TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
Blue-collar old mill town, Titusville, is located halfway to Lake Erie, 30 miles beyond Route 80. Crossing a steel-framed bridge to this olden oil town (now a lumber community), its rustic brick buildings matched the desolate sleepy neighborhood. At premier Towne Square Building in gray first floor spot, FOUR SONS BREWERY (opened 2001 and by ’08, renamed BLUE CANOE BREWERY, but closed in ’19) featured good brews, copious pub food (nachos with pulled pork), and terse whiskey selection, April ‘06.
Silver brew tanks to right and carved oak bar to left bracketed wooden dining area. Kilt-wearing bartender rendered F-shaped serving tray offering corn-sugared maize-dried grapefruit-embittered Helles-styled Titusville Lager, floral-hopped orange-burnt grapefruit-centered oats-backed Plissken Pale Ale, and barley-roasted mocha-dried coffee-thinned Schwarzbier-styled Rebecca’s Revenge.
Busier brews included intriguing hop-embittered butterscotch-sweetened caramel-curdled E’s S.Bb, yellow-orange-fruited oats-honeyed cocoa-malted Poor Richard’s Ale, and hazelnut-walnut-lingered coffee-dried chocolate-roasted Hoops Brown Ale.
Absolutely delightful Heavy K Scotch Ale was densely syrupy alcoholic concoction with toasted caramelized malts, honeyed cherry perk, and overripe prune flume.
The above-mentioned beers have been put on hold for Blue Canoe’s new line: Distorter Porter; Class5 APA; Titusville Gold Lager; Heavy Kevy.