On tap at Ambulance, enticingly complex soft-toned moderate-medium body places mildly creamed crystal malting just below floral-perfumed pineapple, grapefruit, peach, orange, tangerine and mango tanginess. Dank resinous pine tones and earthen herbal tea wisps perk up juicy tropicalia.
On tap at Ambulance, herbal citrus-spiced Nugget hops provide mildly bitter resonance for slightly acidic medium body. Floral-wafted pineapple, peach, tangerine and mandarin orange tang stays subtle alongside refreshing evergreen nip.
On tap at Ambulance, smoothly resilient Mosaic-hopped IPA retains dry mouthfeel as dewy moss and resinous pine sop up large yellow grapefruit contingent and tangy orange respite. Ancillary mango, papaya and pineapple tropicalia seep thru.
On tap at Ambulance, sweeping New England-styled hazy pale ale provides yellow grapefruit, candied orange, peach and mango serenity for herbal-tinged Mosaic-hopped medium body. Sour yogurt milking contrasts tangy fruitiness above groaty pale malts.
On tap at Ambulance, juicy Citra-hopped medium body places lightly embittered grapefruit and tangy orange-pineapple-mango juicing above dry pale malting. Mild evergreen wisp drifts into sunny tropical fruiting.
On tap at Ambulance, flagship steam lager (a.k.a. California Common) blends raw-honeyed lemon rot with peaty compost earthiness, herbal notions and vegetal tinge above modest sourdough bottom.
On tap at Ambulance, creamy chocolate-enriched marshmallow sweetness, molasses-fudged Graham Cracker follow-up and resilient cocoa beaning seeped into subtle bourbon vanilla warmth. Chocolaty marshmallow S’mores candy likeness picks up latent toasted coconut, crème de cocoa, cookie dough and glazed hazelnut pleasantries for perfect dessert treat. In the bottle, decadent lactose-aided Baltic Porter retains slightly dried bourbon-spiced vanilla sweetness as marshmallow-creamed coconut splurge picks up mild burgundy licks over maple oats-sugared chocolate malt base.
NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Crafting some of New England’s finest hazy India Pale Ales, Northampton’s PROGESSION BREWING COMPANY take extreme pride in producing their refreshingly crisp, clean beer. In the heart of town in a red brick building with a pristine round silver logo sign at the entrance, Progression opened for biz during November ’18, becoming Northampton’s fourth brewery.
Residing on Pearl Street in the former space of Gleason’s Camping Supply, the centralized pub hipster Industrial setting features white-walled modern art, front-windowed lounge furnishings, cavernous pipe-exposed open space and illuminated light scheme. Its marbled red linoleum floor contrasts well with the three yellow-wooded community tables and four-chaired seating while a sectioned-off backspace is also available.
Brew tanks are located behind the ten-stool serving station where twelve taps serve the expanding crowd on this cold Saturday eve in February ’19.
A separate refrigerator contains a rounded selection of Progression’s canned fare. Celebstoner/Freedom Leaf editor, Steve Bloom, and friend Tom, joined me for some brews while consuming hearty minestrone soup and mac-cheese-bacon.
Exquisitely detailed Flourish Farmers Saison brought herbal white-peppered grape-skinned Hallertau Blanc hop dryness and mixed culture saison yeast to the fore, letting tart lemon-dropped mandarin orange spicing, bruised banana sweetness, tangy pineapple juicing and earthen plantain sedation gain a spritzy carbolic pep.
Juicy-fruited Sequence Double Dry-Hopped New England Pale Ale let tangy grapefruit, orange, peach, pineapple and mango overtones receive a zesty lemon spritz buttressed by sugared pale malts (nearly duplicating a citric IPA sans piney bittering).
Soft-toned meditational moderation, Evolve New England Double India Pale Ale, brought bright yellow grapefruit tanginess to lightly creamed crystal malting, leaving subtle orange, peach and pineapple sweetness in the floral-herbed recess.
Equally soothing, Onward New England India Pale Ale let bitterer yellow grapefruit and orange rind juiciness lead the way as light pine lacquering eased the way for ancillary lemon, pineapple and peach zestiness above sugary pale malts (and leaving a wispy alcohol burn).
Tangy clementine fronted Upward New England Double IPA, a floral-tinged grassy hopped medium body with ancillary tangerine sweetness, mandarin orange tartness and lemon rind bittering atop dry pale malts.
Crisply dry West Coast-styled Expanse IPA placed lightly pined citrus juicing atop floral-dried herbage and grassy hop astringency, leaving orange, grapefruit and lemon zest in its wake.
On the dark side, percolated coffee grounds consumed dry full body, Portent Coffee Porter, a superior creamily textured java beverage with bitterly walnut-seared hop char.
progbrew.com
SHEFFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
A lil gem of a place just off Route 7 near the Connecticut state line in the lower Berkshires, Sheffield’s BIG ELM BREWING came to fruition ’round 2012. Inside a worn yellow aluminum warehouse with faded red cement floors, this quaintly rustic brewpub crafts distinct and wide ranging beers.
A small wood-topped serving station (with corrugated aluminum siding) provides a passive industrial setting. Twelve tile-bound tap handles release the backroom-brewed suds (listed on a colorful blackboard) for customers filling the four-stooled wood tables and extra window seating.
Today’s offerings for a seasonally warm February ’19 afternoon span the stylistic spectrum while leaning on the dark side.
Musky straw-cleared American Lager will delight blue collar thirsts with its corn-dried barley roast, maize-husked barnyard leathering, pungent herbal hop mustiness and fizzy yellow fruiting. It made a fine mainstream statement counteracting all the more creative and original recipes Big Elm concocted.
Sticking out like a lollipop-candied sucker was the one sour ale available. Salty blueberry souring faded over vinous green grape tannins, puckered cranberry-raspberry tartness and sparkling blush-wined rosé illusions for Sol Crusher Blueberry Gose.
Easygoing Fat Boy Double IPA brought juicy orange-mango-pineapple sweetness to a lightly perfumed floral bouquet and wispy pine tones above caramelized pale malts.
Muskier perfumed hops, drier wood tones and latent herbal snips saddled the lemony yellow grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and sugary orange-peach tang of delightfully sunny West Coast-styled India Pale Ale.
Ambitious Magnum Ulmus Tripel regaled spicy candi-sugared fruiting with musky white-peppered juniper snips, buttery Chardonnay licks and rum-soaked oak chips. Sweet banana-clove-coriander overtones picked up tertiary peach, pineapple and apricot illusions as well as minty green tea notions.
Black-peppered chipotle and toasted cinnamon added pep to Mexican dark chocolate for rich El Luchador Spiced Porter, leaving tarry charcoal residue upon nutty molasses-sapped cocoa nibs.
Lactic milk chocolate consumed Gerry Dog Stout, an oats-sugared full body with dewy earthen soiling contrasting sweet toffee at the backend.
Just as easily defined as a sour stout, Love Dog Raspberry Chocolate Stout allowed dry tobacco-roasted green grape tannins to desiccate its raspy raspberry tartness and powdery dark cocoa malting.
Wintry brown-sugared dried fruiting dappled Dead Of Winter Imperial Stout, where plummy fig tones grazed molasses-draped dark chocolate malting, mild coffee quips and dewy wet-grained sweetness.
www.bigelmbeer.com
On tap at Taphouse 15, dry rye entry gains spiced-up bourbon vanilla sweetness, rich brown chocolate sugaring and mild coffee bittering. Oak-charred whiskey tones reinforce peated rye influence.
On tap at Taphouse 15, semi-rich chocolate pastry dessert beer lets maple syrup drape bittersweet black chocolate entry, honey-glazed hazelnut adjunct and toffee pudding sweetness above cookie dough malting. Creamy hazelnut chocolate resilience fortified by vanilla, caramel and butterscotch sugaring.
On tap at Ambulance, caramel-burnt black chocolate spicing and dark coffee tones retain subdued maple molasses sweetness to contrast latent ashen earthen nuttiness.
