On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, easygoing moderation (now brewed at Otter Creek) offers serene red-yellow-orange fruiting to mild grassy hop spicing and biscuit-y pale malting. Light piney citric fruiting much closer to an American IPA than ill-defined earthen grained British styling. Subdued yellow grapefruit peel, orange zest, tangerine and peach illusions stay soft-focus. Nice crossover for lighter thirsts.
FRUH KOLSCH
EVIL GENIUS BLIND EYE PA
On tap at NJ Beer Expo, bright citric tropical fruiting registers above mild juniper hop bittering and tingled floral spicing. Piney grapefruit, pineapple, peach, tangelo and orange overtones sweetened by floral-spiced Belgian candi-sugared yeast.
EVIL GENIUS EVIL EYE PA
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, ultra-dry West Coast-styled IPA (gypsy brewed at Cooperstown Brewery) loads parched wood and bark atop pungent citrus fruiting. Juniper-like hop bittering nearly overwhelms grapefruit rind, orange peel, pineapple and peach illusions.
HOVELS ORIGINAL BITTERBIER
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, plain amber-hazed Kolsch-styled altbier lacks firm character. Musty grain malts speckle pungent hop-spiced slither to evaporative bread-crusted bottom. A modestly indistinct waverer.
SCHOFFERHOFER HEFEWEIZEN
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, sessionable wheat-sugared moderation plies expectant banana bubblegum sweetness to lemon-spiced spritz. Passing clove, coriander and cardamom illusions too thrifty to bulk up wispy yellow-fruited nature. Slight metallic tinge undercuts Seltzer-fizzed banana bread finish.
STARR HILL PSYCHO KILTER WEE HEAVY
STARR HILL STARR SAISON
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, traditional dry-bodied farmhouse ale offers approachable sour-fruited candied citrus whimsy. Lemon-curried honeydew, melon and banana dot Belgian fungi yeast to grassy hay bottom. Salty black peppered snip perks up yellow-fruited misting.
(COORS) BATCH 19 PRE-PROHIBITION STYLE LAGER
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, thin golden-cleared lager (made from pre-prohibition recipe) brings dry malted hop spicing to mild hop bittering and toasted rye spine. Buttered popcorn smidgen and soda bread snip lost by ultra dry orange-oiled finish. In the bottle, drearily unassuming dry-grained moderation suffers from slick corn-oiled astringency and passive citric sugaring.
BLUE MOON SUNSHINE CITRUS BLONDE
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, brisk light-bodied springtime release retains zesty orange and lemon peel dusting above mildly creamed crystal malting to cardboard-like wheat spine. Sunny lemon-fizzed softie’s soda vibe will please sweaty Blue Collar beachgoers.
BLUE MOON VALENCIA GROVE AMBER
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, soft-toned Valencia orange peel tartness and subtle grassy-hopped lemon spicing stay above sugary wheat malt bed of golden-hazed springtime moderation. Desolate vegetal astringency backends soda-like citric spritzer.
TWO ROADS BREWING COMPANY
STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT
Becoming the Constitution State’s biggest brewery at birth, TWO ROADS BREWING COMPANY occupies a mammoth red brick warehouse previously housing metal factory, US Baird. Just off Route 95 between New Haven and Bridgeport, Two Road’s impressive 100-barrel system bottles, cans and kegs four original staples and a host of seasonals, specialties and one-offs also served at the spacious 3,000 square foot oval-shaped bar up the stairs from the rustic brown-wooded right side entrance.
Headed by renowned Southampton brewer (and former New England Brewing associate) Phil Markowski, and helped along by local assistant brewer, John Rehm, the master craftsmen have created some well-balanced recipes that push the limits without losing focus. Four banners hanging over the centralized two-storey brew tanks sport the names of each signature beer conveniently available on tap for all to sample alongside light snacks. By 2015, two food trucks, a picnic area, growler station, hop yard shed and beer-accessory shop had been added to the expansive property.
A month after celebrating their long-awaited December 18th soft opening, I sojourned to this renovated landmark on a wintry January ’13 afternoon. Sitting next to the keg handles under long pendulum lights, I dig into the fine samples (fully reviewed at Beer Index) while classic rock echoes thru the crowded draught room.
My session begins with perfectly pungent Ol’ Factory Pils, a musky German-styled pilsner with lemon-candied tartness draping resinous grain-husked earthiness, dry-hopped bitterness and toasted rye malting.
Moving forward to a slightly more complex offering, Belgian candi-sugared Workers Comp Saison gained a tangy tropical fruiting above flaked rye, dried oats and straw wheat. White-peppered pineapple, banana, mango, peach and passion fruit illusions increase intensity.
Then, two contrasting India Pale Ales take center stage. For lighter thirsts, Honeyspot Road White IPA brings lemon zest, lemon curry and marmalade tones to white-peppered floral spicing. Seasoned hopheads will prefer briskly assertive Road 2 Ruin Double IPA, a ‘hop-centric’ full body layering ample yellow grapefruit rind bittering above woody Cascade hop acridity. Ancillary apricot, pineapple, mango and tangerine fruiting deepens the attack.
On tap during the holiday season, a limited edition Biere De Garde simply named Holiday Ale, maintained an easygoing soothe (but drifted a tad from its traditional French farmhouse styling). Crystal-malted cinnamon toast, spiced tea, ginger and vanilla illusions battled for ground against a backend alcohol burn.
An instant success thanks in part to its highly accessible location, Two Roads’ lofty 100,000 square foot brewery has quickly expanded Connecticut’s beer-friendly landscape.
Following Boston trip, March ’21, revisited Two Roads to consume three newish sour-leaning fruit ales and one offshoot rye-aged stout.
Two totally tart ‘Tanker Truck’ kettle-soured ales led off, each featuring a salty lemon-limed Seltzer dryness. Passionfruit Gose let acidic citrus salinity wash over rhubarb-licked passionfruit tartness. Clementine Gose indulged lemon-peeled clementine salting with fizzy tangerine-pineapple snips.
Easygoing sour wheat ale, Peach Jam, left spritzy peach tartness in the dust as lemony hibiscus salting approached.
Mellowly creamed coffee-roasted whiskey tones topped Espressway Rye Barrel Aged Stout, a dryer variant with milked espresso tones and sugared maple oats softly punctuating its bourbonized rye finish.