On tap at Hoover’s Tavern, soft-toned hibiscus-flowered pomegranate adjunct brings ‘sun-kissed twist’ to spritzy lemon-limed guava, green grape and oaken cherry illusions above pilsner malting.
ZERO GRAVITY FRANKIE
On tap at Ambulance, tart lemony cherry spritz and limey pomelo dryness pick up mild cologne musk for thin and pallid summertime moderation.
LAST WAVE POINT BEACH LAGER
On tap at Kitchen & Beer Bar, dry lemon-rotted fungi musk consumes front end of crisply clean pale malted moderation with salted pretzel finish. Simple summertime fodder.
THREES WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN HELLES
On tap at Ambulance. Though spring flowered honey nectar description may be overstated, muted floral-daubed citrus spicing stays zestful as mild herbal whims waver over doughy white breading in crisply light-bodied setting.
SCHLAFLY WHITE LAGER
Dry semi-sharp clear golden German-styled zwickelbier puts lemony orange zest on the surface above French breaded carapils-wheat malting as perfumed floral spicing and raw-honeyed herbal musk reach the leathery straw hay finish.
CENTRAL WATERS HONEY BLONDE
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, spritzy lemon-candied orange soda sugaring picks up wafting floral bouquet as mild hop astringency settles above honeyed red wheat malting for traditional cream ale labeled a blonde.
ICARUS BLAST MASTER PILSNER
On tap at Beef Trust, dry muskily grained Saaz hop herbage guards sourly lemon bruised fizzing of pliable pale golden-hued light body collab with Chatham-based Twin Elephant.
SCHILLING PALMOVKA 12′ CZECH STYLE PILSNER
On tap at Ambulance, dry Czech-styled pilsner ties maize-dried grain toasting to doughy baked breading as mild celery-watered lemon limed herbal musk provides amiable pivot. Almost perfect.
ATHLETIC CERVEZA ATLETICA
Dry barley roast brings bread crusted brown breading and tea-like earthiness to mild hop astringency for Connecticut-based non-alcoholic ‘Light Copper’ Mexican lager. Sort of a blander Vienna lager due to lack of caramelized pale malt sugaring.
JACKASS BREWING
LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Occupying a stately gray bricked Industrial building with aluminum-sided large windows atop a small hill on Route 45 in Lewisburg (home of Bucknell University), JACKASS BREWING opened March 2020. Started by two homebrewers inspired by the Portland Ale Fest, Skip Kratzer and Larry Winans, craft well-designed straightforwardly stylized suds.
A beautifully landscaped property with metal-furnished tiled patio leading to the metal-and-wood factory-like pub, Jackass Brewing’s high ceilinged fans and exposed pipes add proper industrial details to the 4,000 square-foot space. The 25-seat red brick-backed bar features twelve-plus jackass-handled draughts connected to the windowed brew tank room via large red engine room piping.
My wife and I and dog, Roscoe, grab seats on the turf-floored, umbrella-tabled back deck to down nine proprietary brews alongside delectable pub fare, June ’22. Signature cocktails were also available.
Polite light-bodied German pilsner, First Voyage, brought lemon-soured herbage to raw-grained maize dryness and grassy hop astringency contrasting sweet corn pop and mild coriander jot.
Smoothly fruited IPA, Orphan Annie, left floral-herbed citrus traces upon caramelized pale malts, as modest lemony grapefruit-peeled orange pith bittering and zippy tangerine tanginess maintained casual summertime appeal.
Easygoing ‘pine-forward’ IPA, Random Walking Nun, held steadfast with mild grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and modest passionfruit tartness riding atop delicate crystal malt sugaring.
Laidback limey grapefruit, orange and mango zesting paced easygoing Citra-hopped NEIPA, Foggy Doo, contrasting light pine resin with spicy pale malts underneath.
Zestful NEIPA, Juicy(er) Ass, placated lemony grapefruit-pineapple tanginess and orange-oiled tangerine tartness with buttery pale malts.
Candi sugared dried fruiting ensconced Belgian IPA, Rakau Me Amadeus, bringing Rakau-hopped apricot, plum, pear and plantain illusions to spicily white peppered fungi phenols.
Sweetly tart candi-sugared banana puree, lemon meringue and orange marmalade bluster fronted Wonkey Donkey Tripel, picking up wispy white-peppered clove and coriander spicing.
Soft-toned breakfast stout, Bfasst, an Imperial Porter despite its descriptive moniker, placed cream-sugared medium roast coffee alongside dry espresso, milk chocolate and cocoa nibs resilience.
Dry Irish stout, Kizma Irish Ass, saddled barley roasted caramel malts with mild hop-charred coffee, espresso, dark chocolate and cola illusions.
RIEPSTINE’S PUB & BREWERY
WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA
Terrific family-owned English pub-styled alehouse, RIEPSTINE’S PUB & BREWERY, opened by Bart & Tess Ripple in 2015, creates an expansive range of beer recipes complemented by ‘traditional comfort food.’
Located on the westside in the Newbury section of Williamsport, this white concrete-fronted brewery (with red brick foundation) features a brown aluminum-topped Riepstine’s Pub insignia above the front door.
Inside, Riepstine’s small penny-encased wood lacquer bar (with eight seats, sixteen draught handles and many walled mugs) services four right side wood booths plus one next to the bar and front wood dining seats. An outside cement-floored patio with aluminum-topped canopy sidles a plastic beach-chaired open firepit spot.
My wife and I visit on a muggy Saturday evening, May ’22, to down thirteen efficiently rounded and well differentiated brews leaning on the heavy and/or dark side.
Easygoing yellow-cleared light body, Lycoming Lager, stayed off-dry as mild lemon-oiled corn souring and buttery raw-honeyed pale malts coalesce.
Dry German schwarzbier, Pitch Black Lager, brought dark-roast cocoa malts to bitterly hop-charred tobacco chaw, tannic vanilla astringency and charcoal latte whims.
Riepstine’s Summer Ale received an herbal kick for offshoot Thyme Out Rosemary, placing rosemary and thyme alongside its cologned lemon lime zesting.
Brisk orange-peeled grapefruit rind bittering picked up herbal-tinged floral daubs and soft pine tones for flagship Imperial IPA, Alpha Deuce, leaving slithers of tangy peach, pineapple and tangerine on the caramelized backend.
Candi-sugared orange marmalade, lemon meringue and banana puree fruiting picked up buttery Chardonnay wining to engage the briny herbage securing farmhouse ale, 7th Ward Saison.
Beautifully designed Belgian quadrupel, Quadmire 2018, laced caramelized fig, raisin and prune sweetness with whiskey-soaked toffee spicing over dark crystal candi-sugared malts.
Muted coffee roasted nuttiness permeated Jaysburg Porter, draping black chocolate syrup on earthen black peppered hops.
Cold brewed coffee alkalinity settles across creamy vanilla sugaring for Buzzsaw Coffee Kolsch, plying black peppered herbage to lemon rind bittering underneath.
Dry cocoa powdered molasses oats surged forth for KRS Oat Stout, leaving latent black cherry, blackberry and date nut illusions.
Dryer Lumber Jack Imperial Stout, let mossy wood char seep into dark chocolate malts and black cherry snips.
Decadent Madagascar vanilla bean-imbued Vanilla Bourbon Stout sent creamy vanilla bourbon sweetness on a rich black chocolate journey, serenading mild burgundy, brandy and port snips.
Another luxurious dark ale, Society’s Reserve: Bourbon-aged Imperial Milk Stout, unleashed milk chocolate fudging upon light buttercream-frosted bourbon vanilla sweetness and molasses oats.
Even more luscious, Chocolate Cherry Bourbon Stout caressed soft-tongued chocolate caking with bourbon vanilla-daubed bruised cherry tartness, subtle blackberry-boysenberry-blueberry serenity and mild coffee tones.
BOOM CITY BREWING COMPANY
WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA
A family-friendly cafe-styled gastropub with its logo sprawled along a wide green awning above the glass door entrance in the center of Williamsport, BOOM CITY BREWING CO. opened up in autumn 2016. Making use of rough-cut timber, co-owners William Fredo and Mark Lorson designed their small pub-eatery to recall a cozy dining hall. Its metal-framed overhead door frontage has an antique dime store appeal.
A centralized seven-seat wood top bar with eight draught handles services three front-windowed steel-chaired wood tables and three bark-backed booths. Signature steaks, thin crust pizza, pasta and sandwiches bedeck a fine locally sourced food menu.
Wine, cordials and top shelf liquor are available alongside Boom City’s approachable stylistic beers. My wife and I spent a few hours prior to Saturday dinner in May ’22 to consume seven homemade suds.
Mild Cascade-hopped lemon zesting perked up the musky milled graining of Pine Street Pilsner, sliding trusty rye-pumpernickel breading into the backdrop.
Leathery horse-blanketed straw wheat acridity sidled tart lemon-dropped grapefruit oiling draping rustic moderation, Wheat Pale Ale, picking up celery watered vegetalia.
A tad washed-out, pinkish amber-cleared Raspberry Wheat spread chalky floral-perfumed raspberry tartness atop fragile white wheat bottom, picking up wispy watermelon and lychee illusions.
Creamed coffee sedation gained dry hop-charred black peppering and oaken vanilla tannins for Coffee Cream Ale, a fair breakfast companion.
West Coast-styled Boom Rat Pale Ale brought IPA-like grapefruit-peeled pine lacquering to resinous cannabis-oiled fungi mustiness.
Soft-tongued West Coast-styled IPA, Log Jam, took salty grapefruit rind and lemon pith bittering plus spritzy orange-peeled pineapple zing to tobacco-leafed pale malt crisping.
Espresso-dried dark cocoa resonance saddled Muddy River Porter, guiding day-old coffee souring into hop-charred earthen musk at the finish.