NEW CITY, NEW YORK

Just next door to Burger Loft in simple nuevo fashion sits New City’s DISTRICT 96 BEER FACTORY. Opened July ’17, but serving draughts to Burger Loft since at least January, this elegantly devised open space will be treasured by beer enthusiasts for its easygoing suds (mostly small-batched pale ales and IPA’s) and “illuminating Industrial chic” design.

The storefront-windowed pub features a beautifully vaulted skylight ceiling, plasma cut metal boarded beer listing (with radiant District 96 lettering) and sundry Edison bulb lighting. Sporting twelve white-tiled draught lines plus one nitro line and cider tap, District 96’s fifteen-seat oak bar services eight tables at the red brick left side wall and its burger-centric neighbor at the other side of the entrance.

Owner John Potenza hired New England Brewing Company’s Chase Planson as head brewer to run the daily operation. And the large lower-leveled brew tanks taking up the spacious back area will help make expansion at this site much easier.

I had consumed eight homemade draughts (listed in Beer Index) at Burger Loft over the last several months, but found four previously untried brews one rainy September ’17 evening.

First, approachable The Wit House let funky fungi-herbed Belgian yeast lightly affect floral orange-peeled lemon tanginess to its delicate white wheat base.

Sessionable Misunderestimated IPA brought bright yellow grapefruit and zesty lemon to the fore as grassy hops picked up mild piney bittering.

More stylistically robust, turbidly yellow-hazed Sexual Relations IPA allowed juicy yellow grapefruit, pineapple, mango, papaya and guava tropicalia to gain mild orange rind bittering above creamy crystal-malted sweetness.

For dessert, dry Dark Money Porter recalled an Irish Stout with its mildly creamed Bakers chocolate, burnt coffee and espresso tones upending moderate hop charred bittering (and distant black grape esters).

During May ’18 return, settled into eight more previously untried brews.

Dry pale wheat ale, Wickard V. Filburn, let soft-toned orange-peeled pineapple, lemon and grapefruit zestiness lead the way atop pilsner-malted white wheat.

Dry-hopped, kettle-soured Have You Tried This Yet Pale Ale left rotted lemon tartness on the tongue above dank earthen oats graining.

Then came four slightly varied India Pale Ales.

Lively orange, grapefruit and tangerine tang gained light lemon zest for Mother Of All Bombs, a ‘crushable’ Double IPA with latent passionfruit, mango and pineapple illusions.

Dry-hopped IPA, Candidate 8, brought affable orange-pineapple-peach tanginess to perfume-spiced wood tones and rye-flaked red wheat malts.

Fruitier Candidate 9 (Haze Of Representatives), an Imperial IPA, allowed Citra-Mosaic hops to spread juicy pineapple, orange and grapefruit zest all over light pilsner-malted wheat and oats.

“Fresh-squeezed tangerine explosion” occupied Political Juice IPA, gaining orange-spiced licks to coerce mild musky hop astringency.

Bittersweet raspberries pierced black chocolate malts for medium-bodied porter, Razzignation, a tart dessert with mild cherry rasp, sedate coffee tones and nutty cola respite.

Meanwhile, Razzignation Nitro softened its mildly creamed cocoa-dried chocolate resonance while streamlining its raspberry puree influence.

On tap during late January ’19 visit were five more jolly suds. For light-bodied bohemian lager fans, Circle Back Pilsner will suffice. Its floral-daubed grapefruit and orange tang brought zesting to rustic grain malts.

Oats-backed pilsner malts provided a mild bed for the Nelson Sauvignon-hopped white grape, orange peel, lemon juice and grapefruit pith tropicalia of briskly carbolic moderate-medium-bodied IPA, Vote “Em Out.

Next, mild champagne wining graced Champagne Room, a dry Brut-styled IPA with spritzy lemon zest and frugal holiday spicing.

For Cascadian dark ale, Dark Politics, bitter dark chocolate syrup draped Citra-Mosaic-hopped dried fruiting and mild charred pine to its toasted pumpernickel base.

Lastly, Oil Money, a centrist stout, secured its caramelized chocolate sweetness and dark-roast coffee bittering with ancillary tobacco-charred nuttiness, tingly burgundy licks and mild molasses oats.

Found four new ones during March ’19 dinner.

Offbeat hazy beige-yellowed moderation, Photo Op New England IPA, let its orange-oiled grapefruit bittering pick up mild lemon lime acidity, candied pineapple tartness and syrupy pear sweetness alongside piney hop resin.

Tropical Imperial IPA, Photo Bomb, brought tangy grapefruit-embittered lemon zesting to vanilla-creamed mango, orange, pineapple and peach illusions atop its mild grassy herbal respite.

Soft-tongued farmhouse ale, Reliable Yield, splattered buttery Chardonnay wining onto pepper-spiced saison yeast to affect its friendly orange-peeled lemon meringue, bruised banana and tangerine fruitiness.

“Vibrant” yellow-hazed bohemian pilsner, Test Launch, gathered candied grapefruit, figgy apricot and melon rind illusions to settle gently above oats-sugared malts.

On March ’20 dinnertime visit, enjoyed three rangy IPA’s, a sour saison and luxurious pastry stout while eating Burger Loft mac and cheese. At this point in time, District 96 has expanded into the right side space for a canning line that’ll give their beers better exposure.

Cultured saison yeast added sour white grape esters to misty lemon-bruised bittering for lightly vinous Drowned Lands Low River Saison, leaving barnyard leathering on its dry pilsner malting.

Sharp wood-dried yellow grapefruit juicing inundated Pacific Coast IPA, West Wing, letting tart lemon juice, salted pineapple and dank pine resin embitter its clean citrus finish.

Exotic New England IPA, Tear It Up, let waxy herbal-cologned tropical fruiting gain sour lemondrop tartness alongside salted passionfruit, pineapple, papaya, yellow grapefruit and orange pith illusions.

A vibrant collaborative Imperial IPA with Obercreek Brewing, Political Flow let its tart pineapple, mango, papaya and orange juicing receive mildly creamed crystal malt sweetener in a clean mineral water setting.

Vermont maple syrup draped pancake-battered blueberry puree for richly creamed pastry stout, Presidential Breakfast, leaving dark-roast coffee, bruised black cherry, molasses and honeyed rye illusions upon its bittersweet dark cocoa resilience.

During March ’24 burger with mac ‘n cheese dinner, consumed five more interesting newbies.

Dry Italian pilsner, Unrecognized Palazzo, let mild floral-daubed yellow grapefruit tang and distant raw honeyed bittering receive musty pilsner malting before doughy baked breading ascended. 

Muskily orange-peeled cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove spicing faded for sour creamed coconut milking, lightly syruped treacle and dusty chocolate powdering of Sleeveless Flannel Winter Ale, resembling a German chocolate cake for a sec.

Rum punch-derived 11% ABV NEIPA, Man Meets Machine, brought boozy fruit salad, lemon-infused vodka, orange marmalade gin and pineapple screwdriver illusions to its gluey pale malt base.

Rummy vodka boozing also soaked tropical NEIPA, Crowned King Kobra, a ‘pineapple-candied’ swerver with peachy orange peeled sweetness, salty mango-kumquat-lychee-guava assist and lacquered pine restraint.

Mustily creamed dark-roast coffee and black chocolate bittering reinforced Cascadian dark ale, Total Eclipse, a black patent malted(?) full body with cola-walnut conflux and ashen hop char bettering most of its stylish competition.

Serving Rockland County’s affluent Clarkstown community with a fine menu of ever-changing beers, District 96 has already got local Hudson Valley patrons hooked.

www.district96beer.com