Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

ODD FELLOWS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Odd Fellows Brewing Company | Craft Beer in Nashua, NH

NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the heart of Nashua on Main Street within walking distance of Talespinner and a quarter-mile from Liquid Therapy, ODD FELLOWS BREWING COMPANY set up shop September 2018. The perfect centralized location for a British-styled neighborhood gastropub, curious downtown boutique shoppers, local brewhounds and destination tourists will enjoy Odd Fellows’ casual splendor and expansive pub menu (plus homemade desserts).

Inside, the glazed wood furnishings and French terra cotta tiled floor provide elegant warmth. Right side dining tables counter the elongated 20-seat bar (with a dozen tap handles and 30-plus whiskeys) while the glass encased brew tanks are far right.

My wife and I sat outside at the umbrella-laden front patio on a sunny Friday afternoon, September ’22, to consume each available brew – though flagship NEIPA, Vision, was out, three other fine IPA’s were quaffed. Also, mushroom cream-sauteed Steak Stroganov and Caprice BLT hit the spot.

Odd Fellows Brewing Co

Sweet Vienna-malted baked breading lined Intrigue Vienna Lager, buttressing its dewy peat mossing with subtle toffee, caraway and chestnut illusions.

Spritzy lemon zesting outdid stylish banana-clove sweetness of plain-named Hefeweizen, leaving dried plantain starching upon its sourdough bottom.

Fizzy hard-candied raspberry tartness splashed briny rhubarb for Raspberry Chill, a washed-out variant of Chill White Ale with downplayed orange peeled sweetness and white-peppered coriander spicing.

Tart strawberry-salted rose hip florality engaged Rose Hip Saison, placing mild bergamot orange, pink grapefruit and gooseberry sourness alongside cardamom-spiced grains of paradise pepperiness and sedate hibiscus-lavender wisps at the judicious back end.

Dewy tea-leafed grain toasting anchored O’Brien’s Red IPA, a sharply spiced stylistic merger with red ale-like pear and apple crisping abutting IPA-like grapefruit-orange-pineapple conflux.

Brisk sunny-hazed Spring Cleaning Grapefruit IPA surged forth with juicy lemon-seeded grapefruit zest, picking up candy-glazed mandarin orange and tangerine tartness plus floral-herbed spicing above sugary crystal malts.

Bright Citra-hopped yellow grapefruit bittering contrasted orange-peeled pineapple and peach tanginess ascending for Hoppy Ending, a superb New England IPA plying ancillary green grape tannins to woody Simcoe hop herbage in a mildly creamed vanilla froth.

Terrifically spiced eccentricity, Brown Ale, dripped caramelized toffee upon cumin, sarsaparilla, star anise and cola cadences in a unique mix.

Creamy peanut buttered Damn Skippy Stout let bittersweet dark chocolate mingle with roasted walnut-hazelnut tandem over its Graham Cracker base.   

WHITE BIRCH BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Tasting Room - White Birch Brewing

NASHAU, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Going from a small June 2009 startup nanobrewery in nearby Hooksett to a 13,000 square-foot Industrial mall-bound behemoth by 2017, WHITE BIRCH BREWING enjoy pushing the envelope crafting a wide variety of sour ales alongside less daringly sophisticated stylistic fare.

Located in Nashua three miles northwest of downtown, White Birch’s elegant custom wood designed interior features a white-tiled bar, tabled side room with TV’s and far right brew tanks.

During my September ’22 Friday visit, I downed six rangy Berliner Weisses, a German-styled lager, a New England IPA and a Belgian stout.

Sessionable dry helles lager, Birch Lite, got things started with mildly musky raw grained minerality and lemony Noble hop herbage.

Briny lemon tartness, spritzy lime zesting and bubbly champagne fizz guided OG Berliner, lathering its lactic acidulated wheat base.

Limey watermelon rind souring and Jolly Rancher-candied tartness engaged Watermelon, sweetened beneath by a spicy Graham Cracker base.

Candied tangerine saltiness defined Tangerine, leaving mild clementine, mandarin orange and tangelo illusions in its wake.

Lemony blueberry-pureed pomegranate dryness led The BOM, a lightly acidic Weiss with mellow peachiness and salted strawberry tartness.

Peachy mango tanginess added sunshine to Peach Mango, a tropical fruited Berliner Weiss with briny lemon zest, watermelon rind tartness and toned-down acidity.

Pina Colada-like sour wheat ale, Pineapple Coconut, engaged salty coconut-creamed pineapple puree with limey mezcal tease. 

Abstruse pasty-fruited NEIPA, Hawaiian Friday, let briny pineapple-pureed coconut milking provide Pina Colada cocktail likeness buttressed by lacquered mango, guava and kiwi tropicalia and weird cologne-soaked sage snip.

Belgian-inspired Imperial Stout, Indulgence, plied cocoa-dried dark chocolate bittering to mild coffee respite, dry burgundy wining, sarsaparilla sweetness and anise spicing.

BURNISH BEER CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Burnish Beer Company

SALISBURY, MARYLAND

Situated on the northern outskirts of East Salisbury at the eastern shore of Maryland, bright blue brewpub, BURNISH BEER CO., began operations October ’21 inside a converted 6,000 square-foot boat factory. Co-owning brewmaster Randy Mills gained experience at nearby Evolution Brewing and Cambridge’s RAR Brewing and his IPA-dominated elixirs tend to lean on the dry side.

A V-framed entrance advances patrons to the weathered Industrial pub sporting a dramatic rust metal bar back, black slate floor, left side seating kiosk, echoey high ceiling with Edison lights and exposed pipes plus multiple TV’s, tables aplenty and three overhead doors providing open air seating.

On a sunny August afternoon, my wife and I enjoy Sunday brunch with all thirteen available suds, chowing down fruitful maple sugared Liege Waffles, Napolean pizza and wings at one of the four canopied high chaired tables.

Burnish Beer Co. bringing drinks, community to north Salisbury

Rustic corn-dried milled graining grounded Kickin’ Brass, a moderate Noble-hopped Italian pilsner with basil-herbed floral wisps.

‘Crushable’ Cornhub Premium Lager saturated its lemon-soured corn starching with musky herbal hop astringency and mild pilsner graining.

Spritzy lemon souring and maize-dried herbal musk ambled thru brusquely grained Roy Light Lager, a peppy golden light body.

Lemondrop-soured Petite  Farmhouse Ale stayed dry as hay-like barnyard leathering contrasted less prominent floral-spiced beet sugaring.

Peachy daiquiri-like amber-hazed summertime wheat ale, Peach Socks, provided light vanilla creaming to the lacquered citrus onrush subsuming its chewy banana-doused peach pureeing.

Dry beige yellow-cleared wheat IPA, Finite Precision Chaos, plied wheat cracked flouring to wood-parched grapefruit peel and orange rind bittering, leaving tidy herbal spicing on the backend.

Soft-toned NEIPA, Edge Of Sanity, left lemony grapefruit, pineapple and orange zesting as well as peachy passionfruit and mango tanginess upon the earthen tamped down hops relegating raw-honeyed pale malts.

Placid lemony orange-tangerine tanginess reached light piney bittering for mellow Mosaic-Citra-Simcoe-hopped Imperial IPA, Paperclip Guitar, riding atop a buttery pale malt base.

Lightly lingered grapefruit rind bittering, orange peel sweetness, pineapple salting and red cherry whims gathered for Awkward High Fives, picking up floral perfumed spicing and dry herbal-doused wood tones.

Brisk Imperial IPA, Behind The Pallets, allowed dry-hopped grapefruit and orange tang to gain lightly spiced pale malt sugaring.

Sunny IPA, Shine, placed mild yellow grapefruit seed, pith and rind bittering alongside estery white wine whims and sedate earthen herbage for desiccated oats flaking.   

Smoothly dry English porter, Rusty Rivet, let dark cocoa bittering pick up raw molasses and earthen soiling to contain its dark toffee spicing.

Dark-roast coffee imbued lightly creamed milk stout, Storm Of The Bones, wrought by black chocolate syruping and charred walnut bittering.

SWELLS’A BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

See the source image

KILL DEVIL HILLS, NORTH CAROLINA

Just off Kill Devil Hills beach a block away from the Wright Brothers Museum lies SWELLS’A BREWING COMPANY, an interestingly setup cedar planked pub with dapper Mod styling. Burnt sienna-hued Spanish mission tiles and a cozy fireplace welcome patrons to the 10-seat bar where snacks and refrigerated cans to-go get sold alongside a dozen or so straightforward homemade draught beers listed on skateboards and emulating from the left side brew tanks.

There are wide stairs leading to the slanted-roofed sunset mezzanine and wood-benched rooftop deck – both with beautiful ocean views. A covered outdoor picnic area with three community tables, central firepit and twin bathroom kiosks are stationed at the right exterior. to the bohemian Outer Banx vibe. Open summertime 2021, Swells’a is a virtual surfer dude’s boss beach shack positively reinforcing the bohemian Outer Banx vibe.

The stylistically apropos and affably approachable suds ranged from light-bodied pilsner and moderate cream ale to lactic stout (and a rum barreled fruited sour – Kahuna Matata – bought in a bottle and listed in Beer Index) on my two sunny August 2022 perusals.

Image result for swells'a brewing

Sweet cereal graining contrasted the hay-dried barnyard parch of crisply clean Pea Island Pilsner, leaving a lemony orange spritz upon its lightly herbal hops.

Easygoing helles lager, Sand Pounder, placed orange-oiled lemondrop tartness atop sourdough breading.

Dry cream ale, Day For It, muddled lightly spiced orange tartness and soapy lager yeast with grassy hop astringency.

Just a tad less bitter than an IPA, Bay Dreams Pale Ale offered delicately perfume-spiced orange and grapefruit rind dryness and herbal snips to sugary pale malts.

Perhaps a bit offbeat for a saison, Sea Donkey let its stylishly dry farmhouse rusticity and candied citrus tartness get swayed by lacquered lavender and chrysanthemum florality and/or sage-like herbage.

Sweet-Tart candied strawberry salting fronted puckering fruited sour, Under The Strawberry Moon, picking up lemony watermelon wisps in a lactose setting.

Dry briny lemon souring and light woodruff syruping swayed reliable Berliner Weisse, Carpet Shark, reaching its lactic white wheated pilsner malt base.

Dry fruited wheat ale, You’re A Melon, pitched earthen melon rind mustiness and lemony orange rind snips to its saltine cracker base.

For a neat cocktail turnabout, Pina Ola Wheat, initially resembled a lightly salted Pina Colada with its rummy pineapple-juiced coconut creaming but succumbed to oaken lemon-limed tequila tenacity.

Milk-sugared coffee creaming contrasted dry cocoa powdering and soy-sauced mossy soiling of Choco Sea Dream Stout – today’s only dark ale available.

CAPE CHARLES BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Cape Charles Brewing and the Renaissance of Virginia's Eastern Shore

CAPE CHARLES, VIRGINIA

Recently celebrating their fourth anniversary on June 14, CAPE CHARLES BREWING COMPANY came into existence during 2018. Just up the block from the beachy romantic Eastern Virginia seashore, this unique blue collar family-owned pub features not only fine beers and worthy seafood, burgers and sandwiches, but also an array of outdoor activities at its grain siloed farmland.

Utilizing reclaimed wood for its cabin-fronted exterior and cement-floored interior, there are plank wood tables and metal chairs complemented by hanging metal rimmed lighting and white-walled side paneling at the L-shaped bar. A round orange and green-hued Cape Charles Brewing signpost hangs off the back wall leading to the brewroom (with canning line and large tanks). Three tap stations offer around a dozen well-designed homemade brews, many of which were simply stylistically straightforward.

Besides having a charming beach-chaired outdoor space with helmet-like firepit, there’s also a life-sized chess table and plastic furnishings near the trees.

We sat outside on the metal-furnished patio to absorb each draught available during a sunny Friday afternoon, August ’22.

Three flagship beers lead the charge, including Ol’ Reliable, a crisply clean dry helles lager with polite grain breading (named for the Reliable Hardware store CCBC refurbished).

Next year-rounder, classic West Coast IPA, Cobb Island, retained a soft-toned grapefruit rind and orange pith bittering tempered by herbal wood-dried earthiness.

Better still, tropical New England IPA, Assateque Island, gathered pine-lacquered orange-peeled grapefruit bittering, zesty pineapple-mango-peach tanginess and perfumed floral spicing over sugary pale malts, resembling a juicy fruit bouquet.

For its lightest bodied offering, aluminum clear pilsner, Paramore Island, let spritzy lemon zest and cereal grain sugaring reach its white bread base.    

One of Cape Charles’ most successful brews, dry pilsner-malted Nor’easter Pale Ale buttressed its dank orange oiling with French bread buttering and remote vegetal herbage.

Basic moderate-bodied hefeweizen, Heff N Fairytale, nearly outdid its stylistic banana-clove-coriander sugaring and sweet orange peel tanginess with sassy lemon zest, picking up mild herbage above honeyed wheat wisps.

Tart blood orange salting consumed Berliner Weiss, Blood-Orange Phunk, leaving lemon-candied sourness atop the floury white wheat bed.

Mocha-bound English dark ale, Puddle Pirate Porter, maintained confectionery caramel-toffee sugaring, hazelnut coffee milking and toasted coconut snip contrasting black peppered earthiness and blackened hop char.

Briny oyster shelling grazed the black chocolate syruping, burnt coffee bittering and earthen truffle soiling of Smith Island Oyster Stout. For the lovely bourbon-barrel aged version, dry bourbon whiskeyed sherry tones gained mild burgundy licks and dried cherry snips over sweet caramelized chocolate malts.

On April ’23 revisit, ate brioche-bunned Rockfish Sandwich with four previously untried beers.

Dry amber graining and mild citrus spicing gained phenol hop fizzing for Buoy 36 A, a modest Irish red ale.

Sedate candi-sugared dried fruiting and rummy daiquiri sublimity caressed Bayside Belgian Farmhouse Ale, a nifty saison with acrid barnyard must.

Dry bourbon-burgundy wining and Scotch whiskeyed chocolate malts sidled the dark rum sugaring of Coconut Rum Barrel Porter, letting its toasted coconut adjunct stay submerged alongside wispy almond-pecan snips.

Another barrel aged full body, Barrel Aged Bourbon Stout, let mellow oaken vanilla-laced Buffalo Trace bourbon whiskey saturate its dark chocolate syruping and pureed dark cherry.

 

GEARBLOCK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Waldwick NJ first brewery set to open in early 2022

WALDWICK, NEW JERSEY

One of the first northern Bergen County brewpubs, GEARBLOCK BREWING COMPANY opened its doors in springtime, 2022. Established by homebrewer, Tony Romano, this green aluminum awninged red brick pub, situated at the quaint Hamilton Square Shopping Center, served a respectable standard array of popular beer styles during my initial April ’22 visit.

A closed-in beergarden with wood and metal tables leads thirsty patrons to the entrance of Gearblock. Its modern Industrial interior includes a black tile ceiling with pendant Edison-bulbed lights, concrete-topped aluminum-sided bar and prohibition era automobile theme. There are twelve taps at the grey and white brick-walled bar serviced by the rear brew tanks. A few stools and four-seat tables fill out the cozy hotspot.

Numb Hands - Gearblock Brewing Company - Untappd

Clear beige Mexican style lager, Mastretta, utilized cologned agave to penetrate lemony white wine esters, lightly vinous Pinot Grigios phenols and buttery Chardonnay daubs above delicate pilsner malts.

Sea-salted lime zest stayed dry for lightly hopped gose, Busted Barnacle, leaving mild lemony grapefruit bittering and snippy coriander seeded peppercorn in its wake.

Sour lemondrop spritz and dry pale malt lagering settled at the grassy hop stead of Race Day Cream Ale.

Lime-salted Huell Melon-hopped gooseberry/ guava tartness, ancillary Tettnang-hopped herbage, recessive grassy astringency and neutral celery watering reached the white bread spine of The Kolschfather, a crisply clean light-bodied kolsch.

‘Classic’ Noble-hopped Fahren Marzen plied mild toffee spicing and wispy herbage to dry amber-grained pale malting.

Dry-hopped Imperial Red Ale, West Coast Red, placed spicy apple and pear fruiting alongside piney hop resin and mild tobacco roast overriding dainty caramel malts.

Sessionable NEIPA, U-Turn, combined honeyed orange, salted grapefruit and sour guava over buttery pale malts.

Coffee-roasted vanilla richness and raw molasses sinew reinforced the ‘slightly sweet’ chocolate base of Standard Coupe Vanilla Porter, a tarry full body.

Rich dark-roasted chocolate and coffee tones guided Leaded Imperial Stout, picking up a slight hop-charred wood sear to contrast its auxiliary burnt caramel spell.

Revisited Gearblock, October ’22, to consume eight rounded brews with wife and friend, Rich.

Corn-syrupy Vienna malt stickiness attached orange-oiled tartness for Tushek, an otherwise biscuity Vienna Lager.

An offbeat rauchbier-influenced cream ale, beechwood-smoked (?) cured meat endorsed coffee-bound Roach Coach, picking up dried maize, astringent grassiness and tannic vanilla.

Bold for its combined summer ale/ pale wheat styles, off-dry AMC escorted its spritzy IPA-like lemony orange bittering and grassy hop astringency thru a caramelized white wheat bed, relegating light herbal licks at the citric-spiced finish.

Spreading briny lemon tartness, white-graped Chardonnay tannins and adjunctive lemongrass soaping thru fungi-mildewed herbage, capacious soured saison, Citron, left mild barnyard leathering on its winy citric stead.

Sedate lemony grapefruit, orange and pineapple tanginess placated salty pine bittering atop honey-spiced pale malts for Numb Hands, a tidily conservative NEIPA.

Dryer than most schwarzbiers, Lammed issued lightly smoked peat to anise-spiced fennel, earthen truffle and light espresso illusions. Interestingly top notch. 

Confectionery sweet chocolate serenaded post-fermentation coconut toasting for Standard Coupe Coconut Porter.

By upping the lactic maltodextrin of its original Loaded Imperial Stout, superfine Loaded X2 takes milk-sugared coffee creaming and roasted chocolate sweetness on a merry mocha mission, picking up black cherry and red grape wisps.

During November ’22 Saturday escapade, downed another four worthy suds.

Salty guava souring and ancillary cranberry-gooseberry tartness soaked blush pink Berliner Weiss, Shakedown Street Guavaberry, picking up wispily embittered orange pucker and sweet pink grapefruit snag.

Bitterly dry salted kimchi influence provided brusque edge to chai tea peppering inundating juniper-snipped yellow grapefruit and mandarin orange zesting of Cho IPA, letting the brisk citric-laden Galaxy hop grassiness pick up limey Motueka-Nelson-hopped gooseberry and guava souring.

Dry dark-roast coffee and chalky black chocolate enjoin lesser caramel nuttiness for lightly hop-charred brown ale, Last Car On The Lot, leaving bitter Brazil nut and walnut illusions on the backend.

Oreo cookie-like milk stout, Crunchy Whip, proffered a vanilla beaned white chocolate creaming for bittersweet dark cocoa seeped in oily hop resin.

Twas the night before Christmas Eve ’22 when my wife and I revisited Gearblock to quaff four new brews.

Sharp citrus spritz blitzed herbal tea musk and grassy Saaz hop astringency for Fahrvergnugen, a traditional German pilsner.

Rye-spiced brown breading consumed Rye Or Die IPA, scouring its laidback grapefruit-orange-tangerine misting and mild herbage.

Orange-oiled herbal perfuming contrasted creamy vanilla-daubed banana sweetness for Tri-Power Tripel, a slightly muskier, dryer Belgian-styled strong ale.

Richly creamed Holiday Coffee Stout burrowed milk-sugared coffee tones into bittersweet vanilla bean, cocoa nibs, cinnamon and hazelnut adjuncts, leaving delightful Oreo cookie, chocolate fudge, cafe latte and espresso illusions on the backend.

Revisited trusty local pub again January ’23, guzzling three more newcomers.

Stylishly richer, broader and dryer for a hefeweizen, Beamer placed spritzy orange-candied tartness just ahead of its toned-down banana-clove sweetness and slight herbal whim.

Salty grapefruit, pineapple and mango tang met orange peel zesting and clay hop earthiness for Imperial IPA, Numb Hands, leaving a clean vodka sheen on its upfront tropical fruiting, mild herbal stint and gluey pale malt bottom.

Lemony yellow grapefruit-peeled mandarin orange piquancy led NEIPA, Brew Jersey, picking up waxy pineapple-papaya-mango conflux over its mildly creamed oated wheat base.

During Saturday evening shuffle in February ’23, wife and I discovered six newly brewed suds.

Gearblock’s latest cream ale, Chiseler, a sessionable golden clear light body, retained lemon candied souring, musky herbage, vegetal earthiness and phenol spicing.

Unlike its sourly citric Huell Melon-hopped derivative, The Kolschfather, K-Turn Kolsch took a more traditional approach as lemon-fizzed Noble hop herbage, maize-dried straw acridity and dark floral snips joined pilsner malted white breading for a crisply clean moderation.

Spritzy Czech-styled pilsner, Warrior, let perfumed lemon spicing pick up mild herbal musk atop mineral grained pilsner malting.

Dewy amber ale, Asking Price Altbier, scattered brown tea earthiness alongside resinous fungi musk and fennel-seeded tarragon(?) herbage to counters its lightly caramelized Vienna-malted bread crusting.

Tonight’s absolute fave, Phantom, a delightful double dry hopped NEIPA, regaled juicy pineapple tanginess abruptly brightened by lemon zest, orange-peeled grapefruit spicing and tropical mango- papaya-guava conflux joined by lovely juniper bittering above vanilla-creamed crystal malts.

On the dark side, Valentine’s Day treat, Bench Seat Imperial Stout, shuttled fudgy brown chocolate sweetness and creamy milk-sugared coffee to overwhelmed strawberry puree tartness and unsweetened vanilla respite.

On a chilly Thursday evening, October ’23, sat at wooden back deck to down five new brews and one revised brown ale.

Sweet corn contrasted dried maize for As Is, a German-styled pilsner leaving musky peat moss and dried floral remnants upon husked grain minerality.

Pale yellow-cleared Harvester Witbier upped the herbal dosage as its stylish lemony orange-peeled coriander spicing, salted peppercorn whim and wispy basil nip played catchup.

Roasted butternut salting contrasted the pumpkin pie spicing of Pumpkin Coach, letting perfumed ginger herbage outlast its mild cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice conflux.

Vibrant yellow grapefruit-forward Addendum NEIPA allowed sunshiny orange peel sweetness and briny guava-mango-gooseberry tartness to surface alongside mild herbal spicing above crystal-sugared pale malting.

Offbeat, intricate and chameleonic, brit-styled extra special bitter, Axle Revolt, plied spruce-tipped dark floral perfuming to enter the fray next to nutty rye, pumpernickel and wattleseed dryness, leaving a hint of smoked beechwood on the dry Baker’s chocolate backend.

Mellow coffee-stained dark chocolate bittering, peat-smoked dark roast hops, cola nuttiness and mild maple molasses consumed upgraded brown ale, Last Car On The Lot, reminiscent of a dry Irish stout.

Twas the night before Christmas eve ’23, my wife and I settled in once more at Gearblock to discover two bi-coastal IPA’s, a Belgian double and a currant gose.

Brimful saffron yellow-hazed NEIPA, Nos, let limey guava-gooseberry salting, dry grapefruit rind bittering and lacquered pine resin contrast sweet orange peel zesting and delicate floral spicing over mildly creamed oated wheat.

Bitterer bronze-cleared West Coast IPA, Lead Sled, soaked piney grapefruit zest and pungent orange rind in sticky pine resin.

Dark candi-sugared dried fruiting sweetened Double Clutch, a strong dubbel with black cherry, spiced fig, stewed date and burgundy illusions spreading above whiskeyed caramel malting.

Ultra-dry black currant pureed gose, Tumbling Twit, a pinkish mauve sour, allowed pink Himalayan salting to penetrate its black currant adjunct, lemony guava parch and tart raspberry-cranberry nips.

On a warm September ’24 eve, wife and I sat on porch to try four more worthy tap pours.

Crisply clean Italian pilsner, Alfa, let floral-daubed spicing and mild grassy hop astringency approach its spritzy lemon crackle above musty pilsner malting.

Briny lime bittering saturated tart blueberry, blackberry and raspberry adjuncts of fruited sour, Trader Joe Knows, reaching its dusty acidulated wheat bottom.

Sharply dry West Coast-styled IPA, Fleetwood, scoured its musky pine tones with profound lemon-pitted grapefruit and orange pith bittering plus tingly spicing over sugary pale malts.

Juicy Imperial IPA, Slush Box, brought crayon-waxed grapefruit, orange and pineapple oiling to resinous pine musk atop mildly creamed pilsner-malted oated wheat.

Brought son Chris to Gearblock on a chilly Sunday eve in early November ’24 to try a sunny IPA and worthy Belgian dark ale.

Juicily yellow grapefruit-forward New England IPA, Bird Dawg, let sugary pilsner-malted oated wheat sweeten tropical Nelson Sauvin/ Nectaron-hopped guava, starfruit and gooseberry tartness while lemony Citra-hopped mandarin orange, pineapple and peach tang surfaced alongside vibrant grapefruit verve.

Tongue-tickling dried fruit spicing gathered above mild molasses syruping for Helican Belgian Strong Dark Ale, a candi-sugared easy drinker with understated plum, raisin, prune, black cherry and banana fruiting plus dainty cardamom, allspice and cinnamon respite and unassuming 9% ABV.

Mid-November ’24, took wife to enjoy K-Turn Kolsch while I delved into two sensational New England IPA’s.

Vibrant double dry-hopped NEIPA, Slammed, let tropical Motueka-hopped guava, gooseberry and white grape salting merge with sharp Citra-hopped yellow grapefruit, orange peel and pineapple zesting plus mild pine tones atop pilsner-malted oats.

Even more intense, hazier and perhaps, zestier, Tri-Five plied tropical Motueka/Nelson/Citra hops to creamily wheated oats, leaving salted pineapple-mango-guava goodness and lemony grapefruit and orange peel resilience to enlighten the senses.

BRIGHT PATH BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Bright Path Brewing To Open This Winter In Jim Thorpe - Breweries in PA

JIM THORPE, PENNSYLVANIA

Open February ’22 in the Pocono Mountain mining town of Jim Thorpe, BRIGHT PATH BREWING COMPANY secures a roomy 4,000 square-foot barn house. Selling its beer to-go initially, Bright Path began inviting the public onsite for draughts three months hence in May.

Co-owner Alex Franko began home brewing a decade ago and worked at Sly Fox, Other Half, Lone Eagle, Dogfish Head and Dock Street beforehand while biz partner, Dylan Smith’s been at it for five years with stops along the way at Lancaster, Lone Eagle and Cape Cod breweries. Both grew up in the surrounding Keystone State area.

Their humble mission is to create ‘refreshing flavorful lagers and low ABV session beers’ for everyone to enjoy. And there’s a peaceful easy feeling that consumes the high-ceilinged pub.

Bright Path’s gray cement-floored, green-walled interior features a 12-stooled wood top bar (with aluminum frontage), chalkboard beer list and a gold-lettered company insignia. Windowed rear brew tanks hold the suds. Pipe-fitted community tables, wall-railed standing ledges and exposed ceiling pipes add rustic appeal.

Bright Path Brewing in Carbon County | wnep.com

Easygoing flagship, Mc Gowan’s Cream Ale, does a fine job reinforcing Bright Path’s ‘humble’ roots (alongside a half-dozen pilsner/lagers available on my two-hour July ’22 trip). Its lemony Cascade-hopped spritz and salted maize dryness picked up subtle herbal perfuming in a light-bodied setting.

Cleanly dry Keller Pils winsomely guided lemony orange salting into placid floral herbage above freshly baked French breading.

Equally tranquil golden-cleared light lager, Pigsah Mountain Brew, let citric-dried lemongrass herbage and grassy hop astringency reach its simple pale malt base.

Straightforward Helles Lager retained a slightly brusque lemon musk, spicy tingle and herbal respite for its sweet cereal grain backbone.

Another soft-toned moderation, Vienna Lager, plied yellow and orange fruit spicing to sweet barley-steeped Easter breading.

Bright ‘n lively but less sweet than stylish competitors, Hefeweizen stationed lemony banana-clove expectancy across damp hop herbage and atop sourdough wheat flouring.

Dry-hopped IPA-designed American Standard Pale Ale stayed grapefruit-forward as grassy wood-soaked astringency contrasted wheat-floured breading.

Limey agave cologne saturated dryly tart summertime suds, Mexican Lager, leaving fleeting floral chrysanthemum and lavender snips upon a frail sea-salted pilsner malt bottom.

Soft ‘n billowy Switchback Session Hazy IPA gathered a floral-daubed bouquet of lemony grapefruit bittering, tangy peach, mango and tangerine sweetness and navel orange zesting to enlighten its mild piney hemp resin and withered grassy hop astringency.

On the dark side, fine German-styled black lager, Schwarzbier, escorted barley-roasted black chocolate and walnut coffee tones to weedy black tea soiling.  

 

BOVINO’S PIZZERIA & BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

BOVINO'S PIZZERIA - 52 Photos & 44 Reviews - Italian - 331 N Courtland St, East Stroudsburg, PA - Restaurant Reviews - Phone Number - Yelp

EAST STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

Open 2012, diminutive freestanding pizzeria-brewery, BOVINO’S, casually re-creates ’60s/’70s pop culture for thirstily hungry local patrons and Delaware Gap visitors. At the eastern edge of the Poconos in the borough of East Stroudsburg, the tan pub with galvanized steel roof siding decks the walls with pix of music and movie stars. Bovino’s left side kitchen turns out New York-style pizza, calzones, strombolis and sandwiches to go alongside spiffy homemade suds emanating from the small rear brew room.

Bovino’s cozy 12-seat wood-topped/ wood-floored bar area features two draught stations with twelve taps handles plus four front tables and a few high chaired tables opposing the left side tile-floored open kitchen.

Upon my July ’22 Poconos journey, I tried eight soothing light-hued beers at the makeshift wood-enclosed patio while thoroughly enjoying the hefty Meat Lovers pizza.

Bovinos Pizzeria - Restaurant | 331 N Courtland St, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USA

Dry orange-oiled pekoe tea spiciness reached peat-soiled nuttiness for Autumn Red Ale, a lightly barley roasted moderation not far removed from the dry brown tea-daubed chocolate-embittered earthen truffle mustiness of Brea’s Nuts, a delicate brown ale contrasting mild walnut snips with wispy glazed hazelnut sweetness.

Dryer and muskier than most blonde ales, Riding Dirty was stylishly nebulous as murky lemon-candied orange tartness faded alongside the leathery barnyard graining hiding its herbal fungi tinge.

Warhead-candied fruited kettle sour, Lip Tickler, stayed mildly acidic as medicinal cherry tartness and a lemony raspberry pucker grabbed attention.

Tarter fruit-candied Cherry Fixx retained powdered cherry spunk as mellow mango, tangerine and melon tanginess lingered below.

Grapefruit-forward Just N Haze IPA picked up delicate currant spicing and grassy hop astringency above a fluffy white breaded backbone.

Easygoing Mighty Mosaic (a dry Mosaic-hopped IPA) maintained tart orange spicing, gentle herbal musk and lemony floral pining.

Best bet: Vibrant Mango Summer Blonde Ale glimmered with salted mango juicing as mild piney hop bittering enhanced its ancillary berry, peach, pineapple, cantaloupe and guava influx.

BIRTHRIGHT BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Birthright Brewing Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: May 8th - Breweries in PA

NAZARETH, PENNSYLVANIA

Right in the heart of Nazareth on Main Street, BIRTHRIGHT BREWING CO. opened its doors February 1, 2018. Providing a rustic industrial environment perfectly suited for the working-class Blue Mountain Ridge mining area, Birthright’s metal-forged axe-handled signpost, wood-metal furnishings, red brick walls, reclaimed wood doors and slate top bar give the window-fronted pub its charming antiquity.

While the brew tanks are towards the rear, an open kitchen serves wood-fired pizza plus salads, sandwiches, wings and veggie paninis. My wife and I grab a few metal chairs out front on Main with dog, Roscoe, on a humid Sunday afternoon, July ’22, perusing each Birthright offering available, including several worthy double dry-hopped IPA’s.

Pleasingly light-bodied Birthlight Blond stayed soft-tongued as mellowly spiced yellow-orange fruiting picked up pale malt sugaring to contrast its phenol hop esters.

Easygoing pale ale, Gunga Galunga, left fig-honeyed citrus dryness upon waddle-seeded cocoa remnant and nutty rye breading.

Muskily raw-grained moderation, Cross Czech, a dry Euro-styled pilsner, plied herbal-hopped barnyard astringency to mild lemon-honeyed sweetness.

Dryer than most in its class, Whitefield Wit allowed ample chaffed wheat rusticity, delicate oats-flaked malting and white peppercorn remnants to encumber the stylishly sweet orange-peeled coriander spicing.

Affably soft-toned Irish Red Ale, Grudge Bearer, brought dewy peat mossing to gently spiced dried fruiting above roasted barley timidity.

Tropical fruited double dry-hopped IPA, Wolfs Run, retained a bright lemony grapefruit twist, tangy orange-tangerine misting and mild peach-pineapple perk over pale malt sugaring.

Sourly tart stone-fruited DDH IPA offshoot, Wolfs Run Mango, let lemon-seeded mango salting jut out above perfumed floral spicing and fennel herbage.

Another DDH IPA, deep golden bronzed moderation Humulone Centipede, settled into sunny yellow grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering as salty white peppering caressed sour white grape, guava and gooseberry illusions above mildly creamed crystal malting.

Meanwhile, hop-forward’ Azacca The Clones DDH IPA, engaged its semi-sharp citrus spree with floral-spiced herbage above dry raw-honeyed pale malts.

Sourly lemon-salted candied tangerine tartness sharpened fruited Berliner Weiss, Wu- Tangerine, a resilient mouth puckering lollipop-like sucker.

A more vibrant BW with a hard candied Sweet-Tart coating and pinkish magenta hue, Fruit Punch Ooh Yeah! regaled powdered cherry, salted orange and lemonade illusions, finishing like Hawaiian Punch.

Dulcet holiday-seasoned winter warmer, Gettin’ Close Imperial Spiced Brown Ale, issued brown sugared cinnamon spicing to wispy caramelized chocolate malting as well as distant nutmeg, allspice and cardamom snips.

 

APEX BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

APEX BREWERYBEERMELODIES « BEERMELODIES

MONROE, NEW YORK

In a beige aluminum warehouse (with flat earthen stone-based storefront) at the Orange County township of Monroe, APEX BREWERY opened its doors October 2020. Operated by roller derby vets Rachel and David Holm, Apex quickly developed a dedicated local following.

A local homebrewer for well over a decade, David Holm concentrates on recurring small batch brews as well as sturdy one-offs and seltzers.

The glassed aquamarine-topped bar matches its reclaimed wide-plank wood frontage and bar backdrop while rear silver brew tanks hold the proprietary suds. Roller skate-wheeled tap handles at a splendid touch.

There are five black four-seat tables at the polyurethane cement-floored, gray-walled, high-ceilinged pub. An overhead door leads to the rustic benched back deck.

Four well designed brews were readied for my midday June ’22 initiation.

Stylistically bold pale ale, Star Pass, retained an off-dry orange, tangerine, clementine and grapefruit tang and recessive raspberry-passionfruit tartness given grassy hop astringency over delicate oats-flaked barley malts.

Limey bergamot orange hops contrasted light vanilla-creamed cereal graining for Brew Stachestrong, a pleasingly dry adjunct New England IPA.

Utilizing crystal clean Norwegian Kviek farmhouse yeast, hazy Mosaic-Citra-hopped IPA, Tropical Dad Joke, united mild yellow grapefruit bittering, zesty navel orange tanginess and candied pineapple tartness as light pine needling spread thru the tropical fruitedness.

Salted chocolate, toasted coconut, spiced toffee and mild hazelnut coffee reinforced fudgy Booty Block, a delectably bold dessert stout.

On July ’24 Sunday afternoon revisit, tried five more Apex suds.

Straightforward Screaming Rubber Chicken Cream Ale let corn-dried mineral grain musk, grassy hop astringency and subtle lemondrop souring merge comfortably.

Briny lemon-seeded bittering outdid the pumpkin spice adjunct of Jammin’ Jack Saison, relegating its rustic barnyard acridity.

Salty lemon-seeded bittering and mild pine tones graced Tropical Dad Joke IPA, retaining an easygoing groove.

Utilizing traditional Irish ale yeast, dewy Shamblock Irish Red regaled a light chocolate roast for maple molasses-sweetened nutty residue and cellared fungi moss.

Creamily soft-tongued Sisu Imperial Stout plied chocolate-roasted maple oats sugaring to candied toffee, black licorice and oaken cherry illusions.

Revisited trusty Apex galaxy again September ’24 to try four more select suds.

Soft-toned aluminum cleared lightweight, Apex Lager, sent barley roasted Vienna/pilsner malting and dried maize to lemony Crystal hop pep.

Easygoing hazy pale ale, Severance, placed lemon-candied tartness, white grapefruit bittering and red currant snips next to dank hop resin.

A richer stylish favor embossed Kommander Kolsch, contrasting its musky lemon-seeded hop bittering and earthen herbal respite with caramelized Weyermann/Vienna-malted cereal graining.

Coppery West Coast-styled IPA, Knee Tap, retained expectant piney citrus luster as grapefruit-seeded lemon musk and dry pine resin absorbed muted pale malt spicing.

FIVE DIMES BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Five Dimes Brewery Opens in Westwood, NJ | | Bergen County NJ Things to Do, Restaurants, Family Fun and More

WESTWOOD, NEW JERSEY

It finally happened. Northern Bergen County issued a license for a brew pub over a decade after the craft beer boom started! And it’s a good one with completely massive crowds comin’ in every night til the tanks finally temporarily ran out of beer in May.

Opened during April ’22, FIVE DIMES BREWERY represents the small village of Westwood. Across from the post office just off Kinderkamack Road in a very busy part of town, this multifarious red brick pub features, among other things, a floor-to-ceiling right-walled open hearth (with cozy couches), several bark-topped community tables and walled bike ephemera. The windowed mezzanine tanks store the efficiently varied suds crafted by brewmaster Mc Lain Cheney (fresh off his stint at Peekskill’s River Outpost Brewing).

Owner Chris Alepa went for a Munich beer hall style when he first decided to go forth and break ground at this former variety store where a large buffalo mural establishes Five Dime’s bovine logo. Retaining a rustic Industrial warmth, its 20-seat, red brick-walled bar spotlights a resilient tiled draught station and a few TV’s (for sportsbar enthusiasts). Plus, the reclaimed wood furnishings add an exquisite feel to the overhead-doored pub.

But that’s not all. There’s also an open air upstairs beer garden plus 2,500 square-foot indoor private party room (with several draught lines).

So successful was Five Dimes that after a few weeks in business they had to shut down to replenish its liquid stock.

In the near future, Mc Lain will no doubt bring his love for sour ales to the fore and experiment further outside stylistic boundaries.

Five Dimes Brewery opening in Westwood

After a few springtime ’22 visits, I was able to consume nearly all initial public offerings of the conservatively creative craft beer.

Crisply clean light body, Pascack Pilsner, left a light herbal-hopped grain musk upon salted floral-daubed lemony grapefruit glee.

Perfect for celebrating Cinco De Mayo, muskily grained lemon agave spicing leveraged the salty green peppered herbage of brisk aluminum cleared Dortmunder Lager, Lo Cinco, an offbeat Mexican styled spinoff.

Spritzy lemon spicing fizzled above the gentle white wheat base of easygoing Wampus Wheat, unfurling crusty pilsner-like French breading.

Wondrous candi-sugared Belgian strong ale, More Good News, spread subtle white-peppered coriander spicing across zesty lemon thyme, bruised banana, sweet tangerine and tangy navel orange, picking up modest cellar fungi to counteract its mildly creamed vanilla-daubed flaked wheat.

Roasted amber grain sweetness and dark floral resin contrasted the mildly pungent dry-hopped grapefruit and pineapple bittering darting thru dewy Savvy Cardinal Red IPA, leaving red apple, bosc pear and lychee snips.

Sedate grapefruit-orange-tangerine spritzing settled alongside the dry grassy meadow surfacing for Sunny Day IPA, retrieving mild pale malt muskiness.

Waxy citrus fruiting paced crisply clean hazy golden NEIPA, Hazy Place, furnishing salty lemon-seeded grapefruit rind bittering to contrast sweet orange peel zesting.

Tart raspberry saddled slightly acidic Sulak Sour, bringing barnyard acridity to ancillary strawberry rhubarb, white peach and oaken cherry tartness.

Softly creamed nitro-infused Nickel Stout, replete with nutty coffee-roasted dark chocolate goodness and dark roast hop char, recalled famed dry Irish stout, Guinness.

Revisited on stormy eve in July ’22 and met Chris Alepa, the local chiropractor whose Five Dimes Brewery has become a cherished local spot. Discovered a quaint India Pale Ale and a kickass kolsch along the way.

Though retaining a stylishly dry grassy-hopped lemon zesting, Kinderkamack Kolsch also pursued a creamier vanilla froth to match its sweeter corn sugaring.

Sessionable hazy IPA, Afternoon Fog, a lightly creamed soft-tongued delight, tossed subtle lemon curd tartness, pineapple tanginess, grapefruit bittering and mango salting at its delicate cereal-grained torrified wheat backbone.

A few days later, thoroughly enjoyed Peach Sulak Sour, a thickly golden bronze hazed fruited sour with tart peach puree persistence nestling candied grapefruit-orange-pineapple conflux in mildly acidic setting.

During August ’22, discovered newly ‘draughted’ Clever Goldfinch Double IPA – a golden glowed medium-full body with creamy vanilla froth thrusting affluent mango, guava and peach tanginess plus orange-peeled tangerine, clementine and tangelo auxiliary thru dryly resinous pine zone contrasting its sugary crystal malt persuasion.

On a cold November night ’22, quaffed both excellent autumnal offerings.

Gingerbread-snapped nutmeg, allspice and clove seasoning crept into pumpkin pie-crusted flouring and tingly orange peel sweetness for Pumpkin Ale, leaving powdered sugar residue on its backend.

Brisk orange oiling provided fizzy pep to the leafy hop astringency, herbal perfumed spicing and phenol dried fruiting of Festbier, a resilient Oktoberfest with crisply clean water base.

Back again, December ’22, tried Tatanka Brown Ale, a middling full body with depleted black caramel-spiced chocolate nuttiness and molasses brown breading fading into nebulous dark-roast hop char.

Better bet: Home For The Holidays Peppermint Porter, a distinct chocolate mint candied confection with dry cassia bark and black anise spiking its refreshing green leaf minting.

On a seasonably warm February ’23 night, tried two rather luxurious nubians.

A marvelous bourbon vanilla collab with Conrad’s Confectionery, Five Dimes Milkshake IPA let vanilla marshmallow fluff seep inside milk-sugared ambrosia fruit salad resonance. Caramelized bourbon influence upstaged by zestful orange marmalade, lemon meringue, pineapple cake, red grape, mandarin orange and coconut fruitiness rising above its creamy yogurt-soured oated wheat base.

Sweeping English barleywine, One Louder, gathered jammy red grape, black cherry and raspberry tartness plus muted burgundy-licked plum, date and fig sweetness (and wispy bourbon whiskey snips) over toasted chocolate rye molasses buttering.

At early July ’23 one-hour pizza and beer orgy, sucked down three new Five Dimes concoctions.

Dry lemony grapefruit and orange tanginess sat above the peppery rye spine of Rooftop Pale Ale, leaving mild pine resin on earthen barnyard acridity.

Sweet banana-clove-bubblegum expectancy gained briskly sour lemon fizzing for eclair-headed Valley Hefe, leaving a hint of vanilla on the floury sourdough pilsner malt backbone.

Lemony yellow grapefruit, pineapple, orange and tangerine tanginess embraced the limey guava bittering of Garden State Haze NEIPA, letting its creamy oated wheat base absorb ethyl vodka whim.

Chilly December ’23 perusal found two more worthy Five Dimes entrants.

Dry West Coast-like IPA, The Cold Shoulder, pranced lively floral-spiced citrus pining and mildly pungent juniper licks atop dehydrated pale malting, maintaining its bitter grapefruit-peeled orange rind ascent.

Deliriously utopian One Louder: Barrel Aged Barleywine integrated sweet whiskey and rum warmth (13% ABV) to dark chocolate-syruped bourbon vanilla serenity, picking up splendidly rich caramelization and mild candied toffee, brandy, burgundy, bruised cherry, spiced fig and sarsaparilla licks.

Owner Chris Alepa was on hand February ’24 as I sunk two new spunky dark ales.

Fluffy tan-headed Mi’ Amore Chocolate Cherry Stout, a nitro-injected full body, draped tart cherry tannins upon smoky dark chocolate richness then smoky day-old coffee gunk and lemon-peeled espresso bittering.

Dark-roast black patent malting embittered the creamy vanilla sweetness centering Midnight Malt Vanilla Porter, leaving polite hop charred nuttiness at the unsweetened cocoa finish.

Spreading their wings to a new brewpub (with canning line) 90 miles south in Red Bank, Five Dimes continues to maintain its momentum up in its initial Westwood pub. I grabbed another five previously untried suds on a sweltering Tuesday evening, June ’24.

Adding blackberry syrup to the original Valley Hefe gave the triumphant moderation an added dimension as its blackberry pureed sweetness and wispy raspberry-boysenberry snips outdid banana-clove conflux above gluier white wheated pilsner malt base.

Straight-ahead pale ale, Penny Pincher, let polite lemony orange tang stay brisk against mild hop astringency as sedate floral sweetness delicately embraced its pale malt sugaring.

For eccentric witbier, Orange Lunatic, lemon-rotted raw honey souring slipped away as sweet orange peeled coriander spicing and white peppered chamomile herbage as well as tropical grains of paradise, pineapple and guava riffs surged forth.

Laidback summertime moderation, New School Cool, a tidily conventional dry-hopped IPA, draped floral orange-peeled yellow grapefruit tanginess and salty pineapple-mango snips thru mild grassy-hopped pining above lightly creamed caramelized oats.

A veritable NEIPA-styled fruit salad, Pow Bang Zoom! raced orange marmalade, lemon meringue, diced pineapple, tart passionfruit, tangy tangerine and waxy crayon fruiting thru cannabis-oiled minty evergreen atop dry pale malts.