Busy russet-hued Wallolian-styled farmhouse ale utilizes herbaceous orange-spiced saison yeast to infiltrate pumpkin-pied cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg seasoning as well as caramelized banana sweetness, ginger root-candied minting and brown-sugared whiskey whir.
BAY STATE VELVET REVOLUCE BLACK LAGER
Brisk carbolic thrust prickles sour-milked burnt coffee bittering before mossy fungi cellar funk and mildewed fig desiccation nudge weedy brown-leafed hop foliage of musky black-malted lager.
BAY STATE BLOOD ORANGE LAGER
Tangy blood orange influence totally mesmerizes the senses for murkily gunky amber-sludged fruited lager dotted by globular blood orange chunks. Lemon-candied grapefruit, tangerine and passionfruit illusions reinforce blood orange delirium as syrupy orange soda-like sugaring sweetens the finish of viscous medium-full bodied fructose concoction.
CAPTAIN LAWRENCE BIER PRETZEL MARZEN
On tap at Beef Trust, slow-baked traditional German-styled pretzel frontage loses some attenuation as autumnal leafy foliage and slight orange oiling settle above spiced rye breading.
SCHILLING KONSTANTIN MARZEN
On tap at Draught Industries, dryer, lighter Austrian-styled marzen mingles raw-honeyed pumpernickel rye spicing with tobacco-leafed truffle earthiness, subtle orange oiling and dewy mildewed cellar funk.
FIFTH HAMMER HAMMERSTEIN OKTOBERFEST LAGER
On tap at Draught Industries, classic German Octoberfest utilizes Norwegian Kveik yeast for crisply clean soft-toned moderation. Lightly creamed honeyed biscuit sedation mingles with delicate leafy hop astringency and wispy orange oil snips above floury pilsner malt base.
TORCH & CROWN HIGHBRAU OKTOBERFEST
On tap at Draught Industries, crisply dry Oktoberfest let honeyed Vienna-malted sweetness gain slight tobacco roast to contrast leafy foliage, dewy fungi and nutty remnant.
BOLERO SNORT SIMPLY IRRESISTIBULL VOL. 2 FRUITED SMOOTHIE SOUR
Abundantly vanilla-creamed fruited smoothie propels thickly pureed strawberry-raspberry tartness and mild blueberry influence above cinnamon apple-spiced Graham Cracker base. Tangy berry continuance gains concentrated orange juicing and slightly soured cranberry-passionfruit-pineapple conflux as well as salty Margarita-licked liming and sugary rum rush. Recommended.
HUDSON ALE WORKS
HIGHLAND, NEW YORK
A cavernous cement-floored tavern with industrial wood-metal furnishings, recycled pallet-wood backdrops and a concrete slate-topped serving station boasting 14-plus homemade draughts, HUDSON ALE WORKS opened in 2016. Local garage-brewing Highland natives, Josh Zimmerman, Neil Trapani and Adam Trapani, took a dilapidated 7,500 square-foot machine shop and turned the rustic corrugated steel-roofed spot into a snazzy l’il pub celebrating “Industrial life with a trendy low-key vibe.”
A right side tabled section with lacquered bark counter opposes the small bar area and the overhead-doored, white cement-walled far right area leads to a back lounge lodging two picnic tables, wicker seating and a huge TV. A picnic-tabled front deck offers further seating. Nano brew tanks are stored at the rear.
Alongside an array of approachable brews, Hudson Ale Works also serves fine wines, meads and cider.
I discovered thirteen Hudson brews on my sunny noontime Saturday journey, late September ’21.
Smoothly crisp gold-cleared Czech lager, Swillsner, drew herbed corn-maize rusticity to dry lemon rind bittering above biscuity pilsner malting.
Crisp Hawzen Bavarian Lager let sweet leafed dewy mossing address spiced tea-like herbage and dry red-orange fruiting.
Banana-chipped clove spicing and orange oiled tartness grazed the whiskeyed wheat malts pacifying How Sweet Wit Is, a slightly divergent dryer witbier.
Orange-dried fungi musk and mild earthen truffle pungency gained sweetly spiced pale malt alacrity for Highland Helles.
Cloudily faded golden-hued moderation, Citra Session IPA, brought lemon-pitted grapefruit bittering to dry herbal whims, picking up subtle mandarin orange, pineapple and mango tropicalia.
Over a richer pale malt setting, the dual-hopped version, Citra Mosaic IPA, retained a steadfast lemony grapefruit-orange tang and sly wood-toned niche.
Earthy herbal tea bittering sedately crept thru sessionable dry-hopped Gnpwdr Green Tea IPA, a pasty pale malted green-black tea derivative.
Lactose Hazy Boi, a dry Nelson Sauvin-hopped NEIPA infused with pineapple, left a zesty grapefruit bittering upon the salty pineapple tang fortified by oats-flaked wheat malting.
Soft papaya pureed tartness bowed to citrus-juiced hop acidity above wet grain musk for Sour Boi, a lactobacillus-soured hazy IPA offshoot.
Lemon-juiced lime salting catapulted tequila-barreled Century Plant Gose, a pleasingly puckered agave-daubed aluminum-yellowed cocktail.
Oaken cherry tartness and tannic green grape esters induced Pucker Up Flemish Sour, leaving pleasantly peculiar charcoal soot on its piquant gooseberry pucker.
Coriander-spiced orange zesting engaged gentle honeyed oats malting for Trappist Punk, a modest Belgian-styled tripel.
Confectionery chocolate-kissed raspberry tartness and sweetly sour bruised black cherry tang rode atop the lightly embittered hop char of Raspberry Vanilla Stout, a wispily vanilla-creamed cocoa-forward dessert with latent blackberry-jammed red grape esters.
RIVER OUTPOST BREWING CO.
PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK
Occupying a multi-functional food and entertainment event space on the Hudson River one mile South of landmark Peekskill Brewery, RIVER OUTPOST BREWING COMPANY has been operating inside the red brick high-ceilinged Factoria warehouse since February ’18. Funded by nearby Captain Lawrence, this gargantuan indoor/outdoor pub only distributes its beers onsite.
Before becoming a pilot brewer of sour ales and barrel-aged beer at Captain Lawrence, University of Vermont alumni Mc Lean Cheney proved his wares as a beverage industry consultant, earning his wings at Colorado’s Aspen Brewing before he and his chef-wife moved back to his home state of Jersey, landing a gig as head brewer for Connecticut’s Half Full – crafting their award-winning Bright Ale. It wasn’t long ’til Cheney got promoted from Captain Lawrence to man the tall glass-enclosed stainless steel tanks at independent offshoot, River Outpost.
A spacious indoor-outdoor complex, River Outpost’s rectangular tiki bar services the ample blue umbrella-shaded deck and the stage-bound bench-tabled picnic area. Inside, the all-encompassing cement-floored gallery features a wood-lacquered 12-seat bar (with eight-plus taps and 3 TV’s), spread-out wood tabled dining, a big game room, axe throwing section, billiard table and small couched lounge.
Cheney’s four IPA’s, three lagers and one sour ale stay within stylistic range, but each bring out a unique aspect just beyond the boundaries. Try the raw bar, hearth-fired pizza or sandwiches and burgers to chase down the delightful suds.
My wife and I arrived on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, late September ’21, to consume all eight homemade brews.
Crisp aluminum-yellowed light-bodied mainstay, Cool Hands Lager, let corn-dried cereal graining scour sour lemondrop dollop, vegetal celery watering and wispy herbal snips. The perfect alternative for light mainstream Bud-Coors-Miller thirsts.
Rich brown-cleared amber lager, Festbier Skill, coalesced crusty chocolate breading with earthen truffle, dewy fungi, spiced dried fruiting and leafy hop foliage, slightly furthering its stylistic flavor parameters.
Dark chocolate-roasted ice coffee tones led Uno Mano Fuerte Black Lager, bringing mild peppery heat to the backend.
Straightforward Canoe IPA brought lemony yellow grapefruit sunshine and mandarin orange zesting to herbal wood tones in crisp fashion.
Clean Norwegian Kveik yeast brightened the modest lemon-peeled grapefruit bittering and zesty orange tang of Banjo Juice Kveik IPA, a mildly piney hopped moderation.
Another smooth crystalline watered moderation, Hazy Bae NEIPA, scattered lemon zest, orange marmalade, tart passionfruit and tangy papaya alongside mild vanilla yogurt souring above an oated wheat base.
Flagship NEIPA, Skillbilly, let limey grapefruit souring, candied orange and tangy tangerine pick up salty herbal peppering and minor pine tones.
“Seductive’ Pink Lacey Sour Ale allowed lactose-milked souring to seep into salted raspberry puree and ancillary passionfruit-guava tartness over silken oats.
After Mc Lean departed for Five Dimes Brewery in Westwood, NJ, I revisited July ’22 on a sweltering Sunday to try six more River Outpost brews.
Stylishly dryer and slightly hoppier, Pop Off Wit allowed grassy herbage and barnyard funk to penetrate its subtler orange peeled coriander expectancy.
Also dryer than its usual style, Itchy Bon Saison, let acrid farmhouse leathering soak up the laidback fennel-tinged dried fruit spicing.
Placing herbal lemon musk and dry hay-like graining across the sweet fruited malt plain gave Timp Torne Maibock a balanced blend.
Salty coriander-seeded lemon lime souring engaged white peach-pureed Peg Leg Peach Gose, finishing with a slightly acidic candied peach tartness.
Sessionable Cabin Boy IPA let lemony orange tanginess plus mild mango-pear-cantaloupe snips receive grassy pine hop astringency.
Amber grain toasting fortified the Citra-hopped fruiting of High Tor Red IPA, leaving lemony orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess and spicy pineapple tartness upon sugared pale malts.
CZIG MEISTER FERRIDACTYL BARREL AGED IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Taphouse 15, decadent 5th anniversary Imperial Stout’s cocoa-nibbed cookie dough onrush enhanced by Vanuatu vanilla bean adjunct, picking up dark chocolate-syruped coffee stain, mellow bourbon warmth and bruised black cherry tartness as ancillary marshmallow, coconut and hazelnut illusions surface latently.
GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY MIDNIGHT ORANGE STOUT
On tap at Hoover’s Tavern, richly creamed orange chocolate-candied Bourbon County variant aged in bourbon further sweetened by honeyed caramel malting. Zestful orange-glazed black chocolate syruping oozes thru thick cake texture, creating chocolate orange truffle, chocolate orange mousse and chocolate orange cake illusions.
