Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

HOUSATONIC RIVER BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Housatonic River Brewing Welcomes New Milford Beer Lovers

NEW MILFORD, CONNECTICUT

Taking up a brown brick fronted bunk house with a covered deck and floor-to-ceiling stone hearth plus a separate beergarden pavilion, HOUSATONIC RIVER BREWING perfectly recreates olden New England-styled wood work in purely bucolic fashion. The rustic pub’s pine kiosks, countrified stool seating, wraparound wood coves, wood paneled walls and corrugated aluminum roof suit the aluminum-sided lacquered pine top bar.

Opened in 2018, entrepreneurial brewer David Littlefield perfected his craft at California’s Harbor Lights Brewing before heading east and teaming up with veteran brewmeister, Steve Medd, at Housatonic River. The busy brewin’ duo have made over 150 different recipes in just over six years.

There’s a midsized stage area for music acts and brew tanks are staged in the rear.

I stopped by on a warm Friday evening, July ’24, to try an Imperial Stout and its oak-aged variant – plus a light Bavarian lager – taking home a few more goodies in cans (reviewed in Beer Index).

Duffer Lager - Housatonic River Brewing ...

Easygoing German pilsner, Duffer Lager, brought sourly salted lemon seed spritz to dried plantain tartness, grassy hop astringency and slight vegetal herbage over popcorn-like maize buttering.

Creamily smooth Imperial Stout, Remedy, placed whisked bourbon chocolate sweetness next to caramelized coffee, wood-smoked molasses, chocolate cake, creme brulee and sugary vanilla illusions as its tarry hop char contrasted the mighty mocha nightcap.

Stronger spirits-derived variant, Whiskey River Remedy, aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels, embraced subtle dried fruiting to deepen its oaken whiskey-bent dark chocolate resolve.

NOD HILL BREWERY

Beers A-Z, United States Brewpubs,

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RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT

Inside a tan stucco brick building overlooking the sylvan tree-lined countryside at the foothills of the Berkshire Mountain in Ridgefield, Connecticut, NOD HILL BREWERY came into biz, November 3, 2017. Boasting “separate authentic flavor profiles for its small community vibe,” the popular pub has expanded its taproom, began local can distribution and struggled to keep up with increased demand.

Nod Hill’s spacious wood floored interior features a lacquered wood top bar, two community tables, a few round tables, loungy metal-chaired tree stump tables, several side stands and an overhead door – plus a baby blue-tiled draught board at the back bar listing eight homemade elixirs. Brewtanks are stored in the large backroom and a centralized refrigerator serves to-go brews.

Perhaps the most important part of Nod Hill is its separate picnic-tabled pavilion beergarden. A solar-powered brewhouse, its brewers’ tend to make ‘hop-forward ales, Old World English, German and Belgian styles and spontaneously mixed fermentation oak-aged beers.’

Portishead plays trip-hop in the backdrop as my wife and I sink a few Nod Hill brews on a sunny Friday evening, July ’24.

Bavarian lager yeast, mineralized pilsner graining and Noble hop herbage connected for standard mild German Pils, Beam, a slightly pungent moderation with light lemon licks and recessive doughy breading.

A frisky lemon spritz sparked bustling hefeweizen, Fritz Walrus Edelweiss, retaining stylish banana-clove sweetness but adding date, plum and raisin subtleties to the rich honeyed wheat base.

Lemony white peppering, green grape esters and soft floral spicing engaged Trappist single, Ace of Wands, a delicate pilsner malted patersbier (best described as Belgian Monk’s lawnmower beer).

Mixed fermentation red wine-barreled Belgian dubbel, Queen Of Funk, stayed dry as leathery muscat grape, oaken vanilla and charcoaled black chocolate illusions picked up light lemon acidity.

Buttery dried fruiting draped lovely Belgian quad, King Of Swords, leaving candi-sugared raisin, plum and prune sweetness plus nutty toffee spicing and cotton candy confection upon brown chocolate malting.

Flagship NEIPA, Geobunny, raised grapefruit rind bittering, orange peel sweetness, tangerine tanginess and tart gooseberry-guava souring above vanilla-daubed oated wheat creaming.

Another flagship NEIPA, Super Mantis, maintained a sunnier, brighter disposition as its tropical fruit juicing embroidered a dryer wood backdrop. Peachy pineapple tanginess, lemony grapefruit bittering, navel orange sweetness and salted mango-papaya tropicalia reached mild oats-flaked pilsner malting.

English-styled dark mild, Eynsham, let bland dried fruiting run thru light-roast burnt coffee tones, buttery cocoa powdering and murky nuttiness.

SPACECAT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Spacecat Brewing Company

NORWALK, CONNECTICUT

At the edge of downtown on Chestnut Street in the thriving coastal suburban town of Norwalk, SPACECAT BREWING COMPANY occupies an olden red-bricked Industrial mill with polished wood floors, ancient window banks and stark wood trusses. Opened during October 2021, Spacecat became the first brewpub to operate after Norwalk lost Iron Brewing a year hence.

On an early Friday evening stopover, July ’24, my wife and I initially grabbed seats at the wood plank-topped bar adorned with Edison lights and featuring twenty draught handles. There were plastic-seated butcher block tables and six dual-stooled wood tables filling out the rustic barroom. Huge windowed brewtanks stored the straightforwardly variegated, dependably rounded and usually easygoing fare.

We then headed outside to the narrow biergarden where a nifty duo played cool tunes for the neighborhood crowd scurrying in. Local wine, spirits and ciders plus homemade cocktails were also available.

Contentedly crafting conventional brews celebrating familiar stylistic terrain, Spacecat’s (mostly) year-round suds, classic seasonals and one-off elixirs stay predictably sound and consistently rewarding.

Rustic yellow-bellied German-styled moderation, Whistleville Pilsner, combined musky lemon rot, dark floral must and dusty herbage atop maize-dried barnyard graining.

Soft-tongued Helles Lager retained spritzy lemon souring, spiced Noble hop herbage and cabbage-like vegetalia above bready pilsner malting. Toastily caramelized amber grains weaved thru Vienna Lager.

A saltier lemon thrust and muskier herbal response led crisply deviant kolsch, Spacecat Summer, a ’24 seasonal hiding delicate lemony grapefruit bittering and light pine tones over white wheat breading.

Brisk yellow grapefruit sunshine and tangy mandarin orange zesting stayed laid-back for Session IPA, utilizing newfangled Azacca-Strata-Sabro hop combo.

Raw-honeyed desiccated orange received musky fungi earthiness for The Tree Cat, a resinous hopped West Coast IPA.

Possibly my fave, spectral New England IPA, Orion, sashayed sweet orange peel zesting and yellow grapefruit bittering alongside salted mango, passionfruit and guava tropicalia while remitting light floral perfuming.

Dewy off-dry The Irish Red nestled hazelnut and chestnut subtleties beside mild toffee sugaring.

Lightly nut-toasted Brown Ale placed tepid toffee sweetness against mossy truffle murk.

Dry dark German lager, Schwarzbier, relegated mildly embittered black chocolate and light-roast coffee tones as well as musty dried fruiting.

TALL OAKS FARM & BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

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FARMINGDALE, NEW JERSEY

In the “serene countryside” of Farmingdale (a few miles west of Asbury Park), panoramic family friendly microbrewery, TALL OAKS FARM & BREWERY opened its doors, January ’24.

At a white aluminum sided, shutter-doored barn house on 5-acre farm, Tall Oaks includes a pristine barroom, heated covered porch and separate large pavilion. Inside, white plastic seats and tables spread across the post-Mod pub where unique metal piping fills the brew tanks servicing the rounded elixirs poured for beer-centric minions at the wood top serving station.

Head brewer Rebecca Barry honed her skills at popular brew school, UC-Davis, joining Pennsylvania’s Weyerbacher and Newark’s Anheuser Busch before becoming Tall Oaks’ top cat.

My wife and I settle at the fenced-in picnic grounds, grabbing a few Adirondack-chaired round wood tables to suck down eight fine suds, July ’24.

Freshly baked breaded sourdough wheat engulfed crisp light pilsner, Berm, leaving slight floral herbage upon its sour lemon surge.

A West Coast IPA vibrancy enhanced bolder pale ale, Redwood Grove, bringing slightly embittered Cascade-hopped lemony grapefruit tanginess plus orange-peeled peach, pineapple and papaya sweetness to dry Centennial-Chinook-hopped pining atop dainty Vienna-Crystal malting.

A mild IPA, Open Field allowed brisk lemony grapefruit and orange sunshine, salted guava-passionfruit tropicalia and floral-daubed evergreen minting to rise above biscuity Vienna malts.

Lacquered mango sweetness grazed glutenous white wheat for Fruit Stand Mango, a summery soft-toned pilsner-malted wheat ale.

Spritzy lemon fizz sparkled above the freshly baked French breading consuming Meadow, another soft-toned moderation (with ‘white grape skin and pear’ nuances).

Offbeat farmhouse-styled grisette, Petal Rustic Ale, dripped Lemon Pledge-wafted citrus moisture into white-peppered sage and parsley herbage atop pilsner-malted cracked wheat backbone.

Serene dark-fruited date, plum and apricot fronted easygoing doppelbock, Cultivator, a German-style lager with musky cellared fungi digging into cardboard-like brown breading.

Light-roast coffee nuttiness, chalky cocoa powdered Black malt bittering and musky dried fruiting received dry hop char for Cottage, a mossy English mild ale.

NEXT CHAPTER BREWPUB

United States Brewpubs,

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AUBURN, NEW YORK

Inside a red brick building just down the block from Shep’s at Genesee Center mini mall, NEXT CHAPTER BREWPUB came to life in August 2018. Local married homebrewers Scott and Michelle De Lap decided to open the snugly Auburn nanobrewery where proprietary and guest beers, local spirits, wines and cocktails get washed down by wood-fire pizza, burgers, wings and paninis.

Several cherry red-seated hardwood tables, a cozily couched book-shelved lounge area, a Prohibition Era silver inlet black-tiled ceiling and antique red brick walls fill out the Edison-lit twelve-seat wood bar. A tiled wood stove serves pizzas to the local minions joining my wife and I at Next Chapter early June ’24 on a sunny Friday afternoon.

Sweet red-orange-yellow fruiting glided thru Blondie, a pilsner-malted pale ale that’s sunshiny sessionable.

Adding pureed blood orange to the aforementioned blonde ale, Blood Orange Blondie gained tart mandarin, tangy tangerine and sweet clementine illusions for its sugary mix.

Utilizing a sugary pale malt base, Chapter Blueberry Ale retained a light sweet n’ sour blueberry lacquering and lightly creamed honeyed wheat stickiness.

Contrasting slight earthen melon rind bittering with mild watermelon sweetness, spritzy Chapter Watermelon Wheat Ale gained cucumber watered celery crisping.

Underripe peach tartness countered sweet peach tanginess for Peachy Keen Kolsch, a dry pilsner malted moderation with tertiary apricot skin tannins, lemon licks and cucumber slumber.

Perfumed citrus spicing anchored West Coast-styled NYS IPA, a Cascade-Centennial-hopped medium body with lemony grapefruit bittering and orange-oiled guava and passionfruit tartness.

Local Crow City roasted coffee beans met rich cacao nibs bittering for nitrogenated Chapter Crow City Coffee Stout, but its lemon rind-soured espresso spunk and dry red wine esters nearly prevailed.

SHEP’S BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Shep's Brewing Company | Auburn NY

AUBURN, NEW YORK

On the corner of Genesee and Williams Street in Auburn, New York (a northern Finger Lakes town), SHEP’S BREWING COMPANY began in a humble Nolan’s Department Store basement. Becoming Auburn’s first brewery since prohibition during 2014, Shep’s is also the oldest brewery in the county. Run by hyperactive entrepreneurial brewmeister, Garrett Shepherd, the glorified nanobrewery crafts many fine one-offs, offbeat variants and distinct standards.

A glistening silver lettered SHEP’S sign leads patrons to the gray walled pub. The bark-topped, plastic tile-fronted bar features pendant lights. A few metal-seated round wood tables, two walled wood pews and an overhead doored front porch provide seating across from the 15-seat bar (with bright blue bar back wall). There are pendant lights, exposed ceiling pipes and twelve stainless steel draught handles at the central tap station. Windowed brew tanks are behind the bar.

While conversing with the animated Shepherd, I sank eleven diversified brews during an early nighttime perusal, June ’24.

Musky herbal lemon saddled grassy-hopped Cash Rulz Cream Ale, a fine light-bodied opener with wispy dried maize rusticity.

Oats-sugared sweety corn paced lemony straw-cleared moderation, Laker Lager, a classic American standard.

Closer to an IPA, Harley Quinn Pale Ale draped semi-sharp lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and dry wood flurry over sugared pale malts.

Mossy English-styled Alfie’s Pub Ale draped sweet tea herbage atop reticent rye-dried biscuit bottom.

Dewy peat sweetness, roasted tobacco crisping and mild orange rot merged for B. Shep’s Flashpoint Scotch Ale, a crystal malted wee heavy.

Zesty lemon glimmered alongside mandarin orange tartness and navel orange tanginess for Lit Wit, a mildly spiced Belgian wheat ale with gleaming Cryo hop oiling.

Glistening lemony grapefruit sugaring and brisk orange peel sweetness contrasted pine needled bittering for summertime NEIPA, There Is No Spoon, secured by vanilla-kissed oated creaming.

Luscious lactic dessert treat, Orange Creamsicle Milkshake IPA, perfectly re-created a vanilla-sweetened orange-sugared creamsicle, adding salted lemony pineapple tanginess as well as mild pine resin.

Tidy tropical cocktail, Jim Brady Pina Colada Sour, retained stylish lemon-soured coconut toasting, juicy pineapple punch and mild vanilla creaming.

Walnut bark chocolate sweetness guided Franklin Porter, gaining musty dried fruiting, musky cellared truffle scuttle and weedy soy snip.  

Though lacking peanut butter creaming, Extraterrestrial Peanut Butter and Chocolate Stout tacked dewy earthy soy earthiness onto sweet brown chocolate goodness, picking up tertiary walnut, hazelnut and Brazil nut snips.

 

PRISON CITY BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Riot Run 5K | Great American Brewery Runs

AUBURN, NEW YORK

Established in 2014, ‘Industrial chic’ downtown Auburn gastropub, PRISON CITY BREWING, expanded beyond its State Street digs in 2020 to include an enormous production facility, known as North Street Brewery & Taproom (with prominent black silo, outdoor courtyard and dairy farm one mile away). The brainchild of married home brewers, Dawn and Marc Schulz, Prison City now includes a third location outside the Finger Lakes in Lake Placid.

A black awning with silver Prison City Pub & Brewing lettering sits above the windowed corner pub at the former Civil War Armory. Its tan-yellowed brick exterior contrasts the old red brick walled interior where exposed pipes hang low from the black art deco ceiling. The L-shaped bar with Edison lights services the surrounding plank wood tables and umbrella-laden, metal-furnished State Street patio.

On a busy Friday afternoon lunchtime jaunt, June ’24, enjoyed turkey club and bisque soup while quaffing ten approachable libations.

Classic light-bodied PC Cream Ale let mild lemon continuance gain subtle herbal spicing then grassy hop astringency above crusty white breading.

Mild lemony orange spicing casually swayed Crispy Boys Light Lager, an off-dry moderation with corn-husked pilsner malting.

Tantalizing coral-hazed light lager variant, Crispy Boys Blood Orange, tossed blood orange tartness into lightly creamed vanilla midst as mild lemon-seeded bittering caressed finishing navel orange rind, pith and peel swipes.

Orange-peeled tangerine puree received funky Belgian yeast fungi for Tangerine Wit, a perky coriander-spiced spritzer with floury white wheat base.

Briskly assertive Mass Riot New England IPA allowed piney Simcoe hop herbage and mild cannabis pungency to scour lemony Citra/Mosaic-hopped grapefruit and orange peel tanginess for juicy sunshine.

Sharp hazy golden cleared Loop Chaser New England IPA coalesced salty lemon lime bittering with tart guava-mango swipe, tangy tangerine snip and dainty herbage above lightly creamed oated wheat.

One-off hazy IPA, Ahhhromatic Pilot, utilized Citra cryo hops to promote its salty lemon liming, navel orange zesting and peachy pineapple tang, letting light pine resin soak the mild oats sugaring.

Spunky lunar eclipse celebrator, Dark In The Daytime Stout, brought chocolate-dipped coffee roast to cocoa-dried nuttiness.

Sweetly creamed Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla influence regaled black chocolate bittering of robust mocha porter, Hibercation, leaving lightly hop char upon tertiary cola nuttiness, coffee bittering and caramelized dried fruiting.

Madagascar vanilla joined toasted coconut sweetness and gingerbread spicing for brown chocolate-backed Imperial Stout, Wham Whams, a perfect dessert treat.

LIQUID STATE BREWING COMPANY – ROMULUS

United States Brewpubs,

Liquid State Brewing: New craft brewery / tasting room in Ithaca ...

ROMULUS, NEW YORK

Overlooking beautiful Cayuga Lakes in the Finger Lakes hamlet of Romulus, the second location for LIQUID STATE BREWING COMPANY, known as the North End, lies 25 miles north of the original pub. Opened during springtime 2022, Liquid State North End’s white-fronted red brick barn house features a cement-floored aluminum-ceilinged barroom connected to an overhead-doored wood-benched/ Adirondack-chaired covered patio and sprawling lawn.

The wide 20-seat bar with tan slate top and wood backdrop hosted multiple draught taps, mocktails, ciders, local wines and whiskeys. A plank wood-backed Liquid State insignia stares out from atop the stainless-steel draught board.

A fab local folk duo harmonizes and chimes guitars at the sidling wood kiosk while my wife and I and ole college pal, Bob, enjoy a varied array of sudsy libations.

First up, three polite German-styled brews provided easygoing initiation. Dry maize and grassy hop astringency properly possessed ‘snappy’ golden ale, Lively Up Kolsch, a slightly champagne-sparkled light body.

Mildewed peat moss, cellared fungi musk and raw honeyed from traditional ale yeast gave coppery Deutchland-styled Upside Down Alt its earthen rusticity to contrast lesser toffee sweetness.

Another Bavarian brew, Leipziger-styled Surf Guitar Gose let expected sea-salted coriander spicing gain light perfumed lemon musk, vinous white grape dabs and raw-honeyed orange blossom oiling.

Then came Czech-styled moderation, Hi Hat Pilsner, plying its sweetly spiced lemon spritz to herbal Saaz-hopped grassiness over dry barnyard grained pilsner malting.

‘Boozy’ Belgian-styled Cloud Swing Tripel draped orange blossom honey atop sweet banana-clove-coriander conflux, lemon custard tartness and dry rum splurge.

There were a trio of IPA variants next.

Robust bronze yellowed Sonic Space IPA boasted brisk orange-peeled lemon zesting and white grapefruit bittering as tertiary guava-mango-pineapple salting and tangy peachy tangerine tease stay subtle alongside slightly juniper-embittered mild pine residue.

Equally vigorous rust-golden New England-styled Pink Boots Hazy IPA merged salted grapefruit, guava and passionfruit tang with lemon meringue tartness and perfumed floral spicing above mildly creamed oated wheat.

Approachable pale yellowed NEIPA, Local Vibe, let its dry citrus spicing and mild herbage simmer alongside light pine resin, leaving lemony grapefruit and orange zest upon the delicate oats base.

On the dark side, soft-tongued oatmeal stout, Naughty Bits, retained lightly creamed coffee-stained chocolate roast, wood-burnt nuttiness and molasses oats sugaring.    

 

FACTORY BY BEER TREE BREW

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for factory by beer tree

JOHNSON CITY, NEW YORK

“A former Sears building to a state-of-the-art restaurant,” FACTORY BY BEER TREE BREW is Beer Tree’s second New York location (with the first opened in Fort Crane during 2017 at a timber framed farmhouse). Inside the large Oakdale mall tucked into a picturesque hillside, the sizable 20-barrel operation is convenient to all local Binghampton highways.

Factory’s two-story Mod Industrial facility includes a downstairs beer hall, “open concept upstairs restaurant” (with prominent wood fired pizza oven), 3,500 square-foot umbrella-laden deck, floor-to-ceiling windows and dazzling nautical drawings.

A silver grain silo leads patrons to the cement-floored, pipe exposed main space where 24 draught lines service the 14-seat white slate-topped bar, twelve community tables, small round-tabled window seats and outdoor seating.

Making some of the most adventurous Empire State brews, Factory By Beer Tree also serves sandwiches, entrees, cocktails and local spirits.

My wife and I visited on a crowded Friday night, then again noontime for Sunday brunch, June ’24.

Spritzy lemon sugaring and subtle mandarin orange riffs lifted dry Casacade-hopped German pilsner, Crisp Trees, leaving spicy floral herbage upon rustic barnyard graining.

Offbeat cocktail-designed New Trees: Old Fashioned Foeder Aged Lager scurried warbly orange-peeled dark cherry adjuncts thru brandy-wined honeyed cider contrasting lightly vinous green grape esters and musky orange oiling.

Revamped Berliner Weisse, Fruta Con Tajin, retained tart light-bodied appeal as limey mango, crisp cucumber and mild habanero adjuncts picked up sour brettanomyces yeast persuasion reenforced by acidulated wheat malts.

Busy witbier, Endless Weekend, countered its stylish orange-peeled coriander spicing (and mild banana-daubed vanilla creaming) with limey lemon zesting atop buttered sourdough wheat.

Tartly sweet raspberry puree lacquered engagingly fruited American Pale Wheat Ale, Raspberry Jammin’, gaining slight tangerine, mango and guava tropicalia over honeyed barley-wheat base.

Sunshiny tropical milkshake IPA, Double Pineapple Creamsicle, injected zestfully sweet and lollipop-candied pineapple essence into lightly creamed vanilla marshmallow sugaring while latent lemon-sugared fruit salad scamper contrasts backend pine needling.

On the dark side, a decadent porter and lactose stout battled it out for supremacy over a German-styled dark wheat.

Strange Bakers chocolate souring coated wayward dunkelweizen, Dunkel Hugh, leaving spoiled apple, rotted orange and browned banana illusions upon musty cellared funk.

Niftily knocking off a nutty milk chocolatey Snickers Bar, You’re Not You When You’re Thirsty, a confectionery mocha porter, layered dark chocolate syrup atop maple-sugared roasted peanuts, caramelized walnuts and glazed hazelnuts.

Another confectionery delight, lactose Imperial Milk Stout, Campfire Tales, placed marshmallow-centered Graham Cracker sugaring next to bittersweet dark chocolate, creating a S’mores-candied frontage with subdued black grape and red cherry snips.

MUTANT BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Mutant Brewing to join craft beer boom ...

SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA

Scranton’s MUTANT BREWING opened its glass doors for biz in July ’23, promising to ‘take a walk on the wild side’ with deviously unconventional one-offs and fruitful sour ales as well as standard pilsner-lagers. A centrally located downtown pub with a brown awning leading to the novel tech-friendly art space, its centuries-old red brick terra cotta tiled bar back adds a charming pre-Prohibition feel to the freaky comic bookstore scheme.

A series of vibrant mutant goblins line the right wall and the black ceiling provides proper art deco atmosphere. Several pinball machines and arcade games are just down from the narrow pub’s elongated thirty-stooled stainless steel topped bar. A few community tables are stationed across the bar. A few mules, a margarita and local wines filled out the bill. Two TV’s surround the Mutant beer menu and Detroit-styled pizzas are recommended.

My wife and I visited the colorfully cartoonish beer arcade on a sunny Friday afternoon, June ’24.

Quaint aluminum-cleared Blockchain Bro Light Lager retained dry lemony white grapefruit spritz and light piney herbage atop musky graining.

Spritzy lime-peeled dryness and sweet agave snips stayed light and lively for Tulum Girl Mexican Lime Lager.

Mild maple molasses sweetness contrasted dry cocoa for Verified Czech Dark Lager, leaving desolate caramel-burnt cola, pecan and hazelnut illusions upon the seared wood backdrop.

Spectral wonder, Weekend Bender Grapefruit IPA, mixed yellow grapefruit-spiced Mosaic hops and lemon-candied pine needling (primarily Cascade hops) with guava-soured Mandarina Bavaria hops, creating a (marshmallowy) ambrosia fruitiness above lightly creamed oated wheat.

Classic hazy IPA flagship, Serum, a briskly light yellow-hazed, foamy white-headed moderation (not as bold or spectral as an typical oatier NEIPA), led its soft pine-needled yellow grapefruit bittering thru grassy hop astringency, picking up distant briny lemon, guava and mango snips.

Back at Mutant to enjoy a “fusion of rebellious flavors and creative artistry for curious explorers” with Yankees-loving bartenders Amanda and Jordan, sank a few more delightful species.

Laffy Taffy-candied banana bubblegum sweetness gained lemony spritz for Boring Banana Bread, leaving chestnut-almond snips upon its honeyed wheat blonde ale base.

“Smashable” cinnamon sugared pumpkin spicing picked up light floral perfuming for Dumb Pumpkin.

Perfect brown-sugared cinnamon apple facsimile, Local Poison Apple, stayed sweetly tart as mild ginger- spiced maple molasses added depth.

Juicy pale yellowed NEIPA, Trippy, let salted guava, gooseberry and white grape tartness graze tangy pineapple-mango spree and mild mandarin orange spritz over delicate oats.

Confectionery dessert stout, The Wifi In Here Sucks (a white chocolatey macadamia cookie knockoff), let chocolate-chipped coca nibs pickup Oreo cookie sweetness as well as glazed macadamia-hazelnut sugaring and Kahlua, espresso martini and vanilla illusions.

BUCK HILL BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

drink staples of Buck Hill

BLAIRSTOWN, NEW JERSEY

Established 2015, BUCK HILL BREWERY occupies a green wood paneled corner lodge at the agrarian Northwest Jersey corridor in Blairstown. Crafting mostly approachable beers leaning ion the mild side, the upscale pub’s mellow moderations suit blue collar tastes best.

Buck Hill’s left windowed brewtanks provide the octagon wood lacquered bar with up to twenty tap handled libations. There are a few two-seat round tables, four-seat square tables and community tables plus a heavenly wood-furnished loft. Three centralized TV’s at the bar provide sports entertainment.

Entrees, burgers and pub starters lined the food menu and a beautiful brick shelved liquor cabinet provided craft spirits alongside the proprietary suds.

In early June ’24, I tossed back a dozen five-ounce samplers.

Pleasant dry-hopped Italian pilsner, Mario It’s A Pils, soaked herbal lemon musk into lightly smoked beechwood (?) malts, picking up subtle lemongrass and dried floral snips.

Easygoing Backwoods Blonde retained a polite lemon candied tartness for salty white peppered herbage, grassy hop astringency and wispy dark floral tones.

Fusing Backwoods Blonde with strawberry, Strawberry Blonde stayed lollipop tart as floral-daubed rhubarb sweetness and earthen celery crisping crept aboard.

Post-fermented sour raspberry tartness pervaded mild Belgian witbier, Raspberry Wrath, letting mild lemon acidity bring the finishing bitterness.

An abstruse Belgian-styled sour ale, Slice Of Summer forwarded its tart watermelon adjunct to puckered lemon liming and cucumber watered crisping.

Spritzy light-bodied Mexican-styled blonde ale, Cerveza Cierzo, let limey Motueka hops pick up salt-licked agave cologne wisps above bready pilsner malts.

Effervescent gold-clouded wheat ale, Cumulus, compromised stylish orange-peeled coriander spicing for moldy lemon musting, phenol white grape esters and mild cologne musk above its cracked wheat base.

Mild coffee-stained chocolate mustiness, toasted amber graining and crisp cigarette roast paced Cliff’s Red Ale, leaving toffee sweetness to outlast desiccated orange musk at the backend.

One of Buck Hill’s most popular brews, West Coast IPA, Hitchin’ Post, maintained dry lemony orange stead for light pine tones and lightly sugared pale malts.

Dewy peat saddled English brown ale, Nutty Professor, gaining tobacco-roasted chestnut, caramelized hazelnut and candied walnut persistence.

Smoked dark chocolate embraced soft-toned nitro porter, Black Powder, leaving black cherry whims upon the dried cocoa finish.

Coffee-milked brown chocolate creaming consumed lactic stout, Saddle Sore, an oats-toasted dark ale with mild nuttiness.

MOUNTAIN VIEW BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

MOUNTAIN VIEW VINEYARD, WINERY ...

STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

A multifarious winery-distillery with a mountain chalet-styled brewpub operating on a 100-acre farm, MOUNTAIN VIEW BREWING COMPANY features an earth-toned stone frontage with wraparound tile-floored patio, Arandell Bar kiosk (with slushees, fusions, craft cocktails), meat-grilling station, large fire-pitted umbrella-clad deck area and slate top cabana bar.

Inside, the wood-beamed pavilion pub’s rounded wood-paneled serving station centers several metal-chaired plank wood tables. There are 20-plus tap handles and wood-fired pizzas are made in the back.

Co-owners Randy and Linda Rice first became interested in wine making during a trip to the Finger Lakes, a fertile winery destination. In 2009, the grapevines flourished and the winery was opened. Four years hence came the distillery and then by 2017, the brewery opened for biz.

Randy tested a few homemade brews on friends before buying a bigger brew system and coming up with initial recipes for Mountain View’s Linda’s Amber Lager, Galaxy IPA and Randy’s Shandy. Nowadays, the couple also experiments with wheat beer infused by real juice (Berry Manilow, Peach Boys, Blue Berrymore and Halle Berry).

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in June ’24, my wife and I devoured pizza while exploring seven proprietary beers.

Interestingly offbeat dry moderation, Linda’s Amber Lager, sunk raw-honeyed graining into desiccated orange, musky perfumed spicing and leafy hop astringency.

Sturdily stylistically enigmatic, Slightly Sideways Pale Ale braced its dry orange-peeled grapefruit tang with floral perfumed cologne and hard wood siding.

In spite of its laidback banana-clove sweetness and ‘kiss of strawberry’ promise, cloudy beige yellowed Mountain Goat Wheat recalled Fruity Pebbles or Corn Pops cereal more often.

Dry bronze-cleared West Coast India Pale Ale, Bite Me Billy, placed Citra-hopped lemony grapefruit and pineapple bittering next to peachy tangerine tanginess and limey Ekuanot-hopped dryness above a stylishly maltier caramel backbone.

Limited edition tropical IPA, Jeep Juice, a golden sunshiny Citra-Mosaic-Cascade-hopped medium body, let grapefruit-pitted bittering, peachy pineapple-mango tanginess and lemon custard tartness combine alongside light pine tones above its sugared oats base.

Sourly fruited Peach Cream Ale let orange-candied tartness and mildly acidic lemon bittering border its white peach adjunct in a lightly creamed oated wheat setting.

Luxurious nightcap, Randy’s Brandy Barrel Aged Porter, merged chocolate-caked vanilla bean richness with whiskeyed cherry, rum raisin and pureed blueberry sidestep, dessert-wined Armagnac-cognac whir and cinnamon-toasted Apple Jacks reminder. As it warmed, dry burgundy, sweet sherry, Calvados apple brandy and Muscat wine remnants picked up grape-stemmed cellar musk.