LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
Perched between Black Forest Brew Haus (a half-hour east) and Southampton Publick House (an hour west) in the mall-filled village of Lake Grove,
JOHN HARVARD’S BREW HOUSE is an affiliate Northeast brewpub with same-named locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts (plus Providence, Rhode Island’s Union Station Brewery). Originally opened 1997 (and closed around 2020), this spacious freestanding Smith Haven Mall bar-restaurant (with flashy maroon awnings) greets customers at its bright yellow-painted middle entrance.
Visited August ’09, the commodious interior featured formal right side wooden square bar (festooned by hanging ceramic mugs and multi-TV’s) serving surrounding pub area and large left dining spaces with house beers from large glass-encased center-staged brew tanks. Menu included fine salads, gourmet sandwiches, and Americana fare to go with Dave De Turris’ stylistically distinct beers and ales.
Lighter libations included astringent straw wheat-fronted, maize-dried, lemon-spiced
Long Island Light, soft grapefruit-tangerine-lingered honey-malted woody-hopped dry-bodied
John Harvard’s Pale Ale,and mild lemon-candied honey-glazed banana-cloved
Hugh Hefe.
Buttery vanilla-honeyed, candi-sugared, cream-corned, cinnamon-nutmeg-spiced
Belgian Tripel and soft black cherry-ripened, cedar-charred, beechwood-smoked
Flanders Flemish Stout (with ascending stove-burnt coffee finish) were Euro-styled delights.
Dry-bodied apple-orange-grape-soured celery-thin
Red In The Face (Red) Ale merely sufficed but toffee-malted plum-soured cherry-pureed banana-breaded grape-nutty apple-skinned
Mad Tom’s Old Ale proved interesting.
Best bet: Belgian-styled witbier,
Friggin’ Swheat, a busy medium-bodied delight featuring toned-down Italian plum, boysenberry, and blackberry fruiting usurped by dry cider-soured cherry-banana-confluence rising above recessive lime-y brimstone dusting.
www.johnharvards.com
Well-integrated velvety smooth dark ale maintains mocha-driven piney fruited complexity. Maple molasses-sapped caramel malts infiltrate chocolate-covered raisin, black cherry, spiced rum and sugar plum illusions. A hint of bourbon or burgundy fills out recessive coffee easement. 
Slick ink black milk stout brings stove-burnt coffee souring to light chocolate-caramel roast. Dark spices, vanilla extract, and anise fill out oats-charred backdrop, but peppery hop astringency and harsh nuttiness overwhelm sugar-caned mocha aspect. 
Toot-sweet Egyptain-styled multi-grained pale ale ‘brewed with honey and chamomile’ finds both advertised adjuncts hitting their mark firmly. Anticipatory honey-dripped affluence slowly picks up tea-like subsidy overrun by pasty marzipan-butterscotch creaminess and warm almondine illusion. Astringent hop coarseness and minor diacetyl buttering cut into mild ginger-snapped cinnamon-nutmeg interlude. 
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
After making the rounds in Tennessee for a few days, returned to Asheville, visiting an old school brewery and two new ones, August '08.
Hidden in the warehouse-laden River Arts District at an old brick building down stairs, THE WEDGE may look dank and rustic, but its beers are exquisitely crafted. Opened June ’08, this small tasting room with eight brew tanks and an outdoor porch served six different libations this evening.
I tried the buttery orange-peeled, lemon-candied, coriander-spiced, chamomile-tinged, floral-hopped, tartly-embittered Witbier and creamy banana-bubblegum-sweetened, sourly lemon-bruised, peach-syrupy, gin-soaked Golem Strong Golden Ale.
Even better was maple-sapped, burnt-sugared, chocolate-roasted, cherry-pureed, hazelnut-skewed, cappuccino-espresso-finishing Community Porter.
125B Roberts Street, Asheville
Dank-grained medium-bodied Czech pils with lemony hop fizz and floral-spiced Orange Blossom honey drift falls way short. Vacant crystal malt sweetness and inferior vegetal spill (asparagus-maize-carrot) sink it further into stylistic oblivion. 
Worthy amber-hazed full body brings resinous piney-hopped grapefruit-orange rind bittering to sticky caramel malt sweetness swaying huge marzipan-almond imprint. Rum cake, pine nut, dark spice and floral illusions fill out rounded dry-fruited finish. A hop-head lover’s delight.