FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK
Smack dab in the middle of downtown Farmingdale with a bright blue awning and glass-front window, LITHOLOGY BREWING CO. opened during 2015. A tiny two-room nanaobrewery with small silver metal three-barrel system, Lithology's whimsical one-off ales are usually delicately persuasive soft-toned liquids for easygoing semi-conventional tastes.
The front bar room features a modern Industrial setup with cozy L-shaped serving station, tan floor tiles, Classical white ceiling tiles, one central TV and prestigious side-walled wood insignia.
The twelve Industrial metal tap handles serve New York farmhouse brews and there are several state-crafted liquor selections as well.
Behind the kitchen-designed brew room lies a small outdoor patio beer garden with metal furnishings. During my June '19 stopover, I tried nine homemade suds.
Soft-toned Jay Walker Cream Ale - Nitro retained grassy hop astringency and celery-watered crisping for its maize-dried finish.
Dry lemony grapefruit piquancy fronted Sunrise Summer Ale, leaving its subtle citric spicing upon the simple pale wheat malting.
Understated The White, a Belgian witbier, let coriander-spiced orange tartness subtly sink into wheat-dried lemongrass herbage and zesty lemon snips.
Tea-like moderation, Lithology Red Ale, imbued dry amber-grained chocolate malting with murky orange fruiting.
Dainty mango soaping welcomed summertime moderation, Magothy Mango, a buttery wheat ale with subtle tropical fruiting.
Pallid Watermelon Blonde's cucumber-laden watermelon tease and melon rind earthiness gained mild lemony hop bittering and dry pale malting.
Waxy citrus tones brought mild bitterness to herbal-tinged Local Gold, a watered-down West Coast-styled IPA.
Black chocolate and dark toffee picked up earthen leathering for mildly nutty Brown Ale.
Minty chai tea illusions seeped into dark chocolate and licorice tones for nitrogenatedChai-Lo Ren Latte Stout, relegating its delicate spiced black tea notion.
Inside a pristine white warehouse across from regional Republic Airport and just a mile from Black Forest Brew Haus, BARRAGE BREWING COMPANY opened January '14 (and closed January 2020).
Its small yellow-walled taproom features a metal-fronted serving station with bright Barrage insignia, eight draught handles, five stooled black tables and vinyl black floor.
Silver tanked brew barrels are located in the rear and store a veritable cornucopia of beers quaffed on my highly pleasurable two-hour June '19 journey.
First up, delightfully IPA-fruited Nerd Girl Hoppy Pilsner raised zesty Mosaic-Citra-hopped grapefruit, tangerine, orange and pineapple tanginess above grassy earthiness, picking up tart gooseberry, melon rind and lemon custard illusions at the finish.
Soft-tongued New England-styled IPA hybrid, It's Got Hops In It Pale Wheat, spread juicy lemony grapefruit zest across herbaceous floral hops and white wheat malts.
In the same NEIPA league, tropical I'm Still The Best Galaxy, brought subtle orange-grapefruit-pineapple-peach tanginess to dry pale malts and fennel-celery vegetalia.
A collaboration with nearby Spider Bite, Collaborator Doppelbockleft dewy sweetness upon dark-spiced fig, date and apricot illusions as well as wispy toffee notions.
Not unlike a Snickers candy bar, Yada Yada Yada Brown Aleloaded caramelized peanut butter alongside dark chocolate, bitter coffee and coconut illusions, leaving a trace of oily hop bittering.
Salted caramel indulged Assault N Fudgery, an offbeat Imperial Porter with sour black cherry notions.
A mellow milked coffee tone embellishedCafé De Leche, a divergent Imperial Stout with black chocolate and coconut illusions intercepted by mild charred hop bittering.
Since I’ve been visiting cousins ‘out on the Island’ and riding waves at Robert Moses beach since childhood, this oceanic haven feels like home, securing great memories. Although limited bottled beer selection hampers its idyllic splendor, Shoreline Beverage, Huntington (on Route 110) will impress drinkers with its selection of "over 800 beers."
By February 2007, Shoreline boasted "over 1,200 beers," including a large Belgian section where I found Brasserie Des Geants Saison Voisin, Drie Fonteainen Kriek, Du Bocq Blanches Des Moines, Fantome Brisse-Bon Bons, and Regenboog T’Smisje Kerst. Also picked up four Thomas Hooker and Tractor brews, Legacy Hedonism, Victory Boisterous Hellerbock, and Oskar Blues Gordon IPA.
During February ’07 two-day trip, finally visited three divergent Long Island brewpubs. Celebrating Mardis Gras-styled Fasching Festival (a German carnival flaunting fancy dresses, costume balls, and elaborate floats), Farmingdale’s industrial-sectioned large-theme restaurant-brewery BLACK FOREST BREW HAUS (closed 2021) had fascinating beer assortment to go with Bavarian dishes such as wiener schnitzel, wirtshaus veal, sauerbraten, zwiebelrostbraten (ribeye), rouladen (steak with bacon), and loaded potato pancakes.
Inside the tan cement building with red triangle entry and green awning, the slate-floored pub area had solid oak main bar, decorative porcelain tap towers (at secondary terminal), copper brew vats, and festive mural-backed stage area. Carpeted green-walled wood-chaired back dining space with fireplace plus ample outdoor biergarten added breadth.
Operating since August ’98, head brewer Joe Hayes supplied wide-ranging German-styled winners such as salty hop-fizzed lemon-peeled banana-clove-centered grapefruit rind-backed light bodyHefe Weizen, dry Noble-hopped corn-malted citric-soured vegetal-dabbed floral-muted wood-lacquered Black Forest Pilsner and caramel malt-smoked, raw-honeyed, mineral-grained, fig-date-tinged, Marzen-styled Black Forest Amber Lager.
Best bets: sweet ‘n sour banana-bruised, prune-raisin-cherry-pureed, coriander-clove-allspice-seasoned, pecan-walnut-toasted, burgundy-brandy-port-finishing Weizen Bock and alcohol-warmed fig-raisin-grape-dried banana-bruised cocoa-chocolate-heeled cola-walnut-tinged earthen-hopped Scotch Ale.
During quick May ’08 stopover, tried impressive woody-hopped, orange-grapefruit rind-embittered, apricot-apple-sweetened I.P. Hayes IPA and cereal-grained, honey-malted, cornmeal-sorghum-influenced, lemony grapefruit-apricot-fruited Maibock.
My friend, Dennis Flubacher, visited Black Forest, October 2010, buying growler of resplendent Marzen-styled Oktoberfest. Its creamy maple malting intensified leafy gourd-spiced full body, gaining almond-toasted gingerbread-cardamom-cinnamon accents.
On two-hour lunch stint, January, 2011, tried superfine Black Forest Imperial Stout, a popular winter dessert treat that was going like hotcakes this Saturday afternoon with the wife. Its coffee-oiled hop-charred black chocolate roast stayed firm above ashen pine-sapped thickness and fig-dried black cherry variance to caramel-burnt toffee finish.
Before visiting my cousins for a graduation party, August '12, stopped by to try another fine elixir while sharing creamy spinach dips with wife and kids. Lactic cocoa-powdered black chocolate theme sufficed for lightly creamed Black Forest Oatmeal Stout, a rich dessert treat with a caramel-burnt Hershey's chocolate kiss finish when warmed. Tertiary hazelnut-cherry-plum illusions faded through the toasted hop char and dark roasted mocha malting.
Discovered two previously untried Black Forest brews during short April '13 stopover. Totally awesome German rauchbier, Black Forest Smoked Porter, gathered peat-smoked dark chocolate malting, beechwood-kilned stove-burnt coffee bittering and pruned plum dabs, creating a Band-aid-like astringency that fades into an ashen hop char.
Vibrant Black Forest Imperial Pilsner allowed brisk grapefruit-sugared lemon zest as well as tangy tangerine and navel orange juicing to speckle cannabis-oiled salty hop bittering.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK
Smack dab in the middle of downtown Farmingdale with a bright blue awning and glass-front window, LITHOLOGY BREWING CO. opened during 2015. A tiny two-room nanaobrewery with small silver metal three-barrel system, Lithology's whimsical one-off ales are usually delicately persuasive soft-toned liquids for easygoing semi-conventional tastes.
The front bar room features a modern Industrial setup with cozy L-shaped serving station, tan floor tiles, Classical white ceiling tiles, one central TV and prestigious side-walled wood insignia.
The twelve Industrial metal tap handles serve New York farmhouse brews and there are several state-crafted liquor selections as well.
Behind the kitchen-designed brew room lies a small outdoor patio beer garden with metal furnishings. During my June '19 stopover, I tried nine homemade suds.
Soft-toned Jay Walker Cream Ale - Nitro retained grassy hop astringency and celery-watered crisping for its maize-dried finish.
Dry lemony grapefruit piquancy fronted Sunrise Summer Ale, leaving its subtle citric spicing upon the simple pale wheat malting.
Understated The White, a Belgian witbier, let coriander-spiced orange tartness subtly sink into wheat-dried lemongrass herbage and zesty lemon snips.
Tea-like moderation, Lithology Red Ale, imbued dry amber-grained chocolate malting with murky orange fruiting.
Dainty mango soaping welcomed summertime moderation, Magothy Mango, a buttery wheat ale with subtle tropical fruiting.
Pallid Watermelon Blonde's cucumber-laden watermelon tease and melon rind earthiness gained mild lemony hop bittering and dry pale malting.
Waxy citrus tones brought mild bitterness to herbal-tinged Local Gold, a watered-down West Coast-styled IPA.
Black chocolate and dark toffee picked up earthen leathering for mildly nutty Brown Ale.
Minty chai tea illusions seeped into dark chocolate and licorice tones for nitrogenated Chai-Lo Ren Latte Stout, relegating its delicate spiced black tea notion. 