Sessionable helles lager flings hay-like husked maize astringency, dry spelt-grained flouring and corn-sugared pale malting at grassy Noble-hopped lemon peel spritz for muskily rustic malt liquor-like persistence.
WOODSTOCK KELLERBIER
On tap at Ambulance, cellared pale lager malting adds musky graining to lemony orange-oiled grapefruit pith bittering, lawn-mown grassy hop astringency and mild herbal tones.
CROSSROADS HOUSE LAGER
On tap at Growler & Gill, briskly clean flagship lager brings zesty lemon splurge to bready pale malting and grassy hop astringency with gleeful mainstream appeal.
NEW BELGIUM MOUNTAIN TIME PREMIUM LAGER
Dry premium lager with straw grained barnyard minerality gains sweetly rice-wined green grape esters to soothe herbal lemon rot souring and skunked vegetal snip above cracked wheat bed for fluffily white-headed yellow belly.
GULPENER UR-HOP INDIA PALE LAGER
Pasty pale malt sugaring greets raw-honeyed clay hop waxing as tart lemon meringue, orange compote and pineapple illusions shine thru doughy pastry flouring in briskly carbolic setting.
TEXELS SKUUMKOPPE SPECIAALBIER
Generic dark lager contrasts dry corn-husked astringency and lightly pungent herbal hops against pasty wheat-riced cereal malts before zesty lemon spritz gets phenol. Meager banana, orange and white grape undertones slide below.
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EINBECKER BRAUHERREN PILSNER
On tap at Ambulance, classic ‘bitter’ German pilsner unites grassy Noble-hopped herbal astringency, musty citric ripple and stylishly tangible sulfuric skunking to maize-dried cracked wheat spine for muskily pungent germinated grain profile.
STEENBERGE PREMIUM PILSENER
Easygoing yellow cleared Belgian pils (in skinny brown bottle) contrasts straw-dried maize astringency and dewy earthen smidge against sweet rice caking above honeyed barley-oats. Lively lemon spritz joins the fold soon after.
DOWNRIVER BREWING CO.
STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Just across the Delaware River off Route 80 west of Jersey, DOWNRIVER BREWING CO. opened in November 2019, becoming Stroudsburg’s first brewery since 1937. Situated downtown near the Sherman Theatre in the back of Main Street Plaza, Downriver retains a rustic bohemian charm.
Its embossed silver ceiling tiles recall pre-Prohibition times while the lacquered wood top 10-stool bar (with antiquated aluminum siding) matches the panel floor’s unrefined splendor. There are also patio-benched community tables. Local art displays cover the front walls and live entertainment rocks the house on weekends. A gaming room back space keeps kids entertained.
Owner Steven Brancato claims brewer Matt Dussor’s beer recipes put him ‘over the edge’ and when the opportunity came to begin brewing operations, the two were readily energized.
The left side open space contains the brewing area where several cool local beer bottles dot the wall.
On my one-hour January ’20 stopover, I consume six homemade brews alongside corn-sugared, tonic-watered hard seltzer, Fizzy Fellow, a lemon-limed malt liquor with herbal respite.
Downriver’s lightest offering, Sweet Mitosis Cream Ale, spread corn-flaked Maris Otter toasting, dry maize crisping and mild hay-like Fuggle-hopped herbage across spritzy lemon zest.
Bettering Killians and Blue Moon, amber ale/ witbier mix, That’s That Red Wit brought lemon-pitted orange tanginess, tingly coriander spicing and floral-perfumed herbal hops to sweet cereal graining.
Sweet caramel-malted fig spicing and mildly creamed vanilla snips contrasted lemon-soured fungi cellaring for amiable moderate-medium-bodied Fingerhakein Weizenbock.
Effervescent orange, grapefruit, peach and tangerine tanginess contrasted less dramatic guava-gooseberry souring and tart lemon custard illusions while Vienna-malted honeyed oats consumed Johnny Wood Boy Imperial IPA.
Lovely coffee roasted bitterness gained black-malted dark chocolate tones for Masters Of Nothing Coffee Oatmeal Breakfast Stout, a robust dark ale.
Milk-sugared coffee creaming and white chocolate sweetness gathered alongside wheat-flaked biscuit malts to validate luscious dessert-like holiday stout, I Don’t Have A Log, probably my fave this lovely winter afternoon.
On July ’22 return, my wife and I grabbed one of the four plastic-seated umbrella-laden benches in the alleyway while downing all previously untried brews and eating caprese salad, spinach artichoke dip and hummus.
There are now four established flagships at Downriver, including a pils, hazy pale ale, New England IPA and Bavarian-styled rauchbier.
Grazing muskily raw-grained pilsner malts with polite Hallertau Blanc-hopped guava, gooseberry and green grape souring, Lightweight Italian-style Pilsner retained a compost soiled bottom.
Lactic-soured tropical fruiting spread across hazy New England-styled Quaker Alley Pale Ale, dousing waxy mango, guava, pineapple and tangerine tartness with subtle briny lime bittering atop its mild oated wheat bed.
An upfront salted lemon spritz picked up light lactose vanilla bean creaming for Mosaic-Galaxy-hopped Refreshy DDH NEDIPA, a bustling medium body with resinous pine tones guarding its unlikely strawberry, pineapple, grapefruit, orange and passionfruit medley.
Bettering all washed-out rauchbier knockoffs, Smokey The Bier Smoked Munich Lager succeeds at intensifying its cherrywood/beechwood-seared cured meatiness as smoked pastrami-salami salting reaches dry chocolate malting.
Going past the flagships, there were also nine more diversified offerings.
Off-dry cucumber-watered Summer Gurke Cucumber Kolsch received a splashy lemon spritz above its vegetal-tinged earthen hops.
Peachy tea-induced moderation, Aries Affirmation, utilized cherry tisane tea to complement its cherry-pureed white peach tartness and icy orange vodka spree.
Straight-ahead citrus zesting and mild piney hop bittering guarded medium-bodied ‘Midwest’ India Pale Ale, DudeTron, leaving lemony orange rind dryness and perfumed floral spicing upon its sticky pale malt spine.
‘Puckering tartness’ from salty kettle-soured guava, orange and papaya fruiting secured Sour Rapids IPA, leaving limey bittering on the lightly acidic Citra-Mosiac-Strat hop triage.
Tart strawberry and kiwi adjuncts seeped into dry lemon-limed Mosaic hops for Paradise Pucker as wispy orange-grapefruit tanginess tweaked the acidulated malt base of this fruited sour.
Stylishly richer and more alcohol-driven, White Knight Double Wit placed gin-soaked blood orange peel and lemon peel briskness across honeyed banana sweetness and coriander-seeded star anise spicing above its sourdough bread base.
Dry chocolate-roasted waddle seeding stayed sedate alongside the sweet wheated malts underscoring BaDunkaDunk, picking up subtle dried fruit spicing.
Cold-pressed Honduran coffee gained subtle cappuccino creaming and dry nuttiness for Foxy Brown Nitro, an oatmeal brown ale with black pepper dalliance and star anise snips.
Richly creamed Madagascar vanilla and liquid cacao enticed regale nightcap, Ball & Chain, a bold porter placating its toffee-spiced caramelization and mild bourbon sugaring with treacly dark chocolate-y black coffee remnants over dry earthen peat.
HERE & NOW BREWING COMPANY
HONESDALE, PENNSYLVANIA
Right in the heart of Honesdale, the valleyed ‘birth place of America’s railroad,’ HERE & NOW BREWING COMPANY occupies a historic downtown red brick building. Salvaging the rustic charm of yesteryear while making well-balanced beers and fabulous stone-oven pizza (plus casual appetizers and entrees), Here & Now opened July ’17.
A pre-prohibition feel is created by the dark grey windowed frontage, exposed brick and pipe interior, old wood floors, bronze tin ceiling and moody lighting, preserving the glorious antiquity of this bucolic Northeast Pennsylvania community.
The wood furnished bar, stools, tables and chairs match the elegant countryside warmth. The left side stripped plaster wall features colorful art and the open kitchen extends to the rear.
Minion brewer, Roy Holm, works the seven-barrel steam system and one barrel experimental tank.
Alongside the worthy brews, Here & Now’s proud of its farm-to-table food from scratch and liquor-infused drinks.
This was my second visit to Here & Now, January ’20.
Approachable flagship, Sunset Silhouettes Pale Ale, gathered IPA-like piney fruiting for its floral-herbed Columbus hop astringency. Mild orange, grapefruit, pineapple, peach and tangerine tanginess spread across light wood tones and sugary pale malting.
Serene wet-hopped saison, Solace, let tart pine-dried yellow fruit spicing prod earthen barnyard acridity.
Crisp pilsner-malted moderation, Pitter Patter Patersbier, brought floral perfumed saison-like citrus zest to mild cider souring and leathery hay-like rusticity.
Spicily citric Imperial IPA, Unheeded Warning, caressed its lemony grapefruit and orange tanginess with floral, herbal and vegetal daubs.
Effervescent moderate-bodied New England-styled IPA, Pineapple Expressed, delivered mildly spiced pineapple juicing to sweet-tart mandarin orange, mango, papaya and tangerine undertones as well as lightly embittered yellow grapefruit zest.
Brown-breaded sour nuttiness and mossy compost soiling combined with mild herbal spiced Nugget hops for interestingly offbeat Bat Patterns Porter.
Modeled after Bat Patterns, earthen nutty Brown Ale, Paint The Town, gained a sour edge to engage its lightly charred hop roast.
hereandnowbrewing.com
HOPPING EAGLE BREWING CO.
HAWLEY, PENNSYLVANIA
Thirty miles east of Scranton in the waterfalls-bound small town of Hawley, HOPPING EAGLE BREWING CO. opened for business August 29, 2019 inside abundant gray-stoned, castle-like Hawley Silk Mill.
Utilizing a rustic nano system, Hopping Eagle featured nine taps and one nitro draught during my one-hour January ’20 stopover. A pristine warehouse space with mahogany-fronted L-shaped central bar, slat wood floor, high ceilings, exposed pipes and mason jarred Edison lights, its wood paneled back deck adds further seating to the interior’s six small tables.
Crafting rangy traditional fare with well-balanced appeal, Hopping Eagle’s friendly suds never go too far-out to please distinguished contemporary imbibers as well as curious mainstream cats.
I tried all nine offerings while speaking to co-brewer Ronnie Passaro just before dinnertime.
Cleanly dry mineral-grained Bald Eagle Blonde Ale (the base beer for fruit-derived offshoots Raspberry, Blood Orange, Apricot and Pink Guava) let corny maize grist ingrain its perfume-hopped lemon spritz and herbal vegetal spell in a pleasing moderate-bodied manner.
Freshly spruce-tipped grapefruit and orange juicing pervaded piney wood lacquer and white peppered herbage for Beyond The Pines, a decisive offbeat IPA collaboration with local brewing buddies Log Tavern.
Mildly amber-hazed, lactic-derived, yogurt-soured Peregrine NEIPA allowed wood lacquered gooseberry, guava and white grape tartness seize upon moderately bitter grapefruit-orange rind zesting above sugary pale malting.
Succulent brown-sugared dried fruiting sweetened above musky fungi mustiness for Lord FarQUAD, as caramelized raisin, prune and plum rummaged thru well-hidden 9.8% ABV booziness.
Vibrantly upbeat charmer, Uncle Phil’s Double IPA plied candied orange, tart pineapple and salted mango to dank pine resin, leaving tannic hop astringency on its fruitful frolic.
Mild jalapeno burn seeps into woody Amarillo hop bittering above dry pale malts for Hoppin’ Jalapeno Pale Ale, leaving black and bell peppering on latent zesty lemon misting.
Sedately milk chocolatey Tawny Owl Brown Ale brought hop-charred assertion to caramel-burnt hazelnut, pecan and walnut illusions.
Peanut-buttered blackberry jam contrasted charred hop bittering for Mini-Mash Series: PB&J Time!, a nifty vegemite sandwich-inspired Imperial Stout with tertiary black grape, black cherry and snips daubing its salted peanut roast.
Easygoing Cocoa Raven Porter with Raspberries – on nitro loaded black patent-malted dark chocolate mustiness atop tart raspberry puree, leaving wispy blackberry, boysenberry and black grape snips on the lightly embittered cocoa nibs finish.
On quick April ’22 stopover, discovered lovely Nitro Coffee + Cream: Damiani. Its milk coffee-sugared whipped creaming gained caramel latte, cappuccino and iced caramel macchiato sweetness.
hoppingeaglebrewing.com
FOX N HARE BREWING COMPANY
PORT JERVIS, NEW YORK
Located in the heart of downtown Port Jervis on Front Street, FOX N HARE BREWING COMPANY came to fruition during 2016. A renovated ground-floored public house, its 20-seat central wood bar services the left side dining area and opposing brew room (with large basement-leveled silver brew tanks peeking out).
Fox N Hare’s cavernous rusticity, exposed brick and pipes and storied brown ceiling tiles create an authentic Old World charm while a beautiful back-walled green and yellow-hued Fox N Hare mural completes the score.
Head brewer, Sean Donnelly, cut his teeth brewing at acclaimed Queens-based Singlecut Beersmiths while working in Manhattan bartending for iconoclastic beer joint, Ginger Man. He then relocated to Port Jervis to start this worthy venture.
Besides featuring a dozen tapped beers, there’s a juicer at work for Sunday brunch this snow-filled January ’20 sojourn.
Using locally sourced ingredients for its balanced brews and efficient pub fare, Fox N Hare also benefits from the town’s amazingly consistent soft-watered Delaware River minerality.
I grabbed a spot at the brewroom’s modern art-displayed side wall counter to sample five tasty suds while watching football playoffs on the big screen TV.
Lemon-dropped banana and clove tartness secured Hillside Harvest Hefeweizen, a casual moderate body with salt-licked herbal nuances and soapy mandarin orange zesting.
Stylishly subtle New England IPA, Hop On The Bus, placed sour guava, tart pineapple, bitter grapefruit and tangy mandarin orange alongside waxy crayon soaping as well as teensy peach-tangerine-mango snips to contrast its resinous pine tones.
Moderately dry medium-bodied Hop Forward IPA brought oak-pined woodiness to its bitter grapefruit and orange pith zing as mild floral herbage sets in and tertiary clementine, peach, papaya and pear illusions flutter.
While almond-roasted dark chocolate consumed burnt-toasted Night Shadow Imperial Stout, its 2018 cellared version gained dark cocoa bittering, charred nuttiness and sour dried fruiting to envelop the musty basement mossing.
Aged on Tanzanian Peaberry coffee beans, Dark Pastures Milk Stout allowed lactic milk chocolate sweetness to spread across its espresso-dried java interior, leaving wispy cedar-chipped almond and pureed black cherry snips in its moderately rich mocha wake.