Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

HELLBENDER BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Hellbender Secures Brewery Space in Riggs Park | DC Beer

WASHINGTON DC

Inside a large gray brick warehouse at the northernmost Lamond Riggs section of Washington DC, HELLBENDER BREWING COMPANY began operations way back in 2014. Founded by home brewing aficionados Patrick Mullane (a congerssional aide) and Ben Evan (a microbiological neuroscientist), Hellbender’s ‘born of love, perfected by science’ slogan gets reinforced by the sustainable mash press filter brewing system which reduces water, grain, and energy use.

Surviving bankruptcy reorganization in 2016, the cafe-styled gray-walled office suite features a green-walled monster salamander mascot, wooden community benches, tile floor, twelve draught serving station and two TV’s.

On my one-hour stopover during March ’23, I consumed nearly all draughts available.

Hellbender Brewing Company

Hellbender’s premier beer, Bare Bones Kolsch, retained spritzy lemon perfuming, dry champagne sparkle, grassy hop astringency and mild mineral graining.

In its cucumber pureed variant, Kuhl As A Cucumber Kolsch, the lemon zesting receives earthen vegetal fungi above its tidy pilsner malt base.

Dry-hopped Special Lager Friend brought tropical guava-pureed passionfruit souring and tangy pineapple lemonade zesting to cologne-perfumed spicing.

Year round India Pale Ale, Ignite, a dark amber moderation with Citra-Centennial-Nugget hop conflux possessed laid-back grapefruit, orange and pineapple bittering as well as ancillary tangerine, clementine and peach tanginess seeping into its dank pine resin above sugared pale malts.

Hazy IPA, Panda Strike Force, let dank wood tones saturate its yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering and gingery lemongrass herbage over lightly creamed oated wheat.

Perky New England IPA, Unidentified Hazy Object, stayed dry as spritzy grapefruit, orange and pineapple zesting settled alongside Savignon Blanc-derived green grape, guava nd passionfruit sourness.

Ambitious golden ale variant, Love You Honey Bunny Imperial Honey Ale, let oak-toasted vanilla tannins trickle into wildflower honeyed sweetness, lemony gin snips and smooth vodka licks.

Another year-rounder, Southern Torrent Saison, stayed effervescent as floral lemony orange tanginess reached grassy-hopped astringency and wispy peppered herbage.

Breakfast pastry-like fruited sour, Blueberry Flapjacks, a pinkish magenta-hued elixir, knocked off a cinnamon-dusted blueberry pancake embellished by lemon-juiced orange peel zesting above floury vanilla-sugared batter.

NIGHTHAWK BREWERY & PIZZERIA

United States Brewpubs,

About Us - Nighthawk Brewery & Pizza

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

At Pentagon Row in Arlington, Virginia, NIGHTHAWK BREWERY & PIZZERIA recalls a pristine mall-bound malt shop or bustling sportsbar as much as it does a snazzy ’90s themed pizza place. Specializing in thin Midwest Tavern-styled pizza pies and stylistically straightforward brews, Nighthawk’s strategic partnership with nearby Aslin Beer Company came to fruition springtime 2022 when this sizable 10,000 square-foot project was completed.

A 400-seat indoor-outdoor pizza hall with spot-on basic draught brews “reminiscent of Old World working class beers,” Nighthawk also serves cocktails, ciders, wine and hard seltzers. The white-tiled pizza cafe features a 40-plus seat middle bar with multiple TV’s and 24 tap handles connected to the brew tanks via bright red industrial pipes. Tan wood community tables and orange metal chaired tables surround the central bar.

Nothing too fancy, but ultimately rewarding, each pint-size brew hit the mark on my March ’23 dinner stopover.

Easygoing helles lager, Backwards Walk, draped sunny grapefruit, orange, pineapple and mango tanginess plus light wood tones over dry pilsner malts.

Creamier than most hefeweizens, Nossing! (Lebowski) let stylistic banana-clove sweetness pick up lemon meringue tartness and mild herbal whims above its honeyed Graham Cracker base.

Spritzy lemon juicing seduced Babe Lemon Kolsch, a slight variant given lightly spiced agave nectar cologned perfuming to sweet grain-floured pilsner malts.

Dry cream ale, Blue Pickup Truck, let herbal lemon candied sourness wallow in the grassy hop stead.

Peanut buttered brown chocolate sweetness pervaded Peanut Brittle Stout, spreading candy-sugared pecan, almond and peanut goodness along its vanilla marshmallowed Graham Cracker bottom.

NEW DISTRICT BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

New District Brewing Company | Nova Parks

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

Beginning in January 2016, Arlington, Virginia’s NEW DISTRICT BREWING CO. opened its doors. Inside a pale blue brick Industrial warehouse with dual overhead doors, New District became the first package brewery in 100 years to operate a business at this Potomac River-bound DC area city.

A simple cement-floored watering hole with high ceilings and strung Edison lights, its epoxy top bar services several metal/plastic tables and a left wall standing rail. There are a dozen white-tiled draught handles and two TV’s at the bar.

My wife and I perused NDBC March ’23 on a Friday afternoon to down eight stylish varietals.

Sweet cereal-grained pilsner malting received floral lemon herbage for dry-hopped Czech pils, Green Valley, a slightly rustic light body.

Honeyed lemon and mandarin orange guided spritzy Potomac Paddleboarder Blonde Ale, a year round offering.

Another mellow year rounder, National Landing IPA, placed lemony yellow grapefruit salting, lemon custard tartness, orange marmalade zesting and peachy pineapple tanginess above lightly vanilla creamed pale malts.

Lemony orange, tangerine and grapefruit tanginess moderated piney hop bittering over mildly creamed oated wheat for Dog Park Days Hazy IPA.

Buttery vanilla draped lemon meringue tartness and green grape tannins for 7th Year Grand Cru, a seventh anniversary Belgian ale with gin-like boozing.

Limey pineapple tartness, sour-candied licks and berry licks regaled slightly vinegary Pineapple Sour, gaining leathery barnyard acridity.

Black malted dark chocolate saddled That’s My Horse Porter, leaving nutty remnants.

Fudgy brown chocolate picked up bourbon vanilla spicing and black cherry-pureed raisin and date dried fruiting for Barrel Aged I Am The Senate Imperial Stout, a creamy chocolate vanilla nightcap aged in A. Smith Bowman bourbon barrels.

Year round flagships Ginger Saison, Northside Kolsch and 1821 Saison were out during my one-hour stay.

INDEPENDENT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for INDEPENDENT BREWING CO

BEL AIR, MARYLAND

Open for biz since 2015, INDEPENDENT BREWING COMPANY celebrated its seventh anniversary this past October. Occupying a gray grain house with blue brick base, decorative grain silo and rusty metal roof awning, this rustic barnyard pub utilizes aged aluminum, metal and wood to create its homespun warmth.

A black metal-enclosed front deck (with bark top side table) leads to the cream taupe-walled interior where a lacquered wood serving station offers over a dozen homemade draughts. Barreled, bark-topped and community tables (with low hanging caged Edison lights) fill out the cement floor space alongside the left side wood-furnished couch lounge area. Glass-encased brewtanks are behind the bar near the side garage door.

I settled into all twelve available suds on this amicable early March ’23 stopover before heading to DC for the weekend.

Image result for INDEPENDENT BREWING CO BEL AIR MARYLAND

Totally sessionable pre-prohibition pilsner, Siebel OneFiveO, let musty hay-dried mineral graining and salty herbage seep into mild lemony perfume musk.

Combining the candi-sugared citrus spicing and fungi herbage of a Belgian blonde with easygoing gin-teased white wining and cidery tartness, Blue Eyed Blonde escaped simple stylization.

Dewy orange-oiled lemon spritz and diacetyl buttering paced bland Get Off My Lawn!, a sessionable pale ale with pasty malts.

A collab with all eight Harford County breweries, Come See About My Pale Ale retained dry lemon-rotted orange tartness, mild green grape tannins and teasing vegetal herbage above musky pale malting.

Exceptional flagship IPA, Carpe Diem, placed mild orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and lemon bittering alongside lightly grassy hopped pine tones and floral herbed respite over dry pale malting.

Infused with tart blood orange, offshoot IPA, Blood Orange Carpe Diem, had sourer citrus fruiting and less insistent piney herbage than its year-round bellwether.

Brisk lemony grapefruit bittering and subtle mango-guava-lychee tropicalia brightened Nasty Woman NEIPA, gaining resinous pine tones atop its creamy oated wheat base – not as juicily fruited or yogurt-milked as most hazy Northeast ilk.

Sour-candied light body, It’s The Pits Cherry Wheat, let juicy Montmorency cherry preserve tartness take control as lemony mandarin orange wisps and oaken vanilla tannins were setback.

Nutty dark-roast chocolate and coffee settled beside mild soy saucing for Poots Magoots Baltic Porter, leaving subtle Blackstrap molasses treacle.

Easygoing dry Irish stout, Wooden Coat, stayed dewily mossy as dark chocolate saturated Blackstrap molasses-embittered burnt wood tones.

Creamily lactose Breakfast Stout, Cereal Killer, wed nutty chocolate to medium coffee roast and mild espresso snips as its light hop char embittered the molasses oats base.

In its fluffily creamed nitro version, CK’s dryly nutted chocolate and espresso frontage obtained tobacco-chawed hop sear.      

DECADENT ALES

United States Brewpubs,

Decadent Ales — Heartland Beverage

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK

In the tony Westchester County town of Mamaroneck, DECADENT ALES opened during June 2016. Connected to the second Half Time Beverage (the firsts’ in Poughkeepsie) in a dark gray brick warehouse just off the center of town, this dual beer threat beer haven may be the most ambitious brewpub/beer store combo in the Northeast.

A rustic gray cement floored, 4,000 square-foot tasting room depot with several community tables, some silver metal 4-seat tables and 12-stooled aluminum bar, Decadent features twenty taps, multiple TV’s and multiple stainless steel brew tanks (stationed behind the bar). There’s an outdoor space beyond the overhead door that includes blue aluminum tables, picnic benches and strewn about beer barrels.

Part of Mamaroneck’s industrial zone renovation, Decadent’s enormous catalogue of Big Beers and traditional styles run the gamut from opulently fruited IPA’s and Sour Ale Smoothies to ambitiously designed stouts.

Duke’s Burger Joint served flatbread pizza, sandwiches, burgers and seafood to go alongside the creative homemade draughts.

My wife and I visited this cavernous pub during a cold Friday afternoon, February ’23.

A brusque German-styled pilsner for the proletariat, Regular Beer slipped musky maize-dried raw graining into dankly resinous hop herbage and mild vegetal earthiness, perked up by lemon seltzer fizzing.

“Pacific Punch” variant, Peach Apricot Punch IPA, let mild peach-apricot pureeing pick up lemony grapefruit bittering and yogurt-soured marmalade, passionfruit and gooseberry tartness above light Smoothie-like vanilla creaming.

Snazzy dry-hopped hazy IPA, Vega, parlayed slightly embittered orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and mango tanginess plus mild pine lacquer over vanilla-creamed pale malt honeying.

Decadent Imperial Stout, Snowball, put chocolate-fudged Madagascar vanilla beans and toasted coconut sweetness at the reins while caramel latte, marshmallow and cappuccino illusions enriched its honeyed Graham Cracker bottom.

Decadent’s biggest beers made fantastic use of Willett spirits, proving to be intriguingly full-bodied barrel-aged nightcaps.

Chewy chocolate cake dessert, Molten Lava Cake, integrated Willett rye to light chili peppering and toasted cinnamon spicing in a rich maple syrup setting, gaining bourbon-spiced vanilla goodness, black cherry puree tartness and banana sweetness, leaving confectionery chocolate pudding, donut and cookie remnants.

Impressive Imperial Stout (Double Barrel with Vanilla) blended Old Elk and Willett bourbon with Madagascar vanilla in a richly fudged brown chocolate empire, leaving delicately warm burgundy, brandy and port illusions on the mocha vanilla finish.

For equally tranquil Imperial Stout (Willett Bourbon aged with Coffee), milk-sugared Counter Culture coffee settled alongside brown chocolate and vanilla sweetness as mild bruised black cherry, black grape, coconut and hazelnut notions swept thru the decadent libation.

THE SEED: A LIVING BEER PROJECT

United States Brewpubs,

The Seed – A Great Brewery that Really Grows on You in Atlantic City – Beer Appreciation

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

Within walking distance of Atlantic City’s famous Boardwalk, THE SEED: A LIVING BEER PROJECT opened inside a tan-bricked, high-ceilinged, overhead-doored warehouse on October 29, 2020.

Lovingly fitted with varied living room furnishings, the red brick-walled, painted cement-floored pub features antique chandeliers, a grandfather clock, Japanese shoji blinds and comfy couches. The L-shaped 12-seat oak bar  (with twelve white tile-backed, tree-limbed draught handles) services a few small four-seat round tables and some wood community tables. Stainless steel brew tanks in the rear provide the liquid fare.

Doing a fine job showcasing 100% New Jersey-grown ingredients, The Seed has impressed many seasoned beer enthusiasts. Entrepreneurial head brewer, Amanda Cardinalli, was down in Miami for a beer fest when I visited early February ’23.

THE SEED - 141 Photos & 16 Reviews - 807 Baltic Ave, Atlantic City, NJ - Yelp

Dewy English-styled Here, Now Best Bitter traipsed honeyed tea herbage thru mildly mildewed mustiness and sedate lemony orange oiling.

Brisk pilsner-malted Time Given Kolsch let lemony green grape tannins and green apple tartness pick up muted grassy herbage as well as cucumber-tinged ‘rosewater’ and ‘Bartless pear’ notions.

Ultra-dry Garden To Walk In Saison (Spring ’22) let lemon-limed red clover herbage settle beside wildflower-honeyed orange blossom florality and wispily vinous white wining above hay-like barnyard acridity.

Rauchbier-inspired smoked helles lager, How The World Will Be, worked beechwood-smoked peat moss and Band-aid astringency into mesquite/hickory-seared cured meatiness – besting most American made German rauchs.

“Cocoa-dusted coffee beans” pervaded Until The Sunlight Baltic Porter, allowing dewy truffle buttering to absorb molasses rye breading.

Silken dark-roast chocolate and coffee buttressed nitro Oatmeal Stout, For Warmth, gaining mild tarry hop bitterness and raw molasses treacle as well as tertiary black licorice, black cherry, walnut and Brazil nut illusions for a busier than usual nitro profile.     

UNTIED BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

MKUntapped – TwoTon Brewing Co & Untied Brewing Company | Mayernik Kitchen

NEW PROVIDENCE, NEW JERSEY

I’d already enjoyed fourteen different beers from UNTIED BREWING COMPANY before finally visiting this rustic red-bricked warehouse pub in Central Jersey during February ’23. Celebrating their fourth anniversary, Untied’s neon orange and blue insignia welcomes visitors to its industrialized gray brick-walled, cement-floored, high-ceilinged interior.

With an impressive stylistically varied lineup, Untied’s tile-walled draught handles serve the silestone formica-topped bar area, two metal-wood stooled community tables, a few white chaired four-seaters and a small couched space.

The third brewmaster since opening in 2019, Andrew Slick (formerly of Triumph and Kane), mans the rear tanks. We discussed all things beer while I ran the gamut of drinking all the previously untried suds available this seasonally warm winter’s day.

Sweet coconut toasting fortified corn-sugared cream ale, Clacking Coconuts, leaving macaroon, roasted chestnut, vanilla cookie, and marshmallow daubs.

Toasted amber grain crisping received musky dry-hopped Huelle Melon tropicalia as bright orange-peeled yellow grapefruit sunshine upended astringent herbal grassiness with a clean vodka nip for Morning Breeze Pilsner, a nearly white winey IPA-fruited alternative.

Mild lemony yellow grapefruit bittering, sweet orange peel zesting and subtle guava-pineapple souring engaged soft-toned 4th Trip Around The Sun NEIPA, leaving latent earthen pine resin to contrast its creamy vanilla froth.

Candi-sugared butterscotch rum warmth guided Thresh Tripel, a superfine Belgian ale with caramelized banana, pineapple cake, butter pecan, orange marmalade and honeyed peach sweetness contrasting white peppered fungi funk.

Rummy dark candi-sugaring draped Neuhaus Quad, another worthy Belgian styler with spicy fig, date and plum sweetness picking up caramelized pecan, bourbon vanilla and honey-glazed hazelnut illusions.

A nearly perfect dark lager, Dada loaded Folgers-like coffee crystals upon dark-roast chocolate and treacly cocoa nuttiness in a dark-roast hop setting.

Bittersweet dark chocolate and hazelnut coffee tones enriched Left In The Dark Imperial Stout, letting leathery cherry tannins supply slight acidity to the creamed mocha mandate.

As for the bourbon barrel-aged Left In The Dark, its sweet bourbon vanilla warmth penetrated coffee-roasted caramelized chocolate goodness and whiskeyed rye swipe.

DOCKSIDE BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Dockside Brewery - Brewery Ratings

MILFORD, CONNECTICUT

DOCKSIDE BREWERY & WATERFRONT BIERGARTEN is an expansive white colonial barnhouse gastropub spreading far and wide along the Housatonic riverbanks of Milford, Connecticut. Featuring a pristine 40-tap main barroom, multi-level plastic-seated deck, community-tabled picnic area, several uniquely furnished riverfront pods, sandy benches and a game area, this mammoth brewery also serves as a fabulous local sportsbar with TV’s at every angle.

Opened May 2020 during Covid fever, Dockside’s neon signage leads Route 95 traffic, marina-bound fishermen and local sailors to its grand 4,200 square-foot location. A major part of the village of Devon’s riverfront revitalization, Dockside’s proved to be what co-owner Bob Chicoine calls “a gateway to Milford.”

I chowed on New England clam chowder and my wife had Dockside fig and pig pizza while consuming eight delightfully rounded home brews, February ’23. Several guest draughts were also available.

GoNation Takes On Dockside | GoNation Newsroom

Crisply dry aluminum cleared Mexican pale lager, El Capitan, let dry maize-husked fungi, Tettnang hop herbage and celery watering sidle corn flaked biscuit buttering as soapy lemon cologne surfaced.

Peculiar helles lager, Driftwood Oak, saddled its delicate oaken bark dryness with floral-perfumed citrus fruiting and tarragon-sage herbage atop grainy pilsner malting.

Dry Imperial IPA, Destructo, brought mild lemon-peeled white grapefruit bittering to sugary oats malting as juniper-licked peach, guava and cherry illusions wavered.

Mellow lemony orange-peeled grapefruit bittering perked up piney dry-hopped West Coast IPA, Califragilistic, a crystal malt sugared medium body.

Salted lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering grew incrementally alongside lactic milk sugaring of Feelin’ Juicy NEIPA, placing tertiary coconut-mango-papaya tropicalia alongside oats-flaked pilsner malting.

Another nifty NEIPA, Squooshy, retained a briny soft-tongued fruitiness and yogurt-soured milk sugaring as scurried grapefruit, blueberry, passionfruit and tangerine tanginess plus zesty lemon bittering rose above its oated flaked wheat base.

Sour-candied Let ‘Em Eat Cake #3 splendidly knocked off a strawberry banana pastry with its dry lemon-puckered saltiness contrasting sweet banana and tart strawberry.

Lovely confectionery nightcap, Something Sinister Pastry Stout unleashed caramel-salted coconut cheesecake creaminess upon honeyed Graham Cracker sweetness to its milk chocolatey hazelnut coffee finish.

TRIBUS BEER CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Milford's first brewery gets green light by planning and zoning

MILFORD, CONNECTICUT

TRIBUS BEER CO. opened during springtime 2018 inside a 15,000 square-foot warehouse five miles from busy Route 95 in the seafaring town of Milford. Specializing in a wide range of India Pale Ales, its enclosed community-tabled beer garden connects four overhead doors to the high aluminum ceilinged brewpub. A bulb-lit MILFORD sign and hop vine-designed ‘three friends’ symbol adorn the left tiled wall.

A wraparound oak-topped bar with twenty tap handles sidewinds its way around the cement-floored interior. Several wood-topped aluminum-stooled tables and a few community tables at the right side beer tanks fill out the Industrial space.

A wall-flowered gaming backroom with cushioned couches, community tables and decorative barrels adds room for parties and social gatherings.

After visiting nearby Dockside Brewing, my wife and I spent an hour imbibing six Tribus numbers midafternoon, February ’23.

Perennial flagship NEIPA, Benji, combined Citra, Mosaic and Eldorado hops for its sunny lemon-pledged orange rind, white grapefruit and apricot briskness while salty yogurt-soured guava and gooseberry souring coated oats flaked creaming.

Mellow yellow grapefruit, zesty orange peel, tangy pineapple and salted lemon caressed dry Imperial IPA, Body Pillows, leaving grassy astringency on its oats-flaked red wheat base.

Juicy vodka-nipped orange peeled grapefruit tanginess consumed Refresh, picking up ancillary pineapple, peach and honeydew sweetness to contrast mild pine resin above honeyed pale malting.

Roasted dark chocolate nuttiness and dark coffee bittering saddled Called Quest Robust Porter, sashaying thru sweet milk chocolate creaming.

Rich (10.5% ABV) Imperial Stout, Mocha Night Night, snuck dark chocolatey cocoa nibs and milked coffee thru smoked Blackstrap molasses continuance, gaining walnut charred hop sear as sinewy maple sap dripped off the dry mocha finish.

Bourbon-soaked oak chips permeated the molasses-smoked chocolate center of Brass Roots Barleywine, a plush burgundy-licked elixir with black cherry, dried prune, purple grape and plum illusions.

RUN & HIDE BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Run & Hide Brewery - Westchester's #1 Brewery - Online Shop

PORT CHESTER, NEW YORK

Ready to move to its new digs on nearby Broad Street in Port Chester, RUN & HIDE BREWING CO. still occupied its Westchester Avenue space (opened August ’22) when my wife and I visited the cordial neighborhood pub February ’23.

Entrepreneurial brewer Tim Shanley, a former gypsy brewer with a solid rep, used the prohibition term, Run & Hide, as a description for the stark black and grey Industrial setting, bistro metal-seated curved bar (with tile stone top and eight central draught handles) and bi-fold windows.

A few small tables at the front window and a few more across the bar fill out the tavern. Gourmet food included Tessio (roasted red-peppered mozzarella cheese and prosciutto on roll) – which we enjoyed with the three house beers available.

Musky wet-grained minerality, floral-daubed herbal hops and saltine cracker-like pilsner malting satiated daintily expressive Stick With Grandma, a slightly bolder Italian pils with brisk lemon spritz and latent grassy astringency.

Dry lemon-salted maize astringency picked up celery-watered herbage and bubbly champagne wisps over fresh French breading for Remember Your First Beer, a fine mildly creamed kolsch.

Lactose-free Larry’s Liquid Love, a vibrant IPA, unfurled mellow lemony yellow grapefruit bittering to contrast sweet orange peel briskness and candied pineapple tanginess above its creamy oated wheat base. At zestful citrus finish, dry wood expanse prospered as slight guava-gooseberry tartness wavered alongside mild herbal licks.

CROSSROADS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Crossroads Brewing Company: Beer Flights at the Catskill Taproom — Brooklyn DoubleWide

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.

Crossroads Brewing Company | New York by Rail

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.

OMMEGANG BREWERY

United States Brewpubs

Image result for ommegang brewery
COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK

One of America’s most exquisite breweries, OMMEGANG has hand crafted sterling Belgian styled beers since Belguim’s Duvel Moortgat, Affligem, and Scaldis joined forces with importing entrepreneurs Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield in 1996 to build an authentic Belgian-style farmstead brewery in Cooperstown. On an old 140-acre hop farm in the Susquehanna River valley, Ommegang expanded capacity by 40% during 2008.

One of the earliest and best examples of America’s brewing renaissance, the ambitious farmhouse retreat added a radically renovated 20-draught tap house with enlarged café and kitchen, covered patio and expanded store, during 2018.

Beginning with Abbey Dubbel, then Hennepin Saison and Rare Vos Amber, Ommegang’s Belgian styled beers are amongst the best known and most appreciated inside and outside America.

A front entrance patio and back wood deck surround the upscale stable-like farmstead pub. Its hardwood 10-seat bar (with prominent bar back hutch) services right side pendant-lit chairs and tables as well as a loungey left side cabana area.

During my wintry journey in January 2023, discovered seven more worthy Ommegang suds while seated at the box-lit bar eating snacks and light pub fare. There stylistic range broadened over the years to include New England-styled IPA’s, breakfast stouts, etc.

“Evanescent” NEIPA, Neon Rainbows, retained soft-toned effervescence as tart lemon-dropped grapefruit, sweet orange peel, tangy mango and sour guava subtly sashayed thru musty cellared fungi and slight piney bittering.

Dry-hopped IPA, Hopstate, let lemony grapefruit, orange and pineapple tanginess penetrate musty herb-salted pine resin.

Strong blonde ale, Everything Nice, plied rum-caked powdered sugaring to wintry cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger spicing as well as creamy vanilla for boozy 9% ABV resilience.

For its 25th Anniversary Imperial Amber Ale, coriander-spiced citrus sweetness stayed demure as prune-dried stewed fig and apricot picked up oaken cherry tannins sprinkled with white pepper.

Honeyed ‘granola stout,’ Keep It Crunchy, let sugared pecan, dried cranberry and oats-flaked cocoa adjuncts get happily ambushed by maple syrupy dark chocolate, walnut black coffee and buttery pine nut.

For Imperial Keep It Crunchy, the hardy oatmeal stout picked up deeper Belgian candi-sugared cocoa nibs influence and more pronounced black coffee nuttiness, allowing tertiary bruised black cherry, blackberry, blueberry and anise illusions to sneak by.

Wondrous winter ale, Bourbon Barrel Adoration, aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon, put rummy burgundy sugaring and dry plum wining inside caramelized raisin-fig-date conflux contrasting leathery oaken vanilla.

Original 1998 Aquarian Weekly article below

It’s worth visiting Baseball’s Hall Of Fame just to stop by peerless Belgian-styled OMMEGANG BREWERY. Not a brewpub per se, but a fully detailed operational brewery with available samples of exquisite ales. Most of Ommegang’s full product line could be found in Beer Index. In November ’98, while vacationing with extended family, I also found a few previously unbeknownst Saranac’s and Woodstock brews that I’d get familiar with over the years to come.

www.ommegang.com