OLD FORGE BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

DANVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA

After signing out of our Bloomsburg hotel Saturday morn (April ’11), my wife and I ventured ten miles west to downtown Danville, spending an hour at OLD FORGE BREWING (opened for business December 5th, 2008). Described as a ‘fun, casual, comfy pub,’ this narrow bi-level saloon benefited from local farm-grown ingredients integrating brewer Damien Malfara’s healthy pub fare. Bending stylistic guidelines in his favor, the former Philadelphia chemist showed off an expressive array of suds emanating from downstairs fermenting tanks.

Upon entering, a small silver brewing system fronts this brick-walled pink lady-like structure. Eight seats crowd the left bar (with colorful parasol, uniquely carved tap handles, and pottery-made beer mugs) situated across three right side tables and antique oaken-framed mirror. Handcrafted wood and metal fixtures bedecked this ground level space. The similarly styled upstairs lounge backed up against an outside deck colorfully splashed with Old Forge insignias and the like. A short menu included burgers, sandwiches, and quesadillas.

Old Blues music played as I inspected my seven sturdy samples. On the moderate end, mildly bitter, smoothly dewy Egan’s Best Bitter, draped caramelized fig across apricot-dried fungi bottom.

Perched between the brewers’ Bellows Brown Ale and Underbite IPA, Falling Down India Brown opposed leafy dry-hopped tranquility with brown-sugared caramel-chocolate malting.

Light-bodied Kolsch, Endless Summer Ale, spice-hopped lemon-rotted citric fizzing.

Lager-aged, mocha-dried, fig-sugared, prune-strewn Old Forge Alt nearly outdid superb orange-peeled, lemon-limed, juniper-embittered T-Rail Pale Ale (deviously replicating an IPA).

Candi-sugared Slightly Rood Belgian Pale Ale countered biscuit-y caramel toasting, dried fig spicing, and date nut breading with earthen clay hop bounty.

Slack Tub Stout fused dry espresso, dark chocolate, and molasses to flaked oatmeal.

www.oldforgebrewing.com

MARLEY’S BREWERY & GRILLE

United States Brewpubs,

MARLEY'S BREWERY AND GRILLE, Bloomsburg - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

(above picture is new location since 2018/ bottom picture is original)

BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

Situated east of Danville and west of Berwick along the Susquehanna River, Bloomsburg may be Columbia County’s most industrialized town. Tucked into a midsize red-bricked space on Main Street’s downtown stretch with maroon awning, green interior, Classical molding, and separate right side dining area stands MARLEY’S BREWERY & GRILLE, visited April ’11.  Sitting at the left side bar across from a beautiful mirrored mural with Marley’s insignia, I enjoyed fruity ales, a porter, and stout alongside humus and prime beef sandwich while watching Philadelphia Flyers playoff hockey with my wife.

Marley's Brewery And Grille | Bloomsburg, PA | Beers | BeerAdvocate

Silly dog-related names christened each well-balanced delight brewer Mark Brunwarth concocted in the basement tanks. Two fine white-peppered Belgian-styled ales led the way. Candi-sugared, plum-dried, prune-stewed, herbal-hopped Choke Collar Trippel bested sweeter fruit-spiced Dirty Dog Dubbel.

Another two Euro-fashioned offerings of German heritage fared well. Bitch In Heat Hefe layered banana-breaded clove-coriander spicing and lemony orange tartness above honeyed wheat.

An abundant plum-soaked fig-spiced sharpness enveloped Dock Jumper Dunkel, subduing bruised banana sweetness and dried mocha malts. Dog Runner Ale, a mild Irish Red Ale, needed deeper crystal malting, riper black cherry fruiting, and better tea-like midst.

On the dark side, oats-toasted, chocolate-spiced, coffee-burnt, espresso-bent Guard Dog Porter gave chocolate-bound barley roaster Leg Humper Oatmeal Stout a run for the money.

Though soft-hopped, Droopy Ear Alt retained loud raisin-pureed cherry prompting and molasses-sapped overture to earthy bottom. Dry-bodied pine-fruited Tire Chaser IPA gained woody-hopped grapefruit-peeled black currant bittering to contrast zesty orange, pineapple, peach, and apple.

Crisp citric-fizzed Kong Kolsch was least memorable, placing nasty corn-oiled astringency aloft pungent vegetal graining.

Overall, a nice showing on a rainy Friday eve from a cordial neighborhood pub opened February 2010.

www.marleysbrewery.com

SHAWNEE CRAFT BREWERY @ THE GEM AND KEYSTONE

United States Brewpubs

SHAWNEE-ON-DELAWARE, PENNSYLVANIA

So I left the three kids at home alone, jumped in the car with my wife, Karen, and headed west to the Pocono Mountains and beyond for a two-day excursion on Good Friday, April ’11. Our trip began at Shawnee-On-Delaware’s bucolic Gem & Keystone Restaurant, a maroon three-story Colonial edifice perfectly in tune with the surrounding wooded countryside. Located at the Shawnee Inn & Gold Resort alongside a rolling stream in easternmost part of the Poconos, this fabulous eatery served beers crafted at SHAWNEE CRAFT BREWERY by Leo Bongiorno. As if to prove winter still had one last breath, I spotted a few leftover snowflakes before entering.

Earning a solid rep since opening September 2010, Shawnee’s uses locally grown ingredients for its fine organic beers and vegetarian-friendly food. Featuring an upstairs banquet area, main level dining and two back decks, the capacious hunter green-walled wood-furnished lodge also housed a larger downstairs bar with big screen TV’s, billiards, darts, and firepit. Sitting at the diminutive low-ceiling left side main bar (with 2 TV’s), friendly bartender Shawn Copeman hung out while I quaffed eight well-rounded beer samplers with outstanding crab cakes plus oak-grilled crostini bread chock-full of fresh mozzarella, roasted garlic, basil, and tomato.

Crisply soft-toned ‘Green Drinks’ (sans chemical preservatives) included subtle nitro-injected Session Porter, a nutty chocolate nicety gathering advertised ‘black currant overtones’ amidst ashen mineral grains.

Refreshingly clean Biere Blanche witbier brought hard candied lemon souring to white-peppered curacao orange sedation and tertiary banana-clove-coriander reminder.

Even better, Raspberry Blanche (a hopped-up Biere Blanche adjunct) saddled its tart raspberry rasp with limed brimstone pucker, oaken cherry pungency, green grape tannins, champagne-like Chambord desiccation, and sour ale-like brettanomyces acidity.

Approachable Barrel Aged Double Pale (based on Old World IPA recipe) retained smooth nitro-injected creaminess atop citric honeyed peach.

Elaborate Belgian-styled farmhouse ale, 2010 Pumpkin Saison Cuvee II dropped ‘pie sweet’ pumpkins into cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice conflux contrasting earthen fungi underside.

Indifferent lager heads might regale astringent yellow-fruited corn-dried pungency, Gold Lager. Neophytes may give the nod to corn-sweet, wheat-cracked, malt-soured, vegetal-dried American Blonde Ale or musty honey-soured mocha-spiced Stock Ale.

Upon my May 2012 lunchtime revisit, I sat at the downstairs bar in the light green-walled Lower Level Tavern getting drinks from bartender Nicole Chinnici. Hand-carved wood furnishings decorated the exquisite mahogany bar while five tables, several TV’s and a billiard table filled out the room. I consumed three previously untried beers during the one-hour stay.

Closer to a hybridized porter, mocha-malted Belgian Dubbel brought Belgian chocolate spicing to its toasted cola-hazelnut-praline conflux and dried tobacco roast.

Despite a heightened 10.5% alcohol volume, Kentucky bourbon-aged Nitro Bourbon Barrel Porter retained a soft flow as subtle brown chocolate creaminess worked its way into chocolate liqueur, sherry and port illusions.

Less intriguing, Brown Ale layered its pastry-caked brown sugar malting with soapy peanut-shelled walnut bittering.

Got back to Shawnee on way to Poconos, November ’18, quaffing Kirkwood Kolsch, a crisply clean moderation with Noble-hopped herbal spicing, lemon-rotted green grape tannins and floral-bound hardwood dryness.

Also, tried barley-roasted, caramel-spiced Will Rogers Red Ale, a prim centrist moderation.

www.shawneecraftbrewingcompany.com

(WELLS & YOUNG) COURAGE IMPERIAL RUSSIAN STOUT

Beers A-Z

Boldly rounded full body with exemplary sweet-sour-bitter balance allows hemp-like hop oils to positively affect milky brown chocolate entry, chewy maple molasses-sapped anise goo and sugary oatmeal-toasted backdrop. Advertised espresso adjunct pervades ancillary chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, soy, dried cherry and pipe tobacco illusions. Vinous red-wined sherry boozing settles beside rum-spiced tingle above earthen peat bottom and ashen pine soot. Lusty 10% alcohol thrust well hidden by luxurious chocolate creaminess and hop-charred pine char. 

 

 Find Wells & Young's Courage Imperial Russian Stout Beer

BROOKLYN BLACK OPS STOUT

Beers A-Z

Easygoing relaxant stays smoothly soft-tongued as oaken vanilla and dark chocolate seep into soothing bourbon warmth of wood-barreled Imperial Stout. Carbolic champagne yeast prickle yields burgundy-port undertones affecting black cherry, raisin, prune and blackberry tartness as well as subtle hazelnut-almond conflux. Dark-roasted stove-burnt coffee spell deepens complexity of  2011-brewed 10.7% alcohol mocha-bound digestif.

Black Ops | Brooklyn Brewery

BAXTER PAMOLA XTRA PALE ALE

Beers A-Z

Middling canned ale suffers from tinny astringency, bland crystal malting and understated stylistic approach. Mild roasted hop bittering usurps casual orange-red fruiting. Tealeaf, lemongrass and citrus undertones soften bread-floured bottom of sessionable straw-hazed springtime fodder. On tap at Ambulance, sour yellow-fruited dry body goes awry due to musty barley graining, rotten vegetal musk and dirty earthen bottom. Lemony pineapple tartness and infrequent herbal spell lose steam to crusty rusticity. 

BAXTER STOWAWAY I.P.A.

Beers A-Z

First canned ale by Maine Brewery (circa 2011) is absolute hop-head delight! Piney Christmas tree waft matches “assertive hop profile” of bold full body. Expectant lemony grapefruit-orange rind bittering pervades juicy apricot-cherry-tangerine tang, picking up Granny Smith apple tartness alongside mineral-grained briskness. Honeyed caramel malting contrasts musty hop resin bottom of superfine fruit-enriched India Pale Ale.

SPEAKEASY BUTCHERTOWN BLACK ALE

Beers A-Z

Celebrating 2011’s 14th anniversary of respected Bay Area brewer, IPA-like hop-charred citric bittering outweighs Cascadian Dark Ale-like oats-flaked mocha nuttiness for stylistic Black IPA. Piney grapefruit-peeled expectancy picks up resinous walnut, black coffee, black currant, black licorice and Blackstrap molasses illusions along the way, coating the lingered black tar aftertaste.

Speakeasy Butchertown Black Ale returns | BeerPulse

SIXPOINT MAD SCIENTIST #3 – ALTBIER

Beers A-Z,

Coming on like a lighter-tongued German schwarzbier with its lactic sour-milked black chocolate creaming and cocoa-dried caramel nuttiness, this so-called ‘top-fermented old beer’ or ‘dopplesticke lager’ follows up Mad Scientist’s initial ‘09 barleywine and ‘10s coffee bock. Ancillary stone-fruited spicing overlays tobacco-roasted French bread crusting, enhancing the resinous mocha motif.

 

Sixpoint Brewers Present: Mad Scientists Series