On tap at Ambulance, dry citrus-spiced extra pale ale lets sunny Cascade-Citra hop fruiting spread above floral-daubed herbal wood tones and sugared pale malts. Lemony orange-seeded grapefruit rind bittering and relegated peach-mango-nectar tang linger.
Dry orange-grapefruit spritz remains pallid over grassy astringency. Timid Cascade-Citra-Mosaic hop conflux lacks distinction and wispy white bread spine dissipates.
Updated (2020 version) of brewer’s blueberry blonde lacks sufficient blueberry intensity as vodka-like alcohol burn and corn-liquored ethers rob its essential fruitedness. Tepidly tart blueberry seltzer fizz lingers alongside grainy hop astringency.
Thin pinkish-tinged cumulus white head rides atop clear amber body of soapy, washed-out tart cherry flavoring. Phenol yellow grape-salted lemon spritz and light white grape esters stay veiled as distant sweetly soured cherry tartness blurs the pallid mix.
Soft-toned Helles-styled lager brings maize-dried herbal snatch and wheat-floured French breading to politely astringent Hallertau-hopped pilsner malting with flattish restraint.
On tap at Growler & Gill, crisply brusque German-styled pilsner gathers husked wheat musk, earthen Noble-hopped herbage and spritzy lemon pit souring. In the distance, ‘floral-honeyed’ raw molasses bittering brings pasty undercoating.
Dry light-bodied wheat ale (with purplish red grape hue) brings tannic Petite Sirah/Verdot grape flutter to delicate black-peppered plum and cherry snips as well as tidily floral rosé nuance over earthen raw wheat spine in tepid manner. Tenuous Sirah grape tartness, bitterness and acidity.
Flattish white ale fermented with white-wined Viognier grapes lacks pizzazz despite mild lemon-salted Seltzer spritz and tart apple-peach mellowing. Dissipating grape mustiness, bland white wheat base and flattish finish sink this one (at least in bottled version).
RIO GRANDE, NEW JERSEY
Right between Cape May Brewing and Coho Brewing Company just a few miles down Route 9, Rio Grande’s 7 MILE BREWERY resided at a basic rust-bricked mini-mall (opened 2016, but closing 2023). Its light Industrial furnishings, quaint wood highlights, wood-barreled front entrance, concrete floor and simple drop ceiling offered casual atmosphere.
7 Mile’s two tap stations contain ten handles each. The high-ceiling back space stores tall brewing tanks, a canning line and storage space.
During my May ’20 stopover, tried four durably balanced offerings with wife and dog in tow.
7 Mile’s Skinny Dipper Blonde let its tangy orange-tangerine punch gain a wheat-floured sugar rush to contrast lemony orange-seeded bittering.
Sharp and sessionable India Pale Ale, 7 MIPA, retained a piney citrus thrust to soak up its light herbal reminder and delicate pale malt backbone.
Musky pine-lacquered lemony grapefruit bittering secured tightly integrated Seven Suns Double IPA, a dry pale-malted medium body with cologne-perfumed herbal tones.
“Velvet smooth” Irish-styled dry stout, Black Velvet Black Stout, maintained Black Patent-malted dark chocolate bittering with a black licorice smidge, minor dark coffee roast, subtle hazelnut-creamed walnut char, teasing cola nuttiness and deferred dark toffee sweetness.
ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY
After visiting bucolic Allaire State Park for a terse hike, my wife and I happened upon DARK CITY BREWING CO., Asbury Park’s first craft brewery. Taking hold in 2016 (and closing 2025), Dark City provides a steady stream of consistently rewarding brews handcrafted in the closed-off back brewing space by reserved zymurgist, Steve Bohacik. On my sunny March ’20 expedition, a gamut of rangy stylistic fare captures my palate.
Set in a window-laden tan building along the increasingly popular Main Street strip, Dark City’s elongated wood lacquered serving station (with twelve draught handles) centers the sparsely decorated open space. A bright blue right-walled jellyfish mural adds pizzazz to the pallet-wooded furnishings, saucer-like lighting and pipe-exposed high ceiling. Several community tables fill out the wide expanse (with 2 TV’s on opposing sides).
Grassy lemon-dried moderation, Circuit Kolsch, stayed crisply clean and deliberately understated, leaving compost-wafted raw grain moisture on wispy citric hop tartness.
Dryly brisk Brass Ring Wheat Ale brought citric IPA fruiting and woody Amarillo hop herbage to its floral-bound wheat grass base.
Bound by its sharp orange-peeled grapefruit rind tang an sunny Mosaic-hopped lemon zesting, Blue Bishop IPA with Blueberries let docile blueberry pureeing gain sourer-than-sweet alacrity.
Vinous balsamic-soured green grape esters and spritzy lime zest stayed mellow for white-wined alternative, Mixed Use Sour Ale.
Dewy peat and toffee-spiced dried fruiting enhanced the caramelized brown chocolate sweetness of serenading dessert treat, 1871 Barleywine, a sturdily welcoming strong ale with tertiary sherry, coffee and vanilla snips.
Creamy dark chocolate syruping draped dry bourbon pleasantry and mossy peat for softly creamed barrel-aged anniversary blend, DCBC3, an impressive 13% strong ale with fudged cocoa brownie resilience and bitter vanilla beaning deepening its overall intensity.
Conditioned on ‘rook’ coffee, maple and cinnamon, sensational Imperial Milk Porter relinquishes beautiful bourbon vanilla resonance alongside caramel-burnt brown chocolate spicing and milk-sugared coffee tone. Eventually, toasted cinnamon adjunct seeps thru vanilla-mocha stead, picking up whipped cream chocolate pudding sweetness, chewy marshmallow snips, spiced rum licks, frothy cappuccino dips and black licorice blips to counter less prominent wood-charred hop sear. Embraceable night cap with ultimate warmth.
Ultimately irresistible Cognac barreled Sunday Brunch conditioned on Rook coffee, maple syrup and cinnamon. Creamy milk chocolate whiskeyed cognac warmth consumes indelible cinnamon-spiced maple syruping and punctual bourbon-burgundy-brandy wining. While cognac influence stays subtle, its scaled back Rook coffee adjunct lingers in the midst as fudge-caked creme brulee, chocolate rum cake, cinnamon chocolate babka, Black Forest cake and vanilla ice cream illusions add to distinct barrel-aged dessert classic.
