Tag Archives: AMHERST MA

HIGH HORSE

Beers A-Z, United States Brewpubs,

Amherst's High Horse running out of time to fix food-handling issues

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

In a red brick professional building in the center of Amherst, HIGH HORSE began slinging suds for the UMass crowd back in January ’12. A closed-in benched porch welcomes patrons to the pub’s three-staged interior.

To the right side, a spacious tile-floored main area with twenty-stooled J-shaped wood bar features quaint windowed seating, a TV for sports addicts and brew tanks towards the front.

Edison lights and café tables don the cement-floored midsection and the broken-up left space offers creatively designed intimacy. Interesting modern paintings cover many walls.

On my Sunday brunch stopover, March ’19, had the omelet and French Toast alongside the only remaining house brew currently leftover from the soon-to-be disposed brew tanks.

Utilizing wild saison yeast for its mellow Chardonnay-barreled sour ale template, Le Bang Bang brought salty lemon-limed acidity to vinous green grape tannins and tart crabapple piquancy.

High Horse will have its new brewing equipment readied by springtime. There will be at least four offerings to start.

highhorseamherst.com

AMHERST BREWING

United States Brewpubs

Amherst Brewing Co.

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Along the Connecticut River lies Springfield and its verdant rural outlying vicinity known as Pioneer Valley, visited April ’05, then again October-December ‘07. Perfect for winter skiing, summer recreation, and stream fishing, this tree-lined New England vacation getaway makes for a relaxing pilgrimage any time of season.

Easternmost town of Amherst, home to University of Massachusetts, offers midtown hotspot AMHERST BREWING, a brick-walled brewpub with maroon front deck, centralized J-shaped bar, front-rear brew tanks, wooden vats, and left dining, opened August ‘97.

During initial April ’05 tarriance, discovered light citric-hopped sweet-corned pecan-almond-seduced Honey Pilsner, quince-sweet grapefruit-soured sharp-hopped coriander-spiced North Pleasant Pale Ale, punctiliously pine-hopped lemon-dried grapefruit-embittered apple-pear-tinged Cascade IPA, and tame melon-nectar-tangerine-fruited Incinerator Doppelbock, four fine libations representing the soft end.

Nut-roasted coffee-burnt tea-honeyed Massatucky Brown, earthy vegetal-bound cocoa-dried mocha-bound Chocolate Porter, and robust coffee-roasted, black cherry-bruised Two Sisters Imperial Stout will please most dark beer aficionados. Special soft-textured cask conditioned Old #8 Anniversary Ale brought forth alcohol-soaked cherry-ripe inertia.

On Columbus Day ’07 Amherst revisit, sat alongside brewer Mike Yates and quaffed three assorted beauties, including lemony tangerine-fruited floral-honeyed white-wined Heather Ale (curiously brewed with Scottish heather instead of hops). Dank brown-sugared chocolate-cored earthen-peated fungi-dried Half In The Bagpipe Scotch Ale and creamy coffee-beaned, black chocolate-woven, walnut-roasted, wood-charred, lactose-aided Puffers Smoked Porter were full-bodied delights.

Dryly bittersweet pumpkin-spiced fig-sugared cherry-pitted apple-brightened pecan-nuanced Lewmeister Oktoberfest was efficient autumnal treat.

www.amherstbrewing.com

Bought Sherwood Forest Sheriff’s IPA, Sherwood Forest Archer’s Ale, Pennichuck 2-6-0 Mogul Railyard Lager, and Paper City India’n Pale Ale at nearby Four Seasons Liquor on Route 9 in Hadley.

www.fourseasonswine.com