Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

JACKASS BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Jackass Brewery

LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

Occupying a stately gray bricked Industrial building with aluminum-sided large windows atop a small hill on Route 45 in Lewisburg (home of Bucknell University), JACKASS BREWING opened March 2020. Started by two homebrewers inspired by the Portland Ale Fest, Skip Kratzer and Larry Winans, craft well-designed straightforwardly stylized suds.

A beautifully landscaped property with metal-furnished tiled patio leading to the metal-and-wood factory-like pub, Jackass Brewing’s high ceilinged fans and exposed pipes add proper industrial details to the 4,000 square-foot space. The 25-seat red brick-backed bar features twelve-plus jackass-handled draughts connected to the windowed brew tank room via large red engine room piping.

My wife and I and dog, Roscoe, grab seats on the turf-floored, umbrella-tabled back deck to down nine proprietary brews alongside delectable pub fare. Signature cocktails are also available.

The Story of Jackass Brewing Company - Lewisburg, PA

Polite light-bodied German pilsner, First Voyage, brought lemon-soured herbage to raw-grained maize dryness and grassy hop astringency contrasting sweet corn pop and mild coriander jot.

Smoothly fruited IPA, Orphan Annie, left floral-herbed citrus traces upon caramelized pale malts, as modest lemony grapefruit-peeled orange pith bittering and zippy tangerine tanginess maintained casual summertime appeal.

Easygoing ‘pine-forward’ IPA, Random Walking Nun, held steadfast with mild grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and modest passionfruit tartness riding atop delicate crystal malt sugaring.

Laidback limey grapefruit, orange and mango zesting paced easygoing Citra-hopped NEIPA, Foggy Doo, contrasting light pine resin with spicy pale malts underneath.

Zestful NEIPA, Juicy(er) Ass, placated lemony grapefruit-pineapple tanginess and orange-oiled tangerine tartness with buttery pale malts.

Candi sugared dried fruiting ensconced Belgian IPA, Rakau Me Amadeus, bringing Rakau-hopped apricot, plum, pear and plantain illusions to spicily white peppered fungi phenols.

Sweetly tart candi-sugared banana puree, lemon meringue and orange marmalade bluster fronted Wonkey Donkey Tripel, picking up wispy white-peppered clove and coriander spicing.

Soft-toned breakfast stout, Bfasst, an Imperial Porter despite its descriptive moniker, placed cream-sugared medium roast coffee alongside dry espresso, milk chocolate and cocoa nibs resilience.

Dry Irish stout, Kizma Irish Ass, saddled barley roasted caramel malts with mild hop-charred coffee, espresso, dark chocolate and cola illusions.

RIEPSTINE’S PUB & BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Old Forge Brewing Company & Riepstine's Pub | Beer Infinity

WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA

Terrific family-owned English pub-styled alehouse, RIEPSTINE’S PUB & BREWERY, opened by Bart & Tess Ripple in 2015, creates an expansive range of beer recipes complemented by ‘traditional comfort food.’

Located on the westside in the Newbury section of Williamsport, this white concrete-fronted brewery (with red brick foundation) features a brown aluminum-topped Riepstine’s Pub insignia above the front door.

Inside, Riepstine’s small penny-encased wood lacquer bar (with eight seats, sixteen draught handles and many walled mugs) services four right side wood booths plus one next to the bar and front wood dining seats. An outside cement-floored patio with aluminum-topped canopy sidles a plastic beach-chaired open firepit spot.

My wife and I visit on a muggy Saturday evening, May ’22, to down thirteen efficiently rounded and well differentiated brews leaning on the heavy and/or dark side.

Easygoing yellow-cleared light body, Lycoming Lager, stayed off-dry as mild lemon-oiled corn souring and buttery raw-honeyed pale malts coalesce.

Dry German schwarzbier, Pitch Black Lager, brought dark-roast cocoa malts to bitterly hop-charred tobacco chaw, tannic vanilla astringency and charcoal latte whims.

Riepstine’s Summer Ale received an herbal kick for offshoot Thyme Out Rosemary, placing rosemary and thyme alongside its cologned lemon lime zesting.

Brisk orange-peeled grapefruit rind bittering picked up herbal-tinged floral daubs and soft pine tones for flagship Imperial IPA, Alpha Deuce, leaving slithers of tangy peach, pineapple and tangerine on the caramelized backend.

Candi-sugared orange marmalade, lemon meringue and banana puree fruiting picked up buttery Chardonnay wining to engage the briny herbage securing farmhouse ale, 7th Ward Saison.

Beautifully designed Belgian quadrupel, Quadmire 2018, laced caramelized fig, raisin and prune sweetness with whiskey-soaked toffee spicing over dark crystal candi-sugared malts.

Muted coffee roasted nuttiness permeated Jaysburg Porter, draping black chocolate syrup on earthen black peppered hops.

Cold brewed coffee alkalinity settles across creamy vanilla sugaring for Buzzsaw Coffee Kolsch, plying black peppered herbage to lemon rind bittering underneath.

Dry cocoa powdered molasses oats surged forth for KRS Oat Stout, leaving latent black cherry, blackberry and date nut illusions.

Dryer Lumber Jack Imperial Stout, let mossy wood char seep into dark chocolate malts and black cherry snips.

Decadent Madagascar vanilla bean-imbued Vanilla Bourbon Stout sent creamy vanilla bourbon sweetness on a rich black chocolate journey, serenading mild burgundy, brandy and port snips.

Another luxurious dark ale, Society’s Reserve: Bourbon-aged Imperial Milk Stout, unleashed milk chocolate fudging upon light buttercream-frosted bourbon vanilla sweetness and molasses oats.

Even more luscious, Chocolate Cherry Bourbon Stout caressed soft-tongued chocolate caking with bourbon vanilla-daubed bruised cherry tartness, subtle blackberry-boysenberry-blueberry serenity and mild coffee tones.

BOOM CITY BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Boom City Brewing Company – Lycoming County Visitors Bureau  Home

WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA

A family-friendly cafe-styled gastropub with its logo sprawled along a wide green awning above the glass door entrance in the center of Williamsport, BOOM CITY BREWING CO.  opened up in autumn 2016. Making use of rough-cut timber, co-owners William Fredo and Mark Lorson designed their small pub-eatery to recall a cozy dining hall. Its metal-framed overhead door frontage has an antique dime store appeal.

A centralized seven-seat wood top bar with eight draught handles services three front-windowed steel-chaired wood tables and three bark-backed booths. Signature steaks, thin crust pizza, pasta and sandwiches bedeck a fine locally sourced food menu.

Wine, cordials and top shelf liquor are available alongside Boom City’s approachable stylistic beers. My wife and I spent a few hours prior to Saturday dinner in May ’22 to consume seven homemade suds.

Mild Cascade-hopped lemon zesting perked up the musky milled graining of Pine Street Pilsner, sliding trusty rye-pumpernickel breading into the backdrop.

Leathery horse-blanketed straw wheat acridity sidled tart lemon-dropped grapefruit oiling draping rustic moderation, Wheat Pale Ale, picking up celery watered vegetalia.

A tad washed-out, pinkish amber-cleared Raspberry Wheat spread chalky floral-perfumed raspberry tartness atop fragile white wheat bottom, picking up wispy watermelon and lychee illusions.

Creamed coffee sedation gained dry hop-charred black peppering and oaken vanilla tannins for Coffee Cream Ale, a fair breakfast companion.

West Coast-styled Boom Rat Pale Ale brought IPA-like grapefruit-peeled pine lacquering to resinous cannabis-oiled fungi mustiness.

Soft-tongued West Coast-styled IPA, Log Jam, took salty grapefruit rind and lemon pith bittering plus spritzy orange-peeled pineapple zing to tobacco-leafed pale malt crisping.

Espresso-dried dark cocoa resonance saddled Muddy River Porter, guiding day-old coffee souring into hop-charred earthen musk at the finish.

NEW TRAIL BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

New Trail Brewing Company | Williamsport, PA | Beers | BeerAdvocate Image result for new trail brewing

WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA

On the southside of Williamsport, NEW TRAIL BREWING COMPANY opened its doors April 2018. Crafting a ‘plethora of beer’ styles, the rustic red brick warehouse pub initially offered a traditional pilsner, India Pale Ale and their first beer ever, Trail Amber Ale.

Large silver brewtanks gathered on the left side have increased volume from 3,000 barrels annually to an astounding 8,000 barrels in four years. The flagship beer, Broken Heels Hazy IPA (reviewed in Beer Index), consumes an overwhelming 50% of total production.

Inside the high-ceilinged cement floor pub, a 12-seat slate top bar features a white-tiled draught station and eight community tables front the bar. Overhead doors open up to a patio with slate walkway curling thru a covered deck area, picnic tabled space and a fire pit spot with oversized beach wood furnishings.

My wife and I took a seat outside near the firepit while downing a few New Trails.

Placid light-bodied German-styled pils, Lazy River, caressed laidback lemony orange tanginess with subtle floral perfumed herbal musk and mild maize-dried astringency.

Aluminum clear-hued dry-hopped Japanese rice lager, Forgotten Stream, retained rice-dried lemon liming and relegated perfumed hop musk.

Wildflower-honeyed amber ale, Trail Ale, attached floral red and orange fruited hop dollops to toasty cereal-grained granola nuttiness.

Dryer than most witbier, New Trail White let zestful lemony mandarin orange spicing and sweet banana licks pick up herbal earthiness above wheat-flaked pilsner malts.

Approachable Simcoe-Amarillo-hopped IPA, Gear Head, brought dry lemon, grapefruit and pineapple salting plus spicy orange, tangerine and clementine tang to its oated wheat bottom.

Peaty tea-like fungi wavered thru orange-oiled candied lemon for Indigo Skies, a ‘modern’ West Coast IPA.

Dry moderate-bodied hazy IPA, Lightning Bug, parlayed mild grapefruit-peeled mandarin orange tanginess to light hop pining and celery-watered crisping.

Another dry IPA, Double Broken Heels, placed spicy grapefruit and orange sedation up against coniferous pine resin and mossy hop dewiness, picking up latent perfumed guava-pineapple tropicalia.

Fudgy ice cream-inspired milk stout, Elk Tracks, brought heavy lactic influence to creamy peanut buttered Madagascar vanilla stead, mocha latte caramelization and hazelnut-glazed cola daubs, placing dry truffle-like earthiness next to its chocolate pudding crusted molasses oats base.

 

 

3 STARS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Seeking out 3 Stars Brewing Company – Julia Eats

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Inside a large red brick warehouse at Washington DC’s northeast corridor, 3 STARS BREWING COMPANY began setting up shop at this former auto body shop, August 2012. Two miles south of Silver Springs’ popular Denizens Brewing, 3 Stars has crafted over 200 beers since inception, “pushing the envelope” stylistically while featuring four durable flagships conceived by entrepreneurial pals Mike Mc Garvey and Dave Coleman.

A bulb-lit 3 Stars insignia above the blackboard beer list captures patrons’ attention nearly as much as the onsite brews. Antique chandeliers and exposed pipes hang from the wood ceiling and a large red and white stars and stripes banner occupies a side wall. A kiosk-like country-styled Urban Farmhouse gets utilized mainly for private parties.

At the rustic cement-floored pub, a compact wood-topped serving station supplies twelve colorfully tap-handled draughts. The right side large-barreled brewroom nears a technicolor walled lantern display while barreled tables and plastic furnishings fill out the room. A community-tabled covered deck with barrel barriers offers outdoor picnic space.

3 STARS BREWING - 3877

I downed the four flagships before delving further into 3 Star’s likable lineup. Check the Beer Index for reviews on canned Low Hanging Fruit: Cherry & Lime, Birds Of A Feather Fruited Sour, Velvet Zombie Imperial Porter and Zombie Date Night (2022)

Piquantly soft-toned farmhouse offshoot, Peppercorn Saison, let mild currant-dried white and pink peppercorn rusticity influence its wispy limey sage herbage contrasted by delicate candi-sugared lemon meringue, orange marmalade and fried plantain sweetness.

Zesty grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering (from Citra hops) and dry Amarillo-Simcoe hop pining stayed mild against the gentle pale malt-spiced peach, tangerine and mango tanginess of Ghost IPA (not to be confused with witbier-influenced Ghost White IPA).

Briskly clean double dry-hopped hazy pale ale, Diamonds Are Forever, brought lemony grapefruit-peeled orange juicing and limey guava, passionfruit and gooseberry souring (of a tropical NEIPA) to mild resinous floral herbage above thin saltine cracker base.

Toasted pecans subtly sway Southern Belle Imperial Brown Ale, leaving sweet chestnut and hazelnut snips to contrast the ashen walnut bittering atop its brown breaded molasses base.

OTHER HALF BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for OTHER HALF BREWERY DC

WASHINGTON DC

In a modern Industrial red brick building at DC’s Ivy City neighborhood, OTHER HALF BREWING opened September 2020, six years after its original Brooklyn, New York business commenced. A 22,000 square foot brewing facility and taproom (formerly a tomato can factory), Other Half’s multifaceted facility includes an outdoor deck, covered pavilion and roof deck.

Inside, the immaculate pub features an elongated tile-sided 12-plus draught bar servicing the cement floored benches and barrel top tables. A rooftop deck (with full bar) allows for more seating.

The first-floored overhead doors lead to the outside deck where my wife and I (with dog, Roscoe) down eight enjoyable tapped offerings (including three lagers, three Imperial IPA’s, an oated cream IPA and a barrel-aged stout) on a rainy Friday evening, May ’22.

Image result for OTHER HALF BREWing DC

Easygoing helles lager, Box Car, plied mild herbal hop astringency to light lemon spicing over white-breaded pilsner malts.

Spritzy lemon musk and herbal hop astringency paced Ivy City Lager, a dry Eastern European-styled moderation with biscuity toasted grain bottom.

Musty perfumed ricing saddled Japanese-styled rice lager, Poetry Snaps, a pilsner-malted light body with floral-herbed Saaz hops scouring spicily sour lemon musk.

Zesty floral-spiced grapefruit and pineapple brining led golden-hazed Imperial IPA, Blue Crab, picking up Chardonnay-buttered guava, mango and passionfruit snips.

Salty lemon-limed grapefruit bittering, mellow orange peel sweetness and mild pineapple-guava souring guided fellow Imperial IPA, Quonset Hut, to its pine lacquered grassy hop stead.

Meanwhile, New Zealand-styled double dry-hopped Imperial IPA, Riwaka + Motueka, brought limey yogurt-soured guava, gooseberry and pineapple fruiting to soft herbal pungency contrasting mild vanilla creaming of unassumingly 8% ABV medium body.

Lactose-aided Imperial Oat Cream India Pale Ale, Tremendous Cream (a ‘bigger’ 10% ABV version of Dollar And A Dream) tucked away its zestful lemon-limed grapefruit and orange tanginess plus tertiary pineapple, guava and mango onrush for mild grassy hop musk, light herbal snips and dank earthen grains.

Peanut butter-candied chocolate caramel nougat creaminess deepened the bourbon vanilla sweetness of barrel-aged Deep Orbit Cygnus, a decadent Imperial Stout with mild espresso, cappuccino and caffe mocha illusions topping a honeyed Graham Cracker base.

ATLAS BREW WORKS

United States Brewpubs,

Atlas Brew Works | Washington, DC | Beers | BeerAdvocate Atlas Brew Works Virtual Tasting - 5/14/2021 | Brewbound.com

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Just up the street from the Washington Nationals baseball stadium in the industrial Ivy City section, ATLAS BREW WORKS had the unfortunate problem of dealing with Covid lockdowns during its March 2020 opening. But entrepreneurial guiding light, Justin Cox, a Vanderbilt grad with a serious jones for brewing, navigated thru the restrictive guidelines and Atlas quickly became a local staple in the Capitol’s Navy Yard.

Glass-windowed overhead doors and an Anthem banner greet patrons to the first 100% solar powered craft brewery in District of Columbia. Set up like a sportsbar, its mid-sized U-shaped central bar sits between three ceiling-to-floor baseball card-laden columns and multiple TV’s are strewn across the bar, plastic-furnished and right side dining area. An open kitchen serves and the brew tanks are stage left.

We sat on the outdoor deck in the light rain sampling a few Atlas suds while the bustling street fair took place, May ’22.

Atlas Brew Works | Venue, Washington | Get your price estimate

One of two light-bodied year-round ‘core’ beers, brisk lemon fizzing picked up floral earthen grassiness atop delicate pilsner malt graining for popular Bohemian-styled Bullpen Pilsner.

The other easygoing flagship, District Common Draught, placed sharply zestful lemon licks across Saaz hop herbage and vegetal corn astringency over salty pretzel-like doughing.

Sweet Vienna-malted toffee nuttiness secured French bread-crusted Opening Day Vienna Lager, placing herbal hops towards the back end with navel orange snips.

Kulmbacher-styled Czech dark ale, Tmave, plied peaty dark roast grain musk to cocoa-dried date, fig and fennel above mild pumpernickel breading.

Pink Himalayan salting sprinkled the tart blood orange adjunct and mildly acidic lemon limey trail of Blood Orange Gose, a white wheat-based moderation.

Dry white wine esters and mild lemon limed salinity provided light acidity for sour saison, Existential Dread, leaving hay-like barnyard leathering in its wake.

Muddily black malted dark ale, Silent Neighbor Stout, combined dark chocolate, black coffee, espresso, Blackstrap molasses and ashen walnut bittering with wood-seared hop charring.

RIGHT PROPER BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Right Proper Shaw Brewpub & Kitchen - Event Venue Rental - Washington - Tagvenue.com

WASHINGTON, D.C.

At the trendy Shaw quadrant of Northwest DC, RIGHT PROPER BREWING COMPANY (with a second location, Brookland Production House & Tasting Room, in the nearby Northeast corridor), began as a small neighborhood brewpub during 2013. Known also as the Shaw Brewpub & Kitchen, Right Proper is situated right next to the historic Howard Theatre.

Colorful abstract chalked paintings cover the lacquered cement interior of this rustic wood and metal furnished art deco Industrial site. One abstract mural painting adorns the semi-private red brick right walled Duke Ellington Room.

Classic American pub fare leads the food menu and a gourmet cheese counter located ahead of the two separate 10-seat bars down the narrow hall serves the finest charcuterie delights. Complex, sometimes offbeat, brews, crowd the draught menu. During a rainy Saturday evening, May ’22, discovered six rangy elixirs with son, Christopher (who downed a previously tried Haxan Porter).

Image result for SHAW BREWPUB AND KITCHEN

The three mainstays for Right Proper include a light lager, souped-up pale ale and kindly witbier.

Classic pre-prohibition styled light lager, Senate Beer, placed buttery corn flaked cereal graining across lemon-licked Fuggle hop earthiness updating an old Heurich Brewing recipe.

Spirited dry-hopped pale ale, Raised By Wolves, brought floral IPA-like grapefruit-peeled navel orange Citra hop effervescence to piney Simcoe hop astringency and mild grassiness above spicy pale malting.

Stylish coriander-spiced orange peel sweetness picked up slight juniper bite and Tettnang/Perle hop herbage over oats-dried torrified wheat for Lil Wit, a well-balanced moderation.

Mimosa-like orange champagne entry guided eccentric blonde ale, Magic Of Music, pushing cara cara orange tanginess thru lemony grapefruit, pineapple and gooseberry fruiting.

Sharp orange-peeled grapefruit bittering and sour white grape esters paced mixed cultured New England IPA, Fear No Art, utilizing leathery brettanomyces yeast to funk up the mildly acidic citric-dried finish.

Lovely Scottish wee heavy nightcap, Go On Wee Man!, coalesced bourbon vanilla spicing, toffee-candied chocolate sweetness, caramelized dried fruiting, milk-sugared coffee tones and cherry cordial snips atop maple molasses-sapped flaked oats.

RED BEAR BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for RED BEAR BREWEING

WASHINGTON, D.C.

As the story goes, three pioneering Seattle natives headed east to the nation’s Capitol looking for a cool spot for their dream endeavor. By March ’19, the entrepreneurial trio of Bryan Van Den Oever, Simon Bee and Cameron Raspet found the culturally diverse nightlife of Washington D.C.’s newly renovated NoMa district the perfect spot for an “East Coast meets open casual West Coast style” brewery.

At this bustling industrial office hub (north of Massachusetts Avenue), RED BEAR BREWING CO. began operations. Inside a red brick neighborhood mall near Union Station and close to the elevated trains, Red Bear takes up a medium-sized corner spot down the street-level stairs.

Inside, the rustic cement-floored pub features 20-plus taps (proprietary beers plus seltzers and ciders) at the centrally located bar while the surrounding area offers wood and metal four-seaters and community tables plus board games for the kids. Kettled brew tanks are at the far right. The superb pub food menu and a host of upscale liquors back up the wholly reliable brew selections (of which, I will discover five well rounded and widely differentiated elixirs reviewed below).

At the partially covered outside patio, my wife and I (with dog Roscoe) consume five diverse homemade creations on a rainy Saturday in May ’22.

Image result for RED BEAR BREWEING

Floral-daubed ginger cologne, mild carrot-pureed spicing and yellow grapefruit zesting coalesced for briskly clean cucumber-watered saison, 24 Karat, an effervescently offbeat springtime moderation.

Another Maytime endeavor, soft-toned pinkish amber Peak Bloom Cherry Wit, let subtle Pez-candied cherry tartness fade into soap-stoned guava and gooseberry brining over a delicate white wheat bed.

Sweet ‘n sour oated ‘cream pale ale,’ Floof, a glowing sunshine hued New England IPA knockoff, readied salty guava-passionfruit tartness for lemon meringue and peach cobbler confections above lactic acidulated malts.

Dry opaque salmon-tinted fruited gose, The Floor Is Guava, regaled lively guava brining and tart coriander-seeded raspberry sedation as well as white peach, cranberry and crabapple snips over feathery sourdough wheated pilsner malting.

Black malted dark chocolate and mild espresso tones reached the soily earthen bottom of DC Dirt Porter, leaving chalky dried fruiting on the tail end.

Lactose peanut buttered dark chocolate roast deepened by coffee-stained hop char of rich milk stout, Tall Dark & Nutty, picking up latent bourbon vanilla spicing to contrast oily dark-roast mocha nuttiness.

DENIZENS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for denizens brewing company

SILVER SPRINGS, MD.

Off the northern tip of D.C. in the heart of Silver Springs lies one of the more intriguing, multifaceted and sizable microbreweries. DENIZENS BREWING COMPANY, run by wives, Julie Verratti and Emily Bruno, plus co-founder Jeff Ramirez, was a venture taken on in 2013 seeking to galvanize those ‘unified by beer.’ Incorporating an enormous turf-floored, 200-seat, wicker-lounged, mezzanine-level beergarden to enhance the adjoining cement-floored interior bar (an Industrial wood, metal and aluminum-studded space with leather tap handles) and lower level taproom, this rust orange-hued gastropub has become a local staple.

With a second location at nearby Riverdale Park starting production brewing in 2019, Denizens has grown by leaps and bounds since its 2014 Silver Springs inception, crafting over 150 different beers by my May ’22 quest. The varied flavor profiles and boundless stylization explored onsite at the first floor brewtanks match the diversity of Silver Spring’s urbanized civilians.

Image result for denizens brewing company

At the beer garden at noon, my wife and I tried all four core beers (listed below first) plus four more during our rainy one-hour visitation.

Sturdy Czech-styled pilsner, Born Bohemian, combined musky wet graining, floral-spiced Saaz hop herbage, mild grassy astringency and light lemon licks.

Smooth as glass double dry-hopped IPA, Animal, plied zesty orange-peeled yellow grapefruit bittering and lemon-candied pineapple, mango and peach tanginess to pine-sapped herbal spicing.

Dry caraway-seeded rye breading consumed earthier IPA, Southside Rye, retaining moderate grapefruit-orange bittering, resinous pine tones and tingled spicing.

Lovely rounded tripel, Third Party, let coriander-spiced orange peel sweetness, lemon meringue tartness, candied apple sugaring and wispy banana pureeing contrast white-peppered tealeaf herbage.

After these year-round faves, we consumed Hike The Alps, a simple helles lager with lemon-honeyed herbage set atop its doughy barley cracker base.

Flaked rice, grassy hop herbage and lemony orange acridity consumed premium lager, PGC, leaving a mellow honeysuckle-dried respite.

Dewy peat moss and mild herbage draped misty orange oiling for Lowest Lord ESB, a biscuit-based moderation.

Huell Melon hops redirected Macadocious Maibock, trading stylish red-orange fruit spicing for slightly soured floral-backed passionfruit, guava and gooseberry tropicalia.

SHEPHERD’S EYE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Shepherds Eye Brewing Company - Absolute Beer

FLORIDA, NEW YORK

Inside a gray aluminum warehouse with green awning, veteran-owned SHEPHERD’S EYE BREWING COMPANY opened for biz October 2, 2021. Specializing in German beer but unafraid to dabble into American IPA’s and dark ales, the farmland-situated pub has loads of room for expansion into its adjoining buildings.

A plastic-furnished wood planked porch deck leads to the epoxied cement-floored brewroom where a large capital-lettered Shepherd’s Eye signpost spreads across the top of the 7-seat bronze-sided serving station (with ten copper-piped draught taps and five turbine ventilator lights). Several wood seats fill out the interior and an electronic beer menu shows today’s offerings. Overhead doors to the right of the bar lead to the concrete-floored beer garden corridor. A canning line has recently been installed.

My dog Roscoe and I grab seats in the beergarden to sample today’s generally easygoing fare.

Gallery | Shepherd's Eye Brewing Company

Muskily raw-grained, aluminum straw-hued German pilsner, Prost, let herbal Noble-hopped barnyard astringency and polite lemon licks merge in an easygoing straightforward manner.

Dry grassy-hopped lemon musk and mild herbage welcomed Day Brake, a light-bodied kolsch.

Daintily lemon-candied banana and clove tartly sweetened the front end while wispy white peppered herbage hit the salty wheat bottom of Shep’s Hef.

Dewy Deutscher Hund Dunkelweizen segued mild dried fruiting to lightly floured chocolate breading.

Getting away from the German styles…

Roughhewn toasted grains saddled the dewy mossing and red-orange fruiting of rugged English-styled amber ale, George, leaving caramelized barley sweetness in its wake.

Utilizing a rotating hop bill, April ’22-brewed NEIPA, Mystery Machine hurled floral-perfumed grapefruit peel, orange rind and pineapple bittering plus lemon-limed gooseberry sourness at its pine lacquered grassy knoll.

Flagship Imperial IPA, Shepherd’s Bite, gathered subtle grapefruit, orange, tangerine and peach tanginess as well as sweet floral spicing to contrast dry piney hop bittering.

Nitrogenated chocolate stout, Kariin, plied cocoa nibs creaming to black coffee, espresso and cola nut reminders.

 

SHREWD FOX BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

shrewd fox brewery - Brewery

ELDRED, NEW YORK

Skirting stylistic conventionality by assimilating and acclimating locally sourced ingredients with European-grown grains and hops, Jersey-raised Ukrainian husband-wife team, Bill and Cindy Lenczuk, began their beer journey while sampling local Uke suds overseas. Initially, Bill worked as a nuclear engineer at Chernobyl during a 2000-2002 Eastern Euro stint, gaining insight to brewing along the way until opening his own nanobrewery, SHREWD FOX BREWERY, in 2015.

Balancing quirky flavor profiles to remit a certain earthen rusticity native to the hilly rural Catskill village of Eldred, Shrewd Fox utilizes its unique regional water source. A proud New York State sustenance farm brewer, Lenczuk’s spent grain goes to local farmers, eliminating organic waste.

Sitting alongside the vast countryside, Shrewd Fox resides at a red brick-fronted former post office with baby blue siding. Its agrarian exterior includes a makeshift barrel-staged metal-furnished side patio and grassy wooden-benched backyard space.

Inside, the cozy pub features a small stainless steel seven-barrel system (upped from its commencing one barrel setup) behind a two-stooled plywood-stained service station with ten intricately wood-carved draught handles.

My wife and I tried all seven in-house brews, April 2022. There were also two ciders available.

Home - Shrewd Fox Brewery

Dewy wheat-honeyed earthen truffle mossing, casual brown-sugared dried fruiting and teasing walnut breading gathered for Highland Lager, a waywardly skewed traditional German moderation.

Another dewy grained easygoer, Loch Ada Amber Ale, fortified its dry yuzu-limed green grape esters with barley-sugared Irish amber yeast.

Ukranian Zalatos Roussa hops redirected stylistically dryer Yulan Hefeweizen, leaving banana-clove expectancy in the dust for sour Orange Blossom-honeyed lemon oiling and distant plantain, pear and white grape illusions.

Not even experienced beer tasters could clearly define Kutya Buckwheat Farmhouse Ale, a buckwheat-honeyed saison yeast-based specialty grain beer with mild cocoa powdered date-fig rig, tart rhubarb shard and oily nuttiness.

Peat mossy 3 Dog IPA, recalled a dry English style IPA with its dank hop-grained soiling, musky dark floral herbage and mild orange oiling.

On the dark side, stylishly out of bounds Baba Yaga Brown Ale brought pumpkin pureed autumn spicing to mild molasses, chocolate, raisin and hazelnut riffs as well as pine nut, fern and bark nuances.

Coffee-burnt sour nuttiness consumed Kozak Porter, leaving green grape tannins in its wake.