Most likely brewed a few miles east at Magnify and on tap at Rockaway River Barn, faux golden ale is really a semi-bold pilsner with cereal-grained honey malts and light lemon sugaring contrasting phenol hop astringency and mildly musky acridity.
FIRESTONE WALKER OAKTOBERFEST MARZEN
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, mild marzen links lightly creamed raw-honeyed Augustiner Vienna malting and biscuity lager yeast to serene citric-spiced briskness and dewy leafy-hopped earthiness. Note: ‘Oak’ in Oaktoberfest refers to Oakland, California’s annual beer festival instead of any true oak influence on the flavor.
PENNINGS FARM MARKET
WARWICK, NEW YORK
Along the rustic winding trail thru the historic Orange County town of Warwick, New York, there are several beer-centric destinations any craft brew enthusiast should check out post-haste. Popular Main Street pub, Eddie’s Roadhouse, has a quickly rotating tapped selection that included mighty Rushing Duck Part IV Barleywine and glorious dessert treat, Mikkeller Black Imperial Stout, as well as lemony German-styled moderation, Saurez Family Palatine Pilsner (reviewed at Beer Index) on my late August ’16 Saturday sojourn.
There are also two fantastic beer shops near the hilly center of town: Craft Beer Cellar and Beverage Plus II. And just down the street one mile within walking distance to the Warwick Drive-In lies the ever-popular PENNINGS FARM MARKET, a picturesque farmhouse, garden and grill that boasts a picnic-benched outdoor theatre, beer garden, food shop, plant sanctuary and grub pub.
My wife and I take a seat at the back pub to check out a few previously untried libations. Eight well-selected beers from near and far don the menu (along with one local cider). We grab a few bohemian-styled New York State brews such as Chatham Czech’rd Past Pilsner and New Paltz Hefeweizen before heading to the drive-in to watch a comedic double feature (Bad Moms and Sausage Party).
At Pennings, this cozy Old World pub features a unique 10-seat apple grater bar, a sloped maroon ceiling, several walled beer banners and fine food fodder (from the nearby kitchen). The outdoor patio-bound picnic area boasts five more separate taps.
A few days after we visited Pennings, a few more newly designed Empire State brews hit the taps: Shroon Lakes’ Paradox Beaver Bite IPA, Newburgh East Kolsch, Chatham Extra Special Bitter, Catskill Ball Lightning Pilsner and Southern Tier Tangier 2X IPA.
Ultimately, this multifarious market deserves proper recognition as its rural location beautifully contrasts New York City’s metropolitan hustle and bustle just 40 miles south. So get away from it all and relax in the countryside, y’all!
www.penningsfarmmarket.com
RUSHING DUCK PART IV BARLEYWINE
Considerable bourbon-barreled barleywine strikes a nerve with rich molasses-candied fruiting, chewy caramel malt creaming and boozy 11.7% ABV sway. Luscious bruised cherry, moscatel sherry, port, cognac and triple sec illusions pick up spicy tingle. Perfect late night dessert treat.
MIKKELLER BLACK IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Eddie’s Roadhouse, fudgy molasses-thick black chocolate syruping and dark-roast coffee respite reach rich climactic midst as spicy anise tingle works its way into the mix. Understated champagne yeast adds white winy wisp but gets lost inside the marvelously creamed and sneakily liquor-drenched (15.1% ABV) mocha dessert treat.
ALLAGASH JAMES BEAN
On tap at Poor Henry’s, exquisite bourbon-barreled Curieux Tripel infused with muted cane-sugared cold press coffee retains soothingly soft-toned Jim Beam bourbon whiskey warmth and mildly creamed molasses-honeyed sweetness. Floral-perfumed citrus zest upends oaken vanilla, coconut, pecan and tobacco illusions. Delicate Ethiopian coffee bean adjunct fades fast at calming Scotch finish.
CORONADO STUPID STOUT
On tap at Doherty’s, syrupy black chocolate entry deepened by dark-roast hop bittering for limited edition 2016 version. Creamy chocolate center picks up wispy molasses-caked vanilla, coffee, caramel and cocoa illusions as well as tingly sugared spicing.
FLYING BELGIAN CURLY TAIL BELGIAN STRONG ALE
Fruity Belgian-styled strong ale combines sweet banana daiquiri sugaring, white-peppered Chardonnay/ Sauvignon Blanc wining and tangy peach-pineapple-grapefruit-tangerine conflux above ginger-honeyed crustal malting. Crystalline water crisping provides clean backdrop but aspiring-like astringency lingers lengthily.
MONTAUK WATERMELON IPA
Sessionable novelty brings light watermelon adjunct to slightly sharp IPA fruiting as lemony orange-peeled grapefruit and pineapple tang subtly subsides above white-breaded biscuit base. Soft-toned summertime serenity for lighter fruit ale thirsts.
JACK’S ABBY SMOKE & DAGGER WITH RED BARN COFFEE
On tap at Doherty’s, cask conditioned black lager integrates light and dark roasted Red Barn coffee with soured lemon rind bittering and wispy yellow grapefruit peel subtlety. Hickory-singed hop char aids polite bitterness of soft-toned burnt coffee finish.
BUCKET BLACK GOAT OF THE WOODS
On tap at Doherty’s, delightful milk stout adds sweet cinnamon-ginger seasoning to rich black chocolate template. Spiced-up milk chocolate fudging picks up cookie dough respite and recessive black cherry souring. In the can, creamy milk chocolate syruping saturates ginger-rooted cinnamon and nutmeg spicing as coffee-toned cocoa powdering enhances the robust mocha intensity.
FINBACK MASSIF PORTER
Brewed in collaboration with Russia’s Zagovor, rounded Baltic porter blends dark-roast mocha nuttiness with molasses-sweetened black licorice vigor and latent coffee-vanilla insistence. At the back end, mildly fudged chocolate sequence picks up subtle dried fruit, toffee and cola illusions.
