BREW PRACTITIONERS

United States Brewpubs,

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FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS

In an olden red brick silk factory near the center of town in the Northampton village of Florence, BREW PRACTITIONERS landed in Western Mass during 2016.

A fortuitous trip to Munich beer gardens inspired its friendly proprietors to create ‘classic balanced’ beers stateside at this rustic pipe-exposed high ceiling edifice. An L-shaped wood bar with scrabble-handled draught taps serves a dozen or so generically-named homemade elixirs originating from the caged right side tanks. A cozy picnic-styled patio provides further seating outback.

During my March ’19 sojourn, an electric guitar duo plays on the makeshift side stage while college hoops play on the TV.

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To start, spiced yellow grapefruit sweetness picked up grassy-hopped pale malting and vegetal cucumber watering for light-bodied Blonde Ale.

Orange-dried lemon rot consumed Pale Ale, letting mild herbage spike its dry pale malt spine in simple fashion.

Lemony orange-dried tartness gained sweet pale malting for the equally straightforward Leaf Peeper Pale Ale.

Sweetly cereal-grained Amber Ale draped honey-malted maple molasses onto dusky chestnut, pecan and fig nuances.

Dewy pale malts moistened the citrus-juiced grassy hop astringency of IPA (a.k.a. Yellow Beer), leaving tangy grapefruit, orange and pineapple illusions in its lightly pined wake.

Summery Mellow Yellow New England IPA allowed juicy grapefruit, orange and peach tanginess to upstage its cardboard-bound pale malt sugaring.

Dried fruited rye breading consumed Copper Imperial IPA, reaching its honeyed pale malt spine with a hint of resinous hop pining for contrast.

Legume-dried Brown Ale pitched walnut and Brazil nut oiling against caramel-burnt dark chocolate chalking over earthen pale malts.

Nutty dark chocolate fudging supplied coffee-bound Stout, placing candied molasses walnut sweetness beneath the mocha-dried finish.

Burnt coffee overtones saddled Ebony Maple Irish Stout, an efficient black-malted dry body with chalky cocoa-chocolate residue.

Sugar rush came from citrus-candied soda pop alternative, Pink Lemonade Blonde, a ginger-backed sweetie that turned a tad cloy but probably satiated the kiddies.

brewpractitioners.com

DRUNKEN RABBIT BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

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SOUTH HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS

Inside a yellow brick building at South Hadley’s Industrial section, DRUNKEN RABBIT BREWING opened its doors during December 2018. Its casual plastic-furnished picnic area and white awning welcome patrons to the L-shaped serving station (with corrugated aluminum frontage). Sprawling community tables sidle the pub.

An overhead garage door leads to the right side silver brew tanks. One large TV and a few dartboards fill out the back stage next to loungey couches at the peach-hued back wall.

During my one-hour stopover, March 2019, sank nine draught beers with wife. While some stayed within stylish boundaries, others experimented a bit with fine results.

Dry-bodied Happy Daze Kolsch brought sour lemon rot to musky compost earthiness and sparkling champagne notions, staying stylistically in line unlike its pear-juiced counterpart.

Off-the-beaten-track Pear-Fect Storm Kolsch allowed vinous Hallertau-hopped green grape tannins to influence its dry cider spell, mild pear-juiced sweetness and dainty rose pedal adjunct.

Mild straw-hazed Love Me Two Times Pale Ale saddled its yellow grapefruit zestiness, mandarin orange tang, tart lemon piquancy and resinous pine hops with dewy pale malts.

Placing sweet orange peel zest alongside Belgian candi-sugared cinnamon spicing, stylish amber ale departure Chill The Fuck Out soon drifted off into orange-candied tartness.

Mildly soured pale ale, Peach Cobbler, let lactic-sugared peach and cranberry pulp pick up mild lime salting as subtle sparkling champagne serenity and modest lemony grapefruit bittering ascended.

Citrus-honeyed Chasing Chickenz New England IPA stayed zestfully clean as moderately embittered yellow grapefruit resilience and tangy orange juicing edged up against relegated piney hops.

Murkily beige-yellowed Greenwood New England IPA lets its citric Mosaic hop brightness sink into sticky pine resin, dry wood tones and clay hops, leaving up-front tangerine tanginess to outsize latent lemon-peeled orange rind bittering.

Venturing outside the box just a smidge, tartly Citra-hopped The Pink One IPA utilized pink guava pulp to add a sour edge to honey-malted grapefruit-orange piquancy.

Like a Black Forest cake, Happy Ending Stout loaded lactic milk-sugared dark chocolate malting on raspy dried-fruited dark cherry and blackberry puree.

www.rabbit.beer

VANISHED VALLEY BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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LUDLOW, MASSACHUSETTS

Right after Iron Duke Brewing opened for business in Ludlow, another distinguished player came to fruition during late 2017. Inside a homey maroon-paneled shed at the olden Ludlow mills, VANISHED VALLEY BREWING COMPANY exists strictly as a small-batch nanobrewery selling kegs, cans and bottles for outside consumption. Samples of all four current brews were provided free of charge on my March ’19 stopover.

“Classic American pale ale,” Take Flight, retained a soft-toned mouthfeel as tart lemony grapefruit juicing and spicy herbal snips reached the cereal-grained pale malt bottom.

Dazzlingly sharp-toned Peaches And Juniper Berry Milkshake IPA, an orange-hazed New England-styled sureshot, mingled briskly pined grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering, botanical juniper berry pining and sour yogurt milkiness with syrupy vanilla-creamed cling peach sweetness in a swell manner. Subsidiary pineapple-juiced maraschino cherry tang and honeyed whiskey backdraft increase greatness.

Excellent Lost Town Milk Stout stuffed mildly creamy cocoa nibs and Madagascar vanilla beans atop sugary oats, picking up oily hop-charred walnut bittering, soily earthen musk and ashen charcoal remnants for contrast.

Its offshoot derivative, Lost Town Stout with Chipotle Peppers, loaded creamy black chocolate syrup onto mellow cocoa-dried chipotle heat, lessening the bittersweet vanilla influence.

Look for Vanished Valley to expand beyond its restrictive bounds in the time to come.

www.vanishedvalley.com

IRON DUKE BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

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LUDLOW, MASSACHUSETTS

Part of Ludlow’s historic clock-towered old factory mill since 2014, IRON DUKE BREWING lives by the handy blue collar ethos “a celebration of hard work.” Reigning supreme along the Chicopee River, these friendly zymurgists have created a charmingly rustic topnotch garage-like nano brewery delivering well-defined hand-crafted beers.

Taking a ramp to the entrance, Iron Duke’s spacious high ceiling interior includes a wood-lacquered L-shaped bar servicing scattered seating towards the windowed brew tanks. A huge Styrofoam footprint along the red bricked bar wall serves as Iron Duke’s emblem.

There are olden beer trays and proprietary beer mugs above the fourteen copper draught handles at the bar plus a hanging TV nearby for sports fans.

My wife and I settle in on a Saturday night March ’19 to sample a few draughts.

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There were five flagship beers Iron Duke currently had on tap.

First up, politely creamed prohibition-era Kentucky Common Ale, The Common, left lemon spritz upon maize-flaked rye malts and grassy hop astringency in a soft-toned manner.

Dry rye malts infiltrated tangy grapefruit-orange-soured Dead Nuts Rye IPA, leaving mildly bitter piney hop resin at the sunny citrus finish.

Relying on a ‘bigger, bolder hop and malt punch’ than Dead Nuts, Stud Finder Imperial IPA launched tropical Topaz-hopped lychee fruiting, sharp grapefruit juicing and dusty floral herbage upon resinous pine wisps above candied caramel malts.

As for the two flagship dark ales, dark-roast ground coffee summoned dry Irish Porter, Baby-Maker, leaving brown-sugared molasses oats to sweeten its cocoa-powdered black malting.

And dry breakfast stout, Sinker, brought black-malted hop char bittering to Blackstrap molasses sinew above a seared oats base.

I also quaffed another six brews while the taproom filled up with local denizens.

Dewy moderate-bodied Irish Red Ale, Murph, brought dried fig, cold-brewed coffee and minimal caramel spicing to its mossy earthen bottom.

Brisk orange-hazed New England-styled IPA, 4 A.M., brought sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering to tart lemon-limed souring and sweet mango-pineapple-papaya tropicalia above peaty pale malts.

Bitter walnut-charred dark chocolate chalking contrasted hazelnut-glazed toffee sweetness for fairly rich Brown Ale, Putts Bridge.

Adventurous 7-Up/ ginger ale knockoff, Ginger Kerfuffle Pineapple Ginger Sour Ale, sprinkled sea salt upon lemonade-sugared pineapple juicing (leaving a latent alcohol kick).

Subtly bourbon-soaked vanilla bean sweetness picked up raw-honeyed bittering for hybridized amber ale, Generosity.

Best bet: heavenly 3rd anniversary celebrator, 156 Barrel Aged Nitro, an Alaskan Imperial Porter, spread exquisite bourbon vanilla sweetness across whiskey-dried mocha, toasted coconut and marshmallow illusions.

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Before heading out, bought bottle of bourbon barrel-aged Iron Duke 208 Imperial Pale Lager. Its IPA-like piney citrus bittering soaked into whiskey-dried bourbon boozing, picking up a lingered alcohol burn. Honeyed lager yeast sweetens the midst alongside wavered red grape, red apple and pineapple snips.

www.irondukebrewing.com

HIGH HORSE

Beers A-Z, United States Brewpubs,

Amherst's High Horse running out of time to fix food-handling issues

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

In a red brick professional building in the center of Amherst, HIGH HORSE began slinging suds for the UMass crowd back in January ’12. A closed-in benched porch welcomes patrons to the pub’s three-staged interior.

To the right side, a spacious tile-floored main area with twenty-stooled J-shaped wood bar features quaint windowed seating, a TV for sports addicts and brew tanks towards the front.

Edison lights and café tables don the cement-floored midsection and the broken-up left space offers creatively designed intimacy. Interesting modern paintings cover many walls.

On my Sunday brunch stopover, March ’19, had the omelet and French Toast alongside the only remaining house brew currently leftover from the soon-to-be disposed brew tanks.

Utilizing wild saison yeast for its mellow Chardonnay-barreled sour ale template, Le Bang Bang brought salty lemon-limed acidity to vinous green grape tannins and tart crabapple piquancy.

High Horse will have its new brewing equipment readied by springtime. There will be at least four offerings to start.

highhorseamherst.com

FORT HILL BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Inside a cavernous maroon-paneled, stone-walled farmhouse with twin grain silos at the back patio deck, FORT HILL BREWERY opened in 2014. Its natural yellow pine furnishings, A-framed Crawford ceiling and tree-cut bar top bring a natural bucolic warmth to this large countryside pub.

Entering from the cozy front deck, the 15-seat L-shaped bar features 20-plus taps and to the left is a small stage area for local bands. A Barnes Aquifier System is used for the crisp underground well water.

Leaning heavy on the India Pale Ales and bringing European tradition to its lager-pilsners, Foot Hills does a great job getting the most out of each stylistic brew.

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Straightforward Czech-styled Hera Pils let light grain malt sweetness slip inside herbal grassy hop astringency in a pleasantly easygoing manner.

Delicate Saaz hop herbal musk and earthen grain dew soaked Branch Manager Pilsner, a dry German-styled moderation.

Mildly creamed hefeweizen, Vice Beer, gathered banana-clove-bubblegum sweetness for its honeyed Graham Cracker wheat sugaring and tart lemon spritz.

Dried fruit spicing ensconced Love Thy Neighbor Dopplebock, as fig-sugared prune, plum and raisin illusions rode alongside desiccated orange tartness over light Vienna malting.

Easygoing Farmers Fresh Session IPA gave its crisply clean lemony grapefruit tang a light vanilla-creamed crystal malting that sweetened above grassy herbal hop restraint.

Juicy yellow grapefruit tanginess dominated brisk summertime moderation, G-Fresh Grapefruit IPA, staying mellow as mandarin orange, clementine and lemon meringue wisps gather below.

Zesty lemony grapefruit and dry wood-toned pale malts headed Fresh Pick New England IPA, a clean-watered moderate-medium body utilizing Simcoe-Mosaic-Citra hops to gain dainty orange, peach, pineapple and tangerine illusions to push forward its sunny grapefruit thrust.

Another grapefruit-empowered Imperial IPA, Jigsaw Jazz, let dry-hopped Citra juicing break out zesty grapefruit rind, pith and peel bittering complemented by lemony mandarin orange, tangerine and tangelo illusions.

Lively lemon licks brightened spritzy Checkmate Chuck Imperial IPA, picking up mild lychee, white grape and honeydew nips to offset its subtle grassy-hopped resinous pine bittering.

Refreshingly sea-salted gose, The Pianist, gained lightly acidic lime peel bittering and sour lemon briskness and will please wild ale fans. 

Dark chocolate and iced coffee fronted delicately oak-aged Bill The Butcher Imperial Stout, a surprisingly dry departure with earthen dew mustiness and soured wort graining leveling off the mocha expectancy.

Cocoa-enriched Tim’s Udderly Milk Stout plied dark chocolate syruping to mildly spiced dried fruiting, leaving light-roast coffee, molasses, toffee and hazelnut illusions in its wake.

forthillbrewery.com

 

SHIRE BREU HOUS

United States Brewpubs,

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DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Inside a preserved stationary factory in the tiny metropolis town of Dalton due northeast from Pittsfield, SHIRE BREU HOUSE opened in 2017 (and stopped brewing ops 2024). Its marbled hardwood floor, chandelier lounge and small hearth add elegance to the rustic concrete-columned exposed pipes.

The nearly oval 20-seat centralized bar featured upscale pub fare and fabulous spirits to go alongside rangy homemade draughts. Wooden booths and tables surround the 20-stool bar. A simple black-on-white-painted Shire Breu Hous insignia dons the back side wall.

Bananas Foster French Toast and smoked salmon were thoroughly enjoyed for brunch during my February ’18 swing.

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Shire’s well-balanced house beer selection really kicked ass!

Tropical dry-bodied New England-styled hazy India Pale Ale wrangled tart lemon-dropped gooseberry, guava and melon rind illusions out of limey Huell Melon hops, finishing quick with a spicy citrus zesting.

Another fine New England-styled hazer, Mango Milkshake IPA, let lingering yogurt-soured lactose acidity sink into vanilla-sweetened mango tartness, relegating its delicate melon rind, mandarin orange and honeydew snips.

Smoothly centrist Eagle ESB left dewy moss sweetness, brown-leafed foliage, nutty nuances and herbal notions upon biscuity caramelized malts.

Equally subtle, moderate Dunkel Weizen allowed mild honey-roasted dried fruiting to seduce delicate coffee-cocoa-chocolate tones.

Robust Policemen’s Porter injected mildly creamed coffee overtones and setback black chocolate bittering into walnut-dried hop char.

Creamy vanilla-beaned cocoa nibs reinforced richly complex golden stout, Trompe l’Oeil, leaving brown chocolate spicing alongside citrus-juiced pale malts.

Even more complex, lactose-aided milk stout, Colantha Mooie, draped dark chocolate syrup all over dark-roast coffee, sweet vanilla and smoky earthen peat.

Part of a rotating series of ‘barrel-aged’ elixirs, tequila-aged Key Lime Gose brought whiskey-soured lemon zest to salt-licked key lime pie tartness.

www.shire.beer

WANDERING STAR BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

In an unassumingly raw green aluminum warehouse in the Berkshire Mountains industrial corridor, diminutive Pittsfield microbrewery, WANDERING STAR BREWING COMPANY, was established in 2011 – just after railroad-bound Pittsfield Brew Works went out of business.

A rustic cement-floored pub with scattered seating, puny lounge area, wood pews and a billiard table, its small wooden serving station featured eight draught lines serving rangy suds from the rear brew tanks.

An intimate garage hangout, Wandering Star’s gained credibility all over New England/ New York thanks to bustling entrepreneurial brewer, Chris Post, a guiding light concurrently advising nearby North Adams craft brewery, Bright Ideas Brewing.

On a frigidly sunny Saturday afternoon in February ’19, I sampled all eight beers currently on tap.

First up, summery Tangerine Cream Ale loaded pulpy navel orange, blood orange and tangerine tartness atop acidulated wheat-crackered pilsner malting.

Next, bone-dry Brut 66 brought bubbly champagne fizz to mildly vinous white wining, brisk El Dorado-hopped citrus zest and parched Amarillo-hopped wood tones.

Smooth New England-styled IPA, Wobbly Pop, fortified its mildly embittered piney grapefruit tang with oats-flaked wheat malts and dry-hopped Mosaic, Simcoe and Amarillo varieties.

Dewy English-styled Thunderbolt IPA placed orange-dried lemon rot above toasted grains, resinous pine and vegetal musk.

Year-round flagship, Loopy Juice Double IPA, retained a juicy lemony grapefruit zesting underscored by mild wood tones and sugared pale malts.

Better still, dramatic Nelson Sauvin-hopped Loopy Juice spinoff, Horatio, rallied limey gooseberry, guava and green grape tartness against sweet ‘n sour citrus tones.

Crystal rye malting anchored Catcher In The Rye, leaving sweet chestnut, bitter walnut and spiced citrus illusions at the pumpernickel-doused finish.

Fabulous dry Irish Stout, Mild At Heart Porter, brought dark chocolate syruping to peanut-shelled hazelnut, walnut and Brazil nut illusions as well as hop-charred molasses sap.

Candied tangerine-orange tang elevated cocoa-powdered black chocolate and dark-roast coffee for creamily mocha-bound Chocolate Orange Porter.

For dessert, gummy Arrowhead Apple Ale tasted like sweet apple cider with a mild sour citrus kick.  

ABANDONED BUILDING BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Abandoned Building Brewery – Brewery Ratings

EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Inside the mammoth red-bricked Eastworks building, a 500,000 square foot converted mill on the outskirts of Easthampton, ABANDONED BUILDING BREWERY occupies a mid-sized back space since May 2015.

A wood-floored warehouse pub with maroon-butterscotch walls, high ceilinged exposed ducts, strewn rustic furnishings and centralized modern art design, its steady influx of people comes from the restaurants, shops, arthouses and marijuana dispensary inundating Eastworks multi-floored complex (as well as the local bike path riders).

A small wooden serving station features ten draught taps emanating from the rear brew tanks.

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For starters on this sunny Saturday afternoon in February ’19, I went with all the IPA permutations for comparison and contrast.

Abandoned Building’s most popular brew, Dirty Girl IPA, spread spicy grapefruit juice all over earthen pine oiling and French-breaded pale malts in a pleasantly straightforward manner.

Summery tropicalia informed juicy yellow-hazed New England-styled Pan Galactic IPA, letting zesty lemon, grapefruit and pineapple tanginess gain New Zealand-hopped limey gooseberry souring.

Bolder and more stimulating, busy New England-styled The Other End Double Dry-hopped IPA brought dewy spruce-tipped earthen tea moisture and resinous hop pining to bittersweet lemony grapefruit, orange and mango tanginess above bready pale malting.

Another hazy dry-hopped medium body, Temporary Sanity IPA, left rustic herbal barnyard acridity to temper its juicily hop-embittered yellow grapefruit tang.

Creamy vanilla-spiced Shake IPA went after the milkshake dessert crowd with its sweet citrus-candied strawberry glaze contrasting mild plain yogurt souring. In its nitro version, the berry-citric nature gets downplayed as soft-toned yellow grapefruit bittering picks up recessive pine tones.

Underwhelming fruit-caked Odin Quad stayed crystalline, but its dried-fruited cherry, plum and raisin sweetness and dark chocolate malting lacked determination.

Stylishly mild Night Shade Stout casually spread coffee-roasted dark chocolate bittering across cola, walnut and hazelnut Nutty dark-roast coffee enriched java-enhanced Coffee Night Shade Stout.

Four Roses bourbon informed excellent Bella Donna Bourbon-aged Imperial Stout, where soothingly comforting whiskey-dried port wine warmth caressed syrupy chocolate-draped vanilla sweetness, mild molasses sapping and dry cherry snips.

abandonedbuildingbrewery.com