CULT CLASSIC BREWERY & TAPROOM

United States Brewpubs,

Cult Classic Brewery 1169 Shopping Center Rd Stevensville, MD Pubs - MapQuest

STEVENSVILLE, MARYLAND

At a sprawling shopping mall in the Kent Island-bound town of Stevensville (fifteen minutes east of Annapolis), CULT CLASSIC BREWERY & TAPROOM opened in 2018. A glass-windowed closed-in front patio with black metal furnishings leads to the movie-themed taproom (a former grocery store).

Inside, the family friendly pub run by head brewers Jesse and Brooks Mc New offers a popular assortment of stylish brews to go alongside wings-pizza-burgers. Running a home brew shop for twenty years before Cult Classic culminated, the Mc New’s sought to offer a live venue for local music artists as well.

The cement-floored, gray-walled interior features a small stage area fronting the Edison-lighted elongated bar. Colorful framed pictures of glitzy Hollywood theatre stars jazz up the snazzy place.

A large brew room windowing the spacious 12-plus draught bar contains an array of silver stainless steel tanks and its bulky size allows for imminent expansion. Special Cult-tails such as mules, White Russians, vodka crushes and Margaritas are also available.

My wife and I grab seats at the bar and try eight fine libations.

Cult Classic Brewing Company – beer! cocktails! pizza! wings!Attack of the Strawberry Blonde! - Cult Classic Brewing Co. - Untappd

Summery centrist flagship, Attack Of The Strawberry Blonde!, allowed candied strawberry tartness to fade softly above delicate hop astringency to its wispy white wheat base.

Lemony banana-coriander sweetness and mandarin orange snips caressed honeyed wheat for summery light-bodied Witbier.

Raw-grained sour mash swept across herbal Noble hops for Kolsch, an easygoing straw-cleared moderation.

Soft-tongued sour ale, Proof Of Life – Pink Guava/Blueberry, plied subtle pink guava salting to mild blueberry tartness and pleasant passionfruit whims.

Pureed blood orange moderation, Equals Beer, a variant IPA, let spritzy grapefruit-tangerine zesting tickle its amber-grained biscuit base.

Enthusiastic New England-styled The IPA When the Earth Stood Still brought tropical grapefruit, orange, pineapple, peach, mango and nectarine sunshine to its sugary pale malt retreat.

Pine-dried grapefruit, orange and tangerine bittering burst forth for Zappa IPA, a briskly clean, less authentic New England-styled version.

Robust English-styled Porter let dark-roasted mocha nuttiness top toffee-spiced dried fruiting contrasting scant hop char.

KITCHEN AND BEER BAR

BEER PUB,

HASKELL, NEW JERSEY

Inside a homey cafe-styled venue with flat earth-toned brick foundation, Haskell, New Jersey’s KITCHEN AND BEER BAR serves a myriad of upscale pub fare (Alligator Sausage/ Elk Burger) alongside a dozen-plus well chosen draught beers.

Its one main room features a tan hop-laden front wall with Hunter S. Thompson slogan, brick-based L-shape bar and salvaged wood side walls. Exposed bronze pipes crowd the low ceiling and hanging caged Edison lights also decorate the cozy six-tabled gastropub.

Residing in an unincorporated hamlet community within the town of Wanaque’s confines, Kitchen And Beer Bar will please all true craft beer brewhounds.

On my initial December ’20 journey, I discovered local Jersey faves such as Toms River At Wits End, Magnify Jelly and Jughandle Jug Of Joe and neighboring New York libations like Industrial Arts Lotus NEIPA, KCBC Reservoir Frogs DIPA and Nightmare Crucifixion Third Servile War Hazy IPA (all reviewed in Beer Index).

I have consistently revisited the Kitchen for numerous previously untried beers, creative alligator meals and burgers.

WARBLER BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

The Warbler Brewery | Delmar, NY | Beers | BeerAdvocate

DELMAR, NEW YORK

On the way back home from Schenectady one Saturday afternoon in December ’20, visited newly opened Delmar watering hole, WARBLER BREWERY, a friendly cafe-styled pub just outside Albany.

Along Route 443 off the New York Thruway, Warbler’s spot-on recipes gained appreciation as I imbibed each winning elixir at the small freestanding brick bar. Its wood tables and picnic  benches front the pale green-walled interior of this cozy lounge. The beautiful wood floors reach the red-green tiled midsection where the green slate-topped bar featured nine glass-backed tap handles. Framed photos of namesake warbler birds line the walls as the Jets choke to the Raiders on the big-screen TV above my head at one of the picnic tables.

Local entrepreneurial brewer, Chris Schell, a highly experienced craftsman, previously worked at Cooperstown, Butternut and Robin Hood breweries. Since Schell’s shop’s only been open a few days, there are only four homemade beers readied, but each had its own steadied personality and crisp foundation.

New brewery, taproom coming to DelmarBEER | The Warbler Brewery

Smoothly effervescent dry pale-malted flagship, Pale Ale, retained mildly spiced lemony orange tanginess with grassy hop astringency contrasting delicate floral whims in a stylishly moderate setting.

Another winning flagship, New England-styled IPA, Dissimulation, placated its yogurt-soured lemondrop souring with slightly bitter orange rind, grapefruit peel and pineapple tartness over dry pale malts.

Brisk Imperial IPA, Wolfjaw, let mild lemon zest brighten its tangy grapefruit, orange and pineapple tropicalia above oated wheat-flaked malts.

Madagascar vanilla beans received bittersweet coffee-burnt cocoa tones for Flurpy, a dark chocolate-y pastry stout.

Future Flurpy offshoots were promised as I depart – specifically a Peanut Butter & Jelly version as well as a S’mores knockoff.

HUBBARD’S CAVE PEANUT BUTTER CUP IMPERIAL STOUT

Beers A-Z,

Rich syrupy chocolate peanut buttering and dark-roast hop sear raided by bittersweet vanilla bean onrush. At the midst, confectionery Peanut Butter Cup resilience picks up mild burgundy and sherry respite. On tap at Taphouse 15, creamy chocolate-caked bourbon vanilla sweetness intercepts peanut-buttered Reese’s Pieces candy sugaring as mild hop char provides ashen bittering to contrast ancillary hazelnut-glazed burnt caramel, creme brulee, dark cocoa, toffee and whiskey illusions.

Hubbards Cave Peanut Butter Cup | Binny's Beverage Depot