Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

BACK MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

DALLAS, PENNSYLVANIA

Retired military veteran Clay Cadwalader, an avid homebrewer, and his high school sweetheart, Charity, co-owners of BACK MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY, develop a splendid cornucopia of stylistic brews (mostly one-offs or recurring) at an aged red brick warehouse. Learning his craft while stationed at Washington’s Puget Sound, Cadwalader returned home to Northeast Pennsylvania’s ‘back mountains’ to set up shop in Dallas during August ’21.

The rustic boiler roomed textile mill that Back Mountain occupies has been retrofit with hardwood floors, antiquated ceiling pipes, elongated window frames and matching wood tables. A small front deck provides more seating. Small -batch brew tanks in the back supply draughts to the central bar station.

My wife and I visited Back Mountain a week prior to Thanksgiving ’24, auditioning eight savory suds while bringing home two fab oak-aged ales – Something In the Dark Bourbon Stout and Rye Whiskey Barrel-aged Old Ale (reviewed in Beer Index).

An autumnal Cream Ale variant, Grandad’s Cranberry, celebrated Thanksgiving with its tart cranberry sauciness given spritzy lemon zest atop gluey cardboard-like pilsner malts.

Clear straw kolsch, Notorious P.I.G., let grassy-hopped barnyard acridity and raw mineral graining spread across tart lemon-candied mandarin orange spritz.

Dry Cascade-hopped K.I.S.S. 2.0 Pale Ale stayed crisp as cucumber-watered lemony orange tang serenaded pale malt pasting.

Piney yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering rallied for West Coast IPA, Little Squashy, picking up mild juniper and currant snips.

Daringly crossing a farmhouse-dried witbier with a hazy IPA, Rocky Mountain Part Deux White Session IPA allowed its bittersweet orange-peeled grapefruit tang to gain tannic white wining, dill pickled spicing and light pine tones in a sugary pale malt setting.

Floury brown-sugared molasses and caramelized toffee seduced sweet dessert confection, Shoo Fly Pie Brown Ale, leaving residual mocha nuttiness.

Minty coffee-stained dark chocolate scurried thru pumpkin-pied ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and peppermint spicing of robust holiday ale, Lock Shock & Barrel’s Pumpkin Porter, a delightful full bodied mocha-gourd combo.

Tarry dry-bodied Pineland Porter retained fluffy mocha creaminess, chalky cocoa powdering and burnt coffee smidge as oily hop residue secured soy milked bottom.

NORTH SLOPE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

DALLAS, PENNSYLVANIA

Inside a brown paneled lodge at Northeast Pennsylvania’s “pride of Back Mountain,” NORTH SLOPE BREWING COMPANY became Dallas’ first brewpub, March 2015. Its old brick interior retained an unfinished feel supported by the olden concrete floor, reclaimed vinyl wood top bar, Industrial metal-chaired wood tables and wood-fenced raised platform space (with couch and walled TV).

North Slope’s easygoing fare suited softer palates, but more refined tastes will enjoy the smooth crisping of each golden brew I enjoyed on my mid-November ’24 stopover. There were also six local guest draughts available and fine farm-to-table pub cuisine.

Soft-toned Ganoga Falls Dortmunder Lager let mild lemon spicing fizzle atop dry pale malting.

A sweeter stylistic take, Lil Sip Extra Cream Ale let its honeyed spicing spread across flaked corn pilsner malting and grassy hopped lemon licks.

Spicy floral perfumed lemon zesting embraced Dallas Hop Dry West Coast IPA, a polite off-dry moderation with mild pine tones and distant herbage.

Best bet: Tropical fruited hazy yellowed New England IPA, Beer & Loathing, regaled zesty orange-peeled lemon spicing and crayon-waxed yellow grapefruit, peach and melon spurts as well as subtle juniper-embittered pine resin above lightly creamed oats sugaring.

SUSQUEHANNA BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA

Halfway between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in a spacious tan brick-based warehouse with matching aluminum siding and maroon front-doored awning, SUSQUEHANNA BREWING COMPANY was re-founded in 2010 at its current Pittston locale. Initially the brainchild of German immigrant Charles Stegmaier, the original Susquehanna began operations in 1897 and ceased during 1919 due to Prohibition.

Now under the co-ownership of sixth generation relative, Fred Maier, the bustling Northeast Pennsylvania pub maintains enough backroom space to do larger scale brewing, barrel aging and canning. Despite its relative enormity, Susquehanna’s cozy cafe-styled, red tile-floored tasting room only features a four-seat slate topped bar with eight taps, TV and refrigerator. There are a few metal-chaired wood tables across the bar and exposed pipes hang from the black ceiling.

On a snowy Friday afternoon mid-November 2024, my wife and I tossed back ten variegated brews emanating from the pristine stainless steel backroom brew tanks.

Crisply easygoing German pilsner, Froggy Pond Water, let mild lemon licks and slight herbal musk sit atop mineral grained pilsner malting.

Fizzy Seltzer-like shandy, Blueberry Thrill, retained a snappy sweet-tart blueberry thrust. Meanwhile, fruitier Blackout Berry Shandy coalesced blackberry, brambleberry and blueberry tartness with mild lemony ginger sugaring atop syrupy soda-like malts.

Salted coriander hit the cranberry bog of Crannonball Gose, letting ancillary gooseberry, green grape and crabapple souring seep into candied lollipop tartness.

Stylishly expressive Belgian Tripel brought creamy vanilla frosting to lemon meringue, orange liqueur and Chardonnay riffs as musty fungi earthiness spread thru spicy phenols above its cereal grained pilsner malt base.

Floral-perfumed lemony grapefruit and orange peel zesting stormed piney Hopcellerator IPA, a tropical delight utilizing woody Simcoe-Amarillo hops and yellow-fruited Citra-Cascade hops.

Seasonal spiced brown ale, Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale, paraded brown-sugared cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger seasoning plus light sweet perfuming down the molasses-draped dark chocolate bottom. 

Peat-dried chocolate roast pervaded Toboggan Chocolate Doppelbock, rendering tertiary cocoa powder, vanilla bean and black cherry illusions.

Dark-roast chocolate and burnt caramel topped Toes Up Imperial Stout, picking up mild bourbon vanilla spicing.

Lovely dessert confection, Toss Up Salted Caramel Imperial Stout, spread salted caramel sugaring across candied toffee, creamy vanilla and sweet chocolate.

LASTING JOY BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

TIVOLI, NEW YORK

In the tiny Hudson Valley village of Tivoli, LASTING JOY BREWERY opened in June 2022. “Down on a winding farm road,” this nifty mod farm-to-table pub utilizes mostly locally grown ingredients at its cozy greenish shingled barnhouse. Glass-enclosed metal Industrial benched tables and a warm couch surround the bar and brewtanks are stored to the right.

Lasting Joy’s centralized slate topped octagon-shaped bar features a gorgeous tiled turnstile draught board serving beery fountain drinks. Outside, Adirondack chaired firepits add further seating.

Mocktails, cider, wine and snacks were available alongside Lasting Joy’s highly approachable suds. My wife and I grab seats at the bar noontime on a sunny Friday, November 2024 to enjoy all ten varied home brews.

Rustic Czech-styled pilsner, Two Rivers, combined dry mineral graining with grassy Saaz hop herbage, leaving saw-dusted barnyard hay, rye and alfalfa snips.

A dryer Vienna Lager, ILOVIT contrasted its leafy hop astringency and apple-skinned dried fruiting with mild chestnut-roasted caramelization.

Dewy raw-honeyed marzen lager, Leafs Peeper, sunk leafy hop oiling and earthen truffle fungi into red-orange fruiting.

Gingery cinnamon sticks and brown-sugared nutmeg, clove and thyme seasoning led pumpkin pied Hudson Harvest Pumpkin Ale, leaving a honeyed wheat crust.

Soft-toned oak-aged sour blonde ale, Sophomore Slump, let buttery Chardonnay wining and honey mead sweetness contrast sharply acidic white wine vinegaring as its tart peach adjunct hid apricot and tangerine snips.

Honey mead-inspired Belgian wheat ale, Beekeeper’s Bliss, picked up cotton-candied butterscotch sweetness and botanical orange blossom backup.

Citric pine-embittered hazy IPA, Clouds Over Clermont, utilized woody Saaz hops, melon-like Cashmere hops and earthily floral Mackinac hops to engage its sharp citrus thrust.

Murkily tan nickel-hued Brut IPA, Pick Your Own Grape, let Concord grape tannins pick up enzymic champagne-sparkled white wining and mild orange oiling for its green hop earthiness.

Nearly as good as a beechwood-seared German smoked helles, Smoke Follows Beauty brought stylish Band-aid astringency to salami-pastrami cured meatiness and sweet smoked barley malting.

Wintry dark ale, Pie Chai Porter, plied sweet chai tea to pine nut, gingerbread, nutmeg and peppermint incense illusions above dark chocolate base.

OLD FACTORY BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

CAIRO, NEW YORK

Inside a former bottling plant alongside Catskill Park in the trout-fishin’ town of Cairo, OLD FACTORY BREWING COMPANY has occupied this red brick walled, cement-floored warehouse space since December 26, 2020. Owned by Tim Cornelison and his son, Old Factory churns out a consistent variety of reliable mainstream fare.

A covered front porch leads patrons to the old Industrial watering hole. Its beautiful epoxy-stained ivory slate bar top with Classical gold trim siding welcomes happy quaffers with twenty seats flowing down a narrow hallway leading to a patio-tabled backspace. There are 24 draught handles stationed at the bar. The restored block wood front wall, strung Edison lights and work lamps add to the small town rusticity.

Sandwiches, wraps, burgers and mac ‘n cheese fit the small pub menu on my dusky November ’24 stopover.

Soft-tongued lemon spicing and subtle floral daubs perked up Brilliant Blonde, despite its dishwater Seltzer phenols.

Mild apple-orange-pear fruiting picked up mild fungi musk for Nutrunner Pale Ale, a honeyed pale malted moderation.

Leafy hop oils soaked the honeyed orange-red-yellow fruiting surfing the lemon Seltzer fizz of seasonal Octoberfest.

Buttery Hogan’s Alley Red retained raw-honeyed astringency for apple, orange and peach fruiting given dewy peat mossing.

Dry NEIPA, Window Bars, placed lemon-soured guava and green grape tartness next to milder orange peel sweetness.

A dark bronze hue stood out for fruitier NEIPA, Cairo Haze, regaling grapefruit, navel orange, peach and mango fruitiness over dry oated wheat.

Juicy Mosaic hopped West Coast IPA, Mosaic, showcased lemon-peeled yellow grapefruit bittering complemented by mild mandarin orange sweetness contrasting lacquered pine resin.

The only dark ale on my autumn visit was Lil Holiday Stout, a wintry celebrator with dry-spiced chocolate roast, light vanilla creaming and pine nut toasting.

UNION STREET BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

HUDSON, NEW YORK

Entering thru a side entrance and up the stairs to a spacious beergarden across the multi-floored blue grey barn house, Hudson’s UNION STREET BREWING COMPANY, a converted 1930’s warehouse, features a black sillstone-topped bar with dual draught stations, high ceilinged wood beams, exposed rafters and piping, porcelain-styled concrete floors, a few community tables and wall-paneled benches.

Opened for biz July, 2023, Union Street spreads to the lower level, where a couched billiards room opposes a light lounge space. Brewer Keir Hamilton (formerly of Sixpoint/ Alewife) and owners Emma & Paul O’Donnell enjoy crafting ‘hop-forward’ ales alongside pleasantly understated beers (many distinctly Euro styled). Light pub cuisine went well with the approachable suds.

At noontime on a Sunday in November ’24, the black patio-furnished beergarden fills up with local families while my wife and I consume ten tidy treats at the plastic-stooled bar.

Floral lemon spicing received brusque IPA-fruited bittering (grapefruit rind, orange peel, pineapple) for sharper-than-expected German pilsner, Ten Days Of Perfect Tunes, countering its grassy hop astringency with biscuity pale malts.

Stylish banana-clove sweetness embraced the oaken vanilla-dried green grape esters of Weizenfelder, a slightly soured hefeweizen.

Zestful dry-hopped Citra-Mosaic combo powered hazy IPA, Planning An Escape, letting sunshiny lemon brighten salty gooseberry-guava tartness, yellow grapefruit bittering and mandarin orange tang atop creamy oats.

Classic West Coast-styled IPA, Tread Lightly, retained dry citric pined identity as grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering gained candied pineapple-tangerine tartness given waxy perfumed pine needling.

Utilizing Simcoe, Amarillo and Cashmere hops, dryer west Coast IPA, Cancelling Plans, sank dank pine resin into lemon-seeded grapefruit bittering over lightly honeyed malts.

Briny lemon pith bittering circled orange peel sweetness in a musky fungi setting for In The Intern, a lightly meringue-creamed saison.

Oaken white wine-barreled ‘mixed’ saison, The Sun Is Getting Heavy, dispensed buttery Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and honey mead wining for its earthen barnyard-dried pilsner malt rusticity.

Zesty orange peeled coriander spicing and grains of gingery paradise paced boozy (9.3% ABV) tripel, Superbier, spiked by rum-sugared banana, buttery Chardonnay, lemon curry and dried cherry.

Casual dark mild, A Winter’s Moon, a classic Brit session ale, let nutty burnt coffee seep into peat-smoked dark-roast hop char.

Dark-roast chicory coffee and dark cocoa enabled embittered black malts to infiltrate dry coffee stout, The Grind Never Stops, today’s final libation.

RETURN BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

HUDSON, NEW YORK

The story goes a New York-based team of brewing industry veterans came together before the autumn of 2021 and formed RETURN BREWING (initially at the former Crossroads brewery in nearby Catskill). Specializing in Eastern European-styled pilsner-lagers plus mixed fermentation ales, honey meads and barrel-aged fodder (some with foraged sources), local businessmen Mikey Lenane (ex-Sixpoint/ Hudson Valley brewer), long time pal JD Linderman and Jack Liakas share a mutual love for adventurous beer.

Across the railroad tracks from Upper Depot Brewing Company, Return’s current Hudson residency began in 2023. Its tan overhead-doored brick garage houses a 12-seat, L-shaped, yellow wood-topped bar with barrel-seated butcher block tables strewn along the rest of the cement floor. Stringed Edison lights and exposed pipes line the walls. Ciders, wines and cocktails are available as well.

My wife and I consumed a fine kolsch and stout at the crowded bar on a Friday twilight, November ’24.

I brought home Return’s Polished Pilsner, Westwhere IPA and Satin Jacket Czech-style Dark Ale (all reviewed in Beer Index).

Rustic kolsch, Come Back, let grassy-hopped lemon musk spread thru dry champagne-sparkled green apple tartness and white grape esters.

Commodious stout, Shadow Line, combined coffee-milked dark chocolate with dark caramel, bonfire toffee and maple molasses contrasted by hop-roasted oats char.

UPPER DEPOT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

HUDSON, NEW YORK

Directly across the street from Return Brewing, Hudson-based UPPER DEPOT BREWING COMPANY maintains a renovated 19th Century train station. Set in a charmingly V-shape roofed brick railroad depot with a gray wraparound deck, its post-mod Industrial wood-floored, steel-designed interior includes a 12-seat L-shaped bar featuring centralized draught handles (and 4 TV’s) plus several wood tables and a snazzy mezzanine.

Long-time friends Monty Bopp and Aaron Maas combined their love of brewing after getting established in the local culinary industry, opening Upper Depot December 28, 2022.

A Western-clad couple danced to an excellent Country bluegrass band playing along the back wall space.

My wife and I visited Upper Depot after our Return stopover to try six sound suds emanating from the sunken, stage left, wood paneled brew tanks.

Classic German pilsner, 80/20, let honeyed lemon sweetness pick up musky Hallertau hop herbage and mild grassy astringency atop cereal grained pilsner malting.

Dry lemon-peeled grassy hop musk suited flagship kolsch, Common Crossing, a dry malted moderation with slight floral herbage and sly sparkling champagne spritz.

Bitterly dry West Coast IPA, Wandering Ollie, placed zesty grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and tangy pineapple zing across pine lacquered hops over pale malt sugaring.

Juicy-fruited NEIPA, Oakdale, regaled tangy mango-pineapple-guava tropicalia and zestful orange-peeled grapefruit pith bittering seeped in mild pine resin above softly creamed wheated oats.

Brown-sugared maple molasses countered dry black chocolate for maple brown ale, Sugar Shack, a toffee-candied Tootsie Roll.

Maple-glazed dark chocolate syruping coated the dry nutty coffee tones and setback vanilla snips surfacing for sweet stout, Shop The Cooler, a fine nightcap for my post-dusk getaway.

WEST KILL BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

WEST KILL, NEW YORK

Located on a 127-acre historic dairy farm, WEST KILL BREWING utilizes locally grown and foraged ingredients to give many of its proprietary brews a slightly unique nature. Up a rickety unpaved road in the Catskill Mountains at the Devils Path hamlet of West Kill, this cozy porched barnhouse pub (with connected pergo-protected lounge area and separate merchandise/beer-to-go cabana) sits perfectly along hilly rustic tree-lined terrain.

Inside, the casual slate-floored roadhouse features eight elk-racked tap handles at the small eight-seat bar. There are several round and square tables strewn about. Outside, the fire-pitted front deck fills up at noon on a warm Friday in November ’24.

My wife and I sat in the enclosed porch at one of the benches with a friendly Newfoundland pup, quaffing West Kill’s entire mountain-watered liquid entourage.

Utilizing local Iroquois white corn for crisply roughhewn Brookie American Lager, its earthen barnyard graining, raw-honeyed lemon rot and dark floral whims added further musky rusticity to the maize-dried frontage.

Spritzy lemony orange fizziness welcomed mild Perch Golden Ale, a pale malt sugared easygoer.

Dry-hopped Kaaterskill IPA (Citra-Mosiac-Azacca-Columbus) escorted dank pine and cannabis resin to mild citrus bittering underscored by botanical gin-licked peach, tangerine, cantaloupe and honeydew snips.

Breezy floral citrus-bound Hazy IPA, Duck Camp, placed mild orange-peeled yellow grapefruit and pineapple tanginess plus light pining above honeyed pale malting.

An interesting dark mild variant with oak and maple leaves, Leave It To Be (a collab with Maine’s Bunker Brewing) draped maple syrup upon toasted maple and oak bark, picking up subtle cocoa-dried chestnut, almond and cola conflux.

“Velvety” cocoa nibs-aged chocolate porter, Dark Hollow, let its nutty dark chocolate roast and dry coffee tones reach mossy soy-milked dewiness for a pleasant nightcap.

ALIAS BREW WORKS

United States Brewpubs,

VERNON, NEW JERSEY

Sharing an unwavering love for craft beer, brewmasters Jonathan Fernandez (formerly of Nyack’s Two Villains Brewing) and Tom Troncone (from Franklin, New Jersey’s Muckraker Brewmaker) hooked up to start Alias Brew Works during May 2024. While Fernandez makes what he calls “clean beers,” Troncone specializes in spontaneously fermented sour ales.

Residing at a green shingled garage-doored barnhouse in the Vernon mountainside nestled between upscale Crystal Springs, Mountain Creek and Mineral resorts, Alias’ dual overhead doors lead to a wood top serving station with twenty taps and central TV. Several tables and chairs consume the rest of the cement-floored barroom. Through a side overhead door are the pristinely staged brewtanks.

My wife and I grab bench seats at the wood barreled front deck on a beautiful, seasonally warm All Saints Day, ’24, quaffing all available tapped brews while conversing with Fernandez.

Citric-spiced Cascade hops joined woodsy Simcoe hops for West Coast IPA-styled pale ale, Scooter, meshing orange, pineapple, mango, grapefruit and white peach tanginess with lemony yellow grapefruit bittering as green tea-backed fresh cut grassiness stays mildly astringent.

Soft-toned triple IPA, Beggars Tomb, retained tropical Citra-Mosaic hop sunshine above mild flaked oats cushioning its peachy pineapple tang, subtle yellow grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and light floral daubs.

Similarly vibrant dry-hopped hazy IPA, Its Time, combined New Zealand-hopped guava and green grape souring with Citra-Mosaic-hopped lemony yellow grapefruit bittering and tangy peach, pineapple and orange peel sweetness plus subtle floral perfuming above oated wheat creaming, picking up hard-candied tartness.

Fizzy lemon zest, candied pineapple, tangy peach and white grapefruit settled alongside the light pine needled cannabis resin of briskly tropical, Magical Haze, a heavily oated NEIPA.

Dry “fruited” kolsch, Laughing In The Sun, conditioned on plum, let candied orange-pineapple fruiting and lemon-rotted Noble hop herbage deplete its plum scrum over a delicate wheated pilsner base.

Stylishly richer schwarzbier, Darkness Consumes You (2024), a ‘black kolsch,’ placed fluffily creamed coffee-burnt cocoa powdering alongside debittered black malts and burnt toast remnants, depleting its kolsch-like orange-oiled lemon musk.

Alias’ first so-called ‘wild’ spontaneous saison, Season Of The Devil let dry-hopped Motueka bring salty herbal lemon zesting to lovely lavender, chrysanthemum and daisy florality above bready pilsner malting.

Black chocolate syrup draped toasted coconut sweetness and wintry cinnamon-sticked cardamom, thyme and nutmeg spicing for rich stout, Coconut Days, leaving tertiary anise, toffee and hazelnut snips.

Ceylon cinnamon sticks enhanced the gingerbread theme enlightening Christmastime nightcap, Hostile Gingerbread Takeover, scattering sun-dried clove, nutmeg, and allspice seasoning across dark cherry, sugarplum and fig nuances.

LAST MINUTE BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

SCOTT, PENNSYLVANIA

10 minutes from Scranton at the hilly agrarian town of Scott in peaceful Lackawanna County, LAST MINUTE BREWING began operations in 2020. Inside a tan aluminum shed-like garage, the overhead-doored nano pub serves classic contemporary brews from its crystal clean silver kettles.

Last Minute’s porcelain floor leads to the aluminum-sided wood top bar where twelve draught taps are stationed. I tried six proprietary suds during my seasonably warm late October ’24 Northeast Pennsylvania trip.

Crisp New Zealand-hopped pilsner, Painted Window, let its IPA-fruited gooseberry, guava and papaya tropicalia gain spritzy lemony grapefruit salting.

Another NEIPA-inspired moderation, Towering Gaze Haze, a hazy pale ale, placed dry lemony grapefruit bittering across mandarin orange and strawberry rhubarb tartness (utilizing Motueka and Strata hops).

Dry grassy-hopped Cream Ale seeped lemon rot into skunked lagered malt in fine stylistic fashion.

Mild witbier, Gotta Go Wit It, brought its subtle blood orange puree adjunct to mild Cascade-hopped lemony yellow grapefruit sunshine. In the midst, mild orange and lemon peel bittering contrasts delicate coriander spicing.

Dry NEIPA, Don’t Watch It, let its lemon zest sprinkle salted yellow grapefruit, guava, gooseberry and mandarin orange tropicalia atop lightly acidic oaken vanilla tannins.

Dark-roast coffee frontage and mild dark chocolate backup fortified creamy Pendulum Stout, a cocoa nibs-laden full body with dark-roast hop char.

GROOVE BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA

Residing at a white stucco garage catty-cornered into a hilly residential neighborhood, GROOVE BREWING opened its black overhead doors for business January 2023 (after operating out of a former dentist office since 2020). Scranton’s first brewpub, Groove’s smooth nano brews have captivated Northeast Pennsylvania.

Brewmeister Ed Generose crafts delightful one-off batches of stylishly varied suds plus two flagships, Steamtown Gold Lager, and Brooks Drift Wheat Ale. Alongside Generose, co-owners Joe and Shannon Bonacci strive to gain an imprint on Scranton’s redevelopment, prosperity and beer culture.

The red cement-floored, white-walled interior features an eight-seat Formica top bar, several four-seat tables, a couch, black-ceilinged exposed pipes and a spacious staged backroom for private parties. Windowed brew tanks carry the liquid load.

Our first stop sojourning to Scranton late October ’24, my wife and I slurped all available 5-ounce brews and took home a few reviewed in Beer Index.

Dry German-styled pilsner, Garden Party ’24, let dewy honey drip into subtle lemon adjunct and moist orange tartness.

A richer Vienna malted marzen, Groovefest, plied honeyed red-orange fruiting to leafy green hop resin, dark floral mustiness and musky mineral graining. 

Spry kettle-soured Key Lime Pie caressed its pie-crusted key lime tartness with lime-peeled gooseberry, guava and green grape souring as well as lemon meringue piquancy, parched limestone chalking and minty ginger snips over honeyed Graham Cracker base.

Dry pumpkin pureed spicing embedded semi-sweet dark chocolate and confectionery marshmallow fluff for Marshmallow Pumpkin Porter, gaining resonant vanilla bean influence as latent anise spicing coats pumpkin pied cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg aspect.

One of the best American smoked lagers, Chimney Man Rauchbier may lack the brash cured meat goodness of Germany’s Aecht and Bamberger, but its scaled-back smoked salami, bacon fat and pastrami banter retained a sizable Scotch-licked cocoa malting.    

Easygoing java-influenced Belgian blonde, Morning Joe, spread creamy milk-sugared coffee atop cellared Belgian yeast funk as restive lemon zesting fizzled. Supreme breakfast fodder.