CATSKILL, NEW YORK

Among a host of old red brick warehouses alongside the Catskill Creek, the second CROSSROADS BREWING COMPANY opened for biz October 2017. Inside a gray metal cross-barred printing facility five miles south of the original 7-barrel Brewpub in Athens, this neo-mod Industrial tavern is right down the road from historic Main Street.

The black-lettered Crossroads Brewing Company insignia spreads across the angled roof and an overhead door leads to the right side beer-barreled picnic area (featuring great views of the riverbank). Inside, an aluminum top bar with reclaimed wood siding complements the aluminum-chaired wood tables.

A huge glass-enclosed brewing operation with tanks heading towards the high ceiling delivers the liquid goods to the gray-walled bar where several caged Edison lights and two side TV’s fill out the spare space.

On my January ’23 afternoon trip returning home to Jersey from Cooperstown, Crossroads had five previously untried beers I imbibed with the wife.

Bruised lemon fizziness hit the nose for Green Fees German Pilsner, receiving sweetish green-peppered spicing, mild dried maize starching and slight Noble-hopped herbal pungency.

Spiced red apple and pear dappled across the dry hop astringency of Brick Row Amber Ale, picking up mild caramelized barley sweetness neutralized by its papery cardboard edge.

Sticky pine comb sapped embittered the yellow grapefruit-peeled pineapple zing and spicy orange tang of conventional West Coast IPA, Outrage.

Zesty tropical fruited NEIPA, Spare Parts, sprayed lemon juice on yogurt-soured gooseberry and guava tartness, salty mango tanginess and spicy pale malts given recessive piney hop resin.

The ‘smaller’ Spare Parts Junior, a hazy pale ale variant, prompted lemony green grape esters and mild grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering to settle above sugar-spiced pale malts.