Briskly juicy fruited sour ale allows pureed pink guava tartness and limey papaya pucker to soak up ginger tea remnant as white grape tannins flitter with watermelon rind earthiness.
WESTFAX BLOOTYLICIOUS BLUEBERRY WHEAT
Sweet ‘n sour floral blueberry lacquering relegated alongside faded purple grape tannins over gummy glutenous wheat base.
VON TRAPP DRY-HOPPED KOLSCH
On tap at Triton -Beach Haven, dry-hopped kolsch collab with fellow Vermont brewery, Upper Pass, wrings persistent champagne-dried lemon musk, sedate clementine oiling and grassy hop herbage out of white breaded pilsner malt moderation.
COMMON ROOTS FRITZI OKTOBERFEST
Harsh raw honeyed orange oiling, dicey pumpkin spicing and musty herbage reach wet-leafed astringency above murky Vienna malt din.
TWIN ELEPHANT THE GIANT DIPPER INDIA PALE LAGER
On tap at Kitchen & Beer Bar, clear aluminum yellowed India Pale Lager utilizes white ricing for dry lemon-limed strawberry, pineapple and mandarin orange piquancy, drifting thru ‘honeyed sake’ herbage.
PARADOX GET OFF MY LAWN AMBER LAGER
On tap at Growler & Gill, mellow amber lager plies floral perfume-spiced orange, tangerine and clementine tanginess to gluey Vienna malts for sessionable mediocrity.
ASLIN OLD TOWN LAGER
On tap at Growler & Gill, ‘crushable’ aluminum beige light lager flings floral lemon spritz at husked corn musk, mild peppercorn swipe and wispy green tea herbage.
SOMERS POINT BREWING COMPANY
SOMERS POINT, NEW JERSEY
Tucked away in a yellow brick warehouse a half-hour South of Atlantic City, SOMERS POINT BREWING COMPANY came to be April 11, 2019. Its cement-topped aluminum-sided bar features twelve-plus taps while cornered TV’s dot the metal-wood-chaired pub. An overhead door leads to an enclosed brown-benched side deck with strung Edison lights.
Established Ukrainian-American head brewer, Kevin Szagala, crafts a rangy semblance of fine brews at the left side tanks. Educated in the “school of hard knocks,” Szagala began as a homebrewer inspired by iconic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – a briskly sharp West Coast IPA-derived transmutation.
I sank all ten available suds on my early October ’22 sojourn.
Easygoing floral-fruited Big Nose Blonde Ale contrasted dry lemon-salted Amarillo hop woodiness with honeyed pale malts.
Classic dry pale ale, Patcong, laid lively grapefruit-seeded orange bittering atop light wood-toned herbage and vegetal celery crisping in a casual Cascade-Centennial-Columbus-hopped coalition.
Toasted grains pelted the perfumed apple-pear conflux and leafy dewiness engaging Tony Martzen Oktoberfest, an autumnal seasonal that left a dried fruit smirk.
Another fall seasonal, Ubiquitous Autumn Ale, had brown-sugared pumpkin pie spicing work its subtle nutmeg-cinnamon-allspice triage into hop-dried Vienna malts.
Amber grain toasting allowed mild red-orange-yellow fruiting to enter the lightly spiced caramel fray of Josie Kelly’s Irish Red, plying roasted tobacco crisping and smoked wood notions to the backend.
Joyous witbier, Bay Rat, pasted sweet pureed banana, tart lemon meringue and zesty orange peel illusions to the mild fungi-cellared peppercorn snips contrasting its gentle chamomile-coriander remnant.
Strong Belgian blonde ale, Third Nipple Tripel, buttressed musty white-peppered fungi herbage with candi-sugared banana and clove sweetness and buttery Chardonnay pleasantries in a fluffily creamed soft-tongued manner.
Honeyed grapefruit tanginess and lemony orange daubs picked up mildly peppered hop spicing for Points West, a moderate West Coast IPA.
Subtle lemon-peeled grapefruit and orange bittering plus wispy herbal snips contrasted the mild caramel-spiced sweetness of Big Fish, a soothingly off-dry Imperial IPA.
Molasses-sugared dark roast chocolate dove thru light maple oats syruping for Live By The Nickel, Die By The Dime, a sweet porter with mossy earthen residue.
OBSCURE OSCILLATION BREWING COMPANY
POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK
Running an experimental nanobrewery out of a backyard garage in Poughkeepsie, OBSCURE OSCILLATION specializes in crafting slightly offbeat Belgian style ales and other varied small batch one-offs. A certified New York State farmhouse brewery brought to life by long-time local childhood friends, Pier Di Camillo (of Uruguayan persuasion) and Visham Chinkan (from Guyanese auspices), Obscure Oscillation has handcrafted at least 34 different beer recipes since opening in 2018.
Inside the glorified garage there are twelve black wood seats at the bark top bar and a few conical fermenters towards the rear. A big TV centers the bar where three tap handles serve today’s current fare. There are bottles for sale as well.
Lovers of music and culture, ‘metafictional monks’ Chinkan and Di Camillo set out to be homebrewers during their college years. Though they both maintain day-time jobs, there’s no denying their passion for brewing. The duo’s locally resourced ingredients add an earthen barley-hop rusticity and husked grain rawness to the uniquely handcrafted elixirs.
In their late teens, Chinkan and Di Camillo acquired a palette for Belgian ales of all styles and couldn’t find anything that could satisfy their souls. During this time, there were no hazy IPA’s or NEIPAs, which they now enjoy drinking. Brewing since age 18, they had much success at local homebrewers competitions, but the idea of starting a brewery was just a dream. A decade went by with no thoughts of operating a brewery. During those 10 years, a lot of research was conducted consuming many beverages. Fast forward to 2017, the lifelong friends revisited the idea of opening up a brewery focusing on Belgian style ales. By 2018, Obscure Oscillation was getting established, receiving farm brewery licenses in April.
Some of Chinkan’s favorite Belgian ales include St. Bernardus Apt. 12, La Trappe Quadrupel, Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven and anything from Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen and Fantome. As for Di Camillo, Victory Storm King Stout, Scaldis Noel, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout and Oude Kriek- Hanssens Artisanaal hit the spot.
During September ’22, my wife and I took a trip to Obscure Oscillation for a tasty noon time slurp.
Zestful dry-hopped Belgian IPA, Meridian Rumble, coalesced candi-sugared orange caking and lemony gooseberry tartness with oaken vanilla tannins, leaving earthen fungi yeast and pulpy sawdust licks on the backend.
Salty strawberry tartness faded to orange-dried lemon souring and candied pineapple tartness for Enwhy Belgian Blonde with Strawberry, a fruitier variant with tamped down Perle hop herbage and mineral-grained pilsner malting buttressing its piquant strawberry rhubarb finish.
A frisky hopped-up Citra saison, Weeping Strings placed lemon-oiled white peach tartness alongside sweet orange peel tanginess as gingery coriander and grains of paradise seeding plus herbal star anise sweetness stayed laidback.
Dry Belgian Golden Strong Ale, Seventh Aurum, unleashed leathery oaken cherry tannins all over vinous green grape esters, raw honeyed cider tartness and citric-spiced hop phenols above delicate peat-smoked pilsner malts.
Slightly unconventional black IPA, Dark Rye Of The Moon, placed treacly Blackstrap molasses-sapped rye malts inside charcoaled dark chocolate bittering, gaining musky soy-bound dried fruiting, dank earthen weediness and dark-roast hop char while maintaining a creamily foamed resilience.
BACKYARD BREWERY
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Taking up an entire multi-storied tan restaurant facility, BACKYARD BREWERY became reality during 2017. Featuring an exquisite plank wood-boarded 20-seat barroom, Garden Room, banquet space and upstairs pavilion, its interior is reminiscent of a traditional Old English Publick House.
Inside, there’s a cool pub atmosphere abuzz while outside local families – many with pet dogs – gather for dinner. There are ten house beers on draught to go along with the varied food menu (suppers, burgers, salads, munchies).
I had dinner and ten affable brews at the expansive, half-umbrellaed, picket fenced deck on a crowded Friday evening, September ’22.
Lightweight Bavarian draught, Punky Pilsner, let pilsner-malted wheat sugaring contrast herbal Noble hops as spritzy lemon tingles the throat and stylishly proper sulfuric skunking surfaces.
Easygoing cereal grained sourdough sweetness encountered mild floral-spiced lemon licks for moderate-bodied Lawnmower Helles Lager, leaving a nutty melanoid smidge.
A New England-styled pale ale, Baby Hook guided its IPA-like lemony orange zesting and phenol New Zealand-hopped green grape esters into delicate herbal astringency above its dry pale malt base.
Despite American pale wheat descriptive, Grace utilized Belgian witbier adjuncts such as Valencia orange, coriander and grains of paradise. Yet its banana-clove sweetness nearly upstages the brisk orange peel zesting.
A more blanched witbier, Spring Fever utilized minty lemongrass to perk up its dry lemony white grape tannins atop musty white wheat malts.
Combining classic saison yeast esters with dry-hopped IPA fruiting, Solstice Dry-hopped Saison sustained lemon limed cologne perfuming.
Tart pinkish purpled fruited sour, Bomb Pom, affixed blueberry pureed pomegranate souring to mild acidulated malts as sedate pink grapefruit, raspberry and crabapple illusions flutter.
My fave this eve, Surplus Imperial IPA, retained a mellow orange-peeled yellow grapefruit zesting, tangy pineapple-mango conflux and floral-daubed spicing above buttery oated wheat.
Sedate light-roast coffee bittering usurped excellent Dark Roast Baltic Porter, settling alongside dark chocolate-draped hazelnut and walnut conflux before picking up earthen truffle latency plus teasing dried fruiting.
Honduran cacao nibs and espresso encountered lemon wedged souring for pale-toned Light Roast White Stout, leaving caramel roasted vanilla daubs on the steadfast citric-dashed mocha finish.
TO SHARE BREWING COMPANY
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Occupying a gray brick depot in an unassuming residential spot, TO SHARE BREWING COMPANY sports a spiffy post-mod mosaic mural and overhead doored concrete side deck. A friendly neighborhood pub, this Manchester chestnut opened its doors in springtime 2019.
Owned and operated by homebrewing couple Aaron and Jenni Share, who decided to take their hobby seriously after heading north to the Granite State from D.C., To Share’s communal spirit spreads to hosting live music and other local events.
Besides being a seven barrel nanobrewery, To Share also spins vinyl records for the local denizens lurking inside its plastic-seated, butcher block-tabled, concrete-floored, corrugated-sided, red brick walled confines. Plus, a beautiful cartoon robot mural takes up a whole side wall, reinforcing the novel contemporary pop feel.
Serving a goodly rounded selection of beers along with light pub fare, To Share’s spirited tunes fill the air on my September ’22 visit. I tried all seven available handcrafted suds at the alleyway side deck.
Mild metallic-cleared light lager, For Heck Yeah, let wet-grained corn husk astringency get prickled by a sour lemon spritz.
Dewy Community Canvas Helles Lager, seeped mild lemony orange oil into its pasty honeyed wheat base, dialing back its musky raw graining and grassy-hopped herbage.
A sour tiki cocktail, limey passionfruit and lemon-soured green grape tannins contrasted less prominent cherry-sugared cotton candy confection of fruited Berliner Weiss, Secret Wizard Handshake Hurricane, leaving pencil shavings on the back end.
Fluffily cumulous-headed session IPA, Baby Sweluga, brightened its vivacious orange-peeled pineapple briskness and lemony grapefruit bittering above herb-tinged piney hop dryness.
Sedate lemony grapefruit and pineapple bittering picked up dry wood tones and herbal-licked juniper snips for Smokey’s Kangaroo, another sessionable West Coast IPA.
Dry flagship NEIPA, Gold Civic, plied lemon zest and mild grapefruit bittering to resinous pine-lacquered clay hops, gaining ancillary mango, peach and pineapple tanginess.
Best bet: Majestic See Sun Saison let candi-sugared lemon meringue, banana cake, peach cobbler, mandarin orange and tangelo fruitiness absorb light vanilla creaming contrasting white-peppered herbal spiciness of foamy cumulous -headed golden-hazed medium body.
Dark coffee-roasted bittering and hazelnut-pasted molasses treacle gained moderate lactic acidity for Hugs And Belly Rubs, a cold brewed coffee stout.
CANDIA ROAD BREWING COMPANY
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Inside a butterscotch vinyl-sided Victorian edifice on the outskirts of Manchester, family-owned CANDIA ROAD BREWING COMPANY began operations way back in 2011. Originally a homebrew shop, Candia Road soon ventured into brewing the worthy Nepenthe Ales lineup of beer before upgrading its cozy facility.
The wood floored interior featured a five-seat stainless steel-topped bar with six draught handles, six community tables and low ceiling. At the left side brewroom, Mike Neel crafts his somewhat stylishly conventional elixirs.
I quaffed all seven available draughts at the large outdoor patio on my Saturday afternoon September ’22 junket.
Softly creamed pale lager, Homestyle, buttressed its delicate citrus sway with crisp mineral graining and bready sour mash respite.
Lemon-limed Skittles candied pale ale, Flow “N Glow – Single Hop, ventured thru wispy Columbus-hopped fungi earthiness and musky graining.
Slightly lemon-soured plantain starching contrasted mildly spiced banana sweetness for Subtle Banana, a moderate-bodied wheat ale with herbal nuances.
Tart floral-daubed sumac spicing caressed the limey bergamot orange tartness and wavering acidulated malts of Pinky Tart Saison – Sumac, hiding its dry farmhouse rusticity.
Soft-toned double dry-hopped NEIPA, Tina, let lemony orange-bruised pineapple and peach tanginess absorb mild pine resin above tidy pale malting.
Another fine NEIPA, Cone Zone, plied lemony orange, grapefruit and mango zesting plus subtle gooseberry, guava and papaya souring to minor piney herbage.
Dark chocolate syrup coated the nutty coffee bitterness and wispy earthen truffle pungency of creamy oatmeal stout, Squoke, drifting off into a whiskey-daubed Irish Car Bomb cocktail coupled with Yoo-Hoo soft drink by its pronounced cocoa bean finish.