SHOREBILLY 410 KOLSCH

Beers A-Z
Delightful hybridized German-styled moderation (brewed by Tall Tales) brings wintry dark-roasted mocha malting of a typical altbier to the soft-focus dried fruiting of a subtle summery kolsch. Large black licorice contingent rules the roost until sugared fig, dry plum and unripe prune illusions reach the fore. Small boardwalk-bound brewers’ flagship offering certainly qualifies for the big time.   

CAPE COD BEER

United States Brewpubs,

Cape Cod Chips and Cape Cod Beer | Talk-  Cape_Cod_Beer.png

HYANNIS, MASSACHUSETTS

Escaping to the Massachusetts shoreline for a long weekend in July ’13, stopped by reliable CAPE COD BEER for a few pints (picking up each flagship beer in bottled versions as well). Inside a white sheet metal industrial building just off the main drag in Hyannis, this multifaceted microbrewery (with cement-floored back tap room, beer shop, retail store and large silver brew tanks) opened in 2004 and has grown in size over the years.

A comfortable beach-styled front porch with eight patio tables fills up this afternoon as my beers get poured inside. Presently, Cape Cod’s suds are only sold in the eastern Massachusetts area, but slowly the brewery’s range has expanded. Going from lightest to darkest brews during my one-hour stint, each efficient offering proves to be not only stylistically forthright but also intriguingly original.

Crisply light-bodied Beach Blonde saddled cereal-grained Vienna malting and soft Cascade-hopped bittering with a refreshingly sugared citric finish, gaining musky Czech pilsner-like lemon-rotted vegetal nuances along the way.

Medium-bodied signature beer, Red Right Return retained a toasted amber-grained hop spice reinforced by pallid crystal malt sweetness. Its centrist flavor will please pilsner, lager and pale ale imbibers.

Engaging hot weather moderation, Summer Hefeweizen, pleated its lovely banana-clove insistence with lemony Cascade hops and honeyed wheat.

Dry-bodied India Pale Ale loaded woody Chinook-hopped grapefruit rind bittering atop lightly smoked pale malts, picking up a sharp alcohol burn that nearly muted the ancillary peach-pineapple tang.

On the dark side, nutty mocha full body, Cape Cod Porter, worked its dark-roasted grain bill into Brazil nut, hazelnut and walnut illusions as well as molasses-sweet brown chocolate chalking and roasted coffee undertones.

Afterwards, spent two days at beautiful Orleans beach and windy Yarmouth inlet to try bottled versions (reviewed at Beer Index).

www.capecodbeer.com

SAMUEL ADAMS LITTLE WHITE RYE

Beers A-Z
‘Beguiling’ golden-hazed hybridized witbier utilizes wintry herbaceous spices to enliven mild rye influence. Sweet orange-peeled coriander sugaring precedes peppery white sage rage. Gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove seasoning resonate above pumpkin pie sweetness. Dry lemon-candied grains of paradise tartness provides soft contrast.  

SMARTMOUTH BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,
Smartmouth Brewing Co. :: McPherson Design Group  Smartmouth Brewing Co. - Virginia Is For Lovers
NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
A diverse group of parents with children and post-collegiate hop-heads gather on blankets spread across the cement porch fronting SMARTMOUTH BREWERY’s inconspicuous gray brick warehouse to enjoy the sunny Saturday afternoon swelter on my initial July ’13 one-hour stopover. Set in a light industrial Norfolk hub, this spirited microbrewery has gained quite a substantial local following since opening for biz, November ’12.
Inside, the pristine white interior features eight back-walled metal stools, six community tables, four tap stations (with two handles each), black acoustic ceiling tiles, a huge blackboard beer list andglass-encased copper-kettled brew tanks. A beautiful beer-centric collage painting hangs from the front wall. Presently, Smartmouth only sells kegs and growlers to the general public, but imminent expansion will increase capacity and bottling seems likely in the future.
Flagship Alter Ego Saison spreads buttery caramel malting across Belgian candi-sugared sweetness, white-peppered grapefruit-orange-lemon bittering and soft hop-spiced prickles.
Lighty caramel creamed Murphy’s Law Amber Ale pleased moderate thirsts with its nutty toffee dalliance, mild perfume-hopped stone fruiting, minor wood char and toasted white bread base.
Extremely dry Bandwagon Citra Pale Ale plied hardwood lacquer to resinous hop-embittered orange rind and grapefruit illusions, picking up spritzy lemon zest along the way.
 
Sharp wood-dried hops also affected Rule G IPA, an orange-dessicated grapefruit peel-embittered medium body sweetened by creamy crystal-sugared malts.
Harsher wood tones embedded Notch 9 Double IPA, where creamier crystal malts contrast dry-hopped pine needling and livelier grapefruit-orange briskness.
Flaked corn malting gave grassy-hopped Inappropriate Cream Ale an approachable easygoing nature underlined by a subtle perfumed whiskey niche.

O’CONNOR BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,
O'Connor Brewing Co. | Norfolk, VA | Beers | BeerAdvocate
NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
Just two miles east of Smartmouth Brewing on the other side of the railroad tracks in a tan industrial building lies O’CONNOR BREWING COMPANY. A glass-inlaid brown tree insignia welcomes patrons to the raw cement-floored warehouse space where entrepreneurial brewer Kevin O’Connor opened this increasingly popular Norfolk microbrewery July ’13 (and closed July ’23).
Beforehand, the crafty zymurgist worked at Viriginia’s well regarded St. George Brewery. Gaining experience, he soon set up a basic garage operation and began brewing under his own name (receiving plaudits for O’Connor Red Nun Red Ale).
A few days after opening in its current space I got to visit and try a truly terrific tap-only Irish Stout while purchasing bottles of El Guapo Agave IPA, Great Dismal Black IPA and Norfolk Canyon Pale Ale (all listed in the Beer Index under O’Connor).
At the entrance, two guys are tossing back a few on the front deck. Inside, a few community tables sidle silver brew tanks and bottling equipment. A few bartenders serve the late afternoon crowd from the right side serving area. Extra glass-encased brew tanks hold beer being readied for bottling or kegging.
Today’s worthiest brew may’ve been O’Connor Dry Irish Stout, an illustrious sedation layering molasses-sapped coffee, vanilla, cocoa and walnut pleasantries beneath creamy dark/ brown chocolate sugaring.