DENVILLE, NEW JERSEY
Sitting pretty in the heart of Denville at a large corner spot, DIAMOND SPRING BREWING COMPANY opened June 24, 2023. Brewmaster Craig Doremus (previously at Jersey Girl) concocts a rangy blend of diversified brews and occasionally goes beyond stylish limits.
An enclosed deck with Adirondack chairs and plastic benches leads to the entrance of Diamond Spring’s cozily confined cement-floored barroom. The 10-seat black resin top bar (with twelve draught handles emanating from an Industrial metal green pipe) draws from the front windowed brew tanks. A few plastic chaired tables and a stooled countertop area fill out the one-room interior. The black tile bar wall features a large TV and contrasts the wood paneled back wall.
Besides the fine array of beers, there were sodas, flavored seltzers and mocktails available on my early February ’25 pre-dinner stopover.
Sweet Vienna malted moderation, Fireside Amber Kellerbier, spread orange marmalade atop sugared toasted breading for a fine bohemian leadoff.
Next, barley-roasted cereal graining and mild rice sugaring prodded straightforward American Lager, bringing mild hop astringency to sparkly lemon spritz.
Tartly puckered pinkish mauve Island Hibiscus Mixed Berry Blonde Ale stayed softly sour as strawberry puree piquancy faded along with its sweet hibiscus flowering atop dry pale malting.
Another tart sour ale, Broadway Pucker (the base beer for a series of fruit pureed offshoots), tossed floral lemon verbena herbage at dry lime spritz atop salted acidulated wheat.
Raw-honeyed amber graining creased brusque Drone’s Descent Amber Ale, leaving mild tobacco-roasted crisping alongside ascending resinous pine bittering.
Easygoing herbal pale ale variant, Just The (Spruce) Tip, spiked its mild juniper berry bittering with delicate fern-like evergreen serenity then finished like a lemon-oiled mint julep sendoff.
Spritzy mandarin orange tanginess proved zestful as mild coriander spicing, candied lemon tartness and white-peppered basil and thyme herbage snagged glacial white ale, Polar Plunge, a compost-wafted Belgian witbier.
Perfume-spiced apple and pear fruiting contrasted the mild juniper-tipped citric hop bittering of Red Fox IPA, a cereal grained amber ale crossed with a lighter bodied India Pale Ale.
Sessionable West Coast IPA, Lakeside Lazy Day, let stark lemony grapefruit bittering and subtle orange tang gain resinous pine lacquer.
Sweet honeyed oats abutted New Zealand-hopped guava, white grapefruit and orange rind bittering for (7.7% ABV ) Extra Squeeze Hazy IPA, a reliable tropical fruited medium body only bettered by the next stylishly similar brew.
Spry lemony orange rind and grapefruit peel bittering stayed dry for glistening Juice Box Citrus Punched Hazy IPA, picking up mellow pineapple-guava tanginess and mild pine licks penetrating the sunshiny floral spiced citrus finish.
Impressive lactose-creamed Strawberry Fields IPA rushed its tart strawberry puree essence thru marshmallow vanilla sugaring immediately contrasted by sticky piney hop bittering.
Confectionery Nutty By Nature Peanut Butter Dunkelweiss spread peanut buttered chocolate across grape-jellied banana sweetness, roasted chestnut whims and dried fig snips.
Buttery chestnut, almond, hazelnut and acorn sweetness faded into soft orange oiled tartness receding into the toasted amber graining of Nut Smuggler Nut Brown Ale.
Rich lactic Campfire Stout pleated maple-sugared brown chocolate sweetness with marshmallow-toasted honey nuts, retaining a smoky caramelized char.
Buzz Free Thirst Quencher, a lemon lime sugared Gatorade knockoff with spritzy seltzer fizz and slight herbal tea snicker will satisfy poppy non-alcohol thirsts.
