNSTABLE, MASSACHUSETTS
In the historic Cape Cod village of Barnstable, FINN’S CRAFT BEER TAP HOUSE serves a lovely rotating selection of local draught beer alongside fine pub fare. Opened 2020, the rustic Industrial-styled public den located just off Main Street features 32 draught handles at its wood-paneled, black tile-ceilinged main space. A hanging Finn’s sign welcomes pubgoers to the beige paneled neighborhood lounge.
A prominent cement-lacquered countertop at the L-shaped bar gathers 20 bar stools while several bark-top community tables, metal-backed chairs and hanging Edison lights fill out the room. A right side dining area was used for line dancing on a Thursday eve, June ’26.
My wife and I found a spot at the plastic-furnished, turf-grounded outback deck to down six local Massachusetts brews and a bowl of clam chowder. Finn’s offers flatbread pizzas, burgers, chicken sandwiches and appetizers.
I quaffed Masshole Light Lager, Jacks Abbey Citrus Wave Lager, Moon Hill Blueberry Kolsch, Stoneface Red Card NEIPA, Hop Butcher Mo Onions Imperial IPA and SoMe Whoopie Pie Stout (all fully reviewed at Beer Index).
Marvelously designed Whitman’s Sampler with fudgy brown chocolate richness sidling delicate bourbon sweetness as tertiary toffee, burnt caramel, molasses candy, chocolate donut and marshmallow illusions awaken alongside latent bruised black cherry scurry. An exquisite S’mores-related mocha dessert treat.
Decadent vanilla-creamed toasted coconut entry picks up mild praline, almond, pecan and hazelnut pleasantries and latent black cherry whim above ‘vanilla ice cream’-influenced baked chocolate donut base.
