Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

BINGHAMTON BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

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JOHNSON CITY, NEW YORK

Just across the Chenango River from Binghamton, Johnson City’s BINGHAMTON BREWING CO. opened for business during 2014. Owners Kristen Lyons and Jason Gardner, beer loving engineers inspired by esteemed Belgian-styled brewery, Ommegang, decided to open a farm brewery using locally grown ingredients and soon hired home brewing anthropologist teacher Kasey Agiser.

Due for imminent expansion, Lyons tells me the current two barrel brewing operation will be “kept as a pilot system” when they expand to 10 or 15 barrels.

A makeshift two-benched entrance patio leads to the diminutive yellow-walled pub space. A left side hearth, a few serving station seats, five small tables and a TV fill out the interior. An electronic draught board lists current homebrews available and beautiful grey-tiled draught handles release the eleven sudsy delights I’ll experience this Saturday afternoon in July ’19.

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Mild soft-tongued Hoppy Pilsner let herbal lemon-oiled black tea musk engulf lightly lingered lemony grapefruit rind bittering and mild grassy astringency above delicate oats-dried pilsner malts.

Easygoing cologne-perfumed lemongrass herbage picked up lemony mandarin orange tartness, kaffir lime oiling and spicy coriander sugaring for Far East Lemongrass Wit, leaving soapy residue on its wispy apricot-fig respite.

Tea-like American Mild (Nitro) did a twist on an English styled mild with its éclair-creamed head, dewy peat mossing, reserved nutty cocoa whims and toasted baguette snip.

Dry SS Great Britain Pale Ale brought brown tea earthiness to fennel, cocoa, waddle seed, toffee and biscuit illusions as well as lemony orange desiccation.

Tart Concord grape esters gained Himalayan sea salting for Purple Rain Gose, a Sweet-tart candied dry body with lightly vinous green grape residue and puckering gooseberry-cranberry remnant.

Well-honed flagship beer, Citra Pale Ale, walked on sunshine as its bright yellow-orange-fruited tang, grassy herbal tones and spicy tingle usurped syrupy caramelized pale malts in straightforward fashion.

Soft-toned New England-styled Spa Day Pale Ale saddled perky yellow grapefruit, navel orange and pineapple juicing with earthy herbal spicing, gaining sour melon rind and sweet nectarine illusions at the gently tanged finish.

Sweet dark Belgian candi sugaring brought casual caramelized pleasantry to recessive dried fruiting for dewy-malted Belgian Strong Ale, leaving date, fig, banana and dried cherry illusions at the sweet finish.

Pine comb-honeyed Golden Nugget Wheat Wine relegated tobacco-roasted peat mossing, bruised black cherry tartness and glazed date-fig snips above its rye-like red wheat base.

Lightly spiced brown chocolate prospered for easygoing Sweet Milk Stout, a toffee-teased mocha dessert.

My absolute fave: semi-rich Mexican chocolate cake-like Xocokhan Porter let cayenne peppering seep into cinnamon-spiced vanilla bean alacrity and cocoa-dried Bakers chocolate bittering.

bingbrew.com

www.bingbrew.com

BELLEFONTE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

BELLEFONTE BREWING - BRANDYWINE - 14 Photos - Breweries - 1851 Marsh Rd, Wilmington, DE - Phone Number - Yelp

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

Inside a tan brick building at the light Industrial business mall, Branmar Plaza, BELLEFONTE BREWING COMPANY took the name of its north Wilmington section and celebrated its three year anniversary, May ’19. Its clean open pub space houses a backroom 4-barrel brewing system crafting a cornucopia of stylishly accomplished elixirs.

A cozy setup with six-seat mahogany bar sporting fourteen tap handles and a large brew-stickered refrigerator, the lacquer cement-floored Bellefonte’s cartoon-infested walls add a youthful touch. A semi-permanent right side red-couched TV area brings comfy elegance and two parking lot-bound bench tables under the green canvas awning provide extra seating.

OUR WEBSITE HAS MOVED | bellefontebrewing

My wife and I grab one of the mid-room barreled tables to enjoy fourteen fine offerings during hot July ’19 trip.

Musky rye-oats graining and pleasant fungi earthiness stabilized 4G LTE Four Grain Lager, a pre-Prohibition-styled lightweight that may’ve bested the fresh-cut grassiness and herbal lemon respite of equally light-bodied Particle Pilsner.

Honeyed banana and clove suited pastry-malted Hefenly Brew, an approachable hefeweizen with floral-wafted herbal nuances. Meanwhile, tarter banana-clove sweetened the orange-peeled coriander niceties of Monkey’s Gotta Go, a choice witbier.

Dry spritzy champagne-like Kiamensi Kolsch brought lemon-wedged orange rot souring to Noble-hopped wood mildewing and mineral grained pilsner malting.

Lightly sour Tart Passion Saison let salty passionfruit tartness snag zesty lemon briskness to counter its sweaty cheesecloth musk. Another similarly styled offshoot, Acai Berry Tart Saison shifted the focus to sour-candied blueberry-acai tartness, leaving oaken cherry wisps at the backend.

Pasty-like cream ale, Orange Street Ale, stayed soft-toned as lightly frothed honeysuckle wheat malting picked up a mild orange spritz above mild grassy-hopped astringency.

Meanwhile, honeyed yellow fruiting fronted bold (7.3% ABV) Belgian pale ale, Bellevue Blonde, stays crisply easygoing ’til the alcohol esters consume the candi-sugared Abbey yeast profile.

Straightforward lo-cal moderation, Small Wonder IPA, packed a juicy tropical punch complemented by delicate pine resin and dry pale malts.

Easygoing soft-tongued NEIPA, Oat-face Killah let grassy-hopped grapefruit, peach, mango and orange tropicalia soak into its light white oats malting.  

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On the dark side, Lord Smokey’s Brown Ale draped bitter nuttiness upon dark chocolate malting and Band-aid-like smoked beechwood(?) astringency.

Peanut-buttered dark chocolate coated Diamond State Stout, a semi-rich dry body with black malt bittering receiving a slight earthen wood scorch.

Richest, creamiest and tastiest choice, Bean Laughing Black Coffee IPA, a black-malted Cascadian Dark Ale, maintained its treacly fudged cocoa-powdered coffee roast way above the ashen piney-hopped black grape and dried cherry pureeing. Its tertiary cola nut, molasses cookie, burgundy, raisin and grapefruit illusions filled out the robust digestif.

bellefontebrewingco.com

BRICK WORKS BREWING – SMYRNA

United States Brewpubs,

BRICK WORKS BREWING & EATS, Smyrna - Restaurant Avis, Numéro de ...

SMYRNA, DELAWARE

Joining Blue Earl as Smyrna’s second brewery, BRICK WORKS BREWING opened in 2016 under the tutelage of nearby Milford’s Mispillion River Brewing. At Dupont Boulevard’s Commodore Commons Shopping Center in a freestanding red brick building, Brick Works’ brewmaster Ryan Maloney has created several newly designed elixirs to go alongside fine locally sourced pub fare.

Featuring a wooden fifteen-stooled slate top bar with a few four-seat tables towards the front and several scattered TV’s for sportsfans, its left side red cement-floored dining area contains the stainless-steeled open kitchen. Windowed brew tanks store the golden suds.

My wife and I grab a table in the closed-in patio (with sundry furnishings, a central slate-topped community table and rounded fire pit. I got to try eight fine homemade brews during my mid-afternoon July ’19 journey (though I missed out on the dortmunder lager and English mild ale).

Crisply dry moderation, Tiny Brick American Lager, brought perfumed orange oiling to mild horse-blanketed barnyard acridity, mineralized cereal graining and slight asparagus snip.

Orange-peeled lemondrop tartness secured Kaleidoscopic Sun Munich Helles Lager, receiving musky wheatgrass pungency and light tobacco crisping at the dry finish.

Cologne-perfumed yellow fruiting inundated Citrus Mistress American Wheat, letting its grassy hay-like hop astringency desiccate lemony grapefruit-mango briskness and zesty lime pucker.

Easygoing Drop Towel IPA soothed the tongue with lightly embittered grapefruit rind, tartly sour lemon and dry pine tones.

Juicy grapefruit, orange, peach and mango anchored brisk medium-bodied Boujee Boy Fruit IPA, leaving mildly creamed crystal malting on the back end.

Light citrus spicing upended dry herbal musk for Nouveau Riche Belgian Pale Ale, contrasting creamy sugared malts against astringent grape-leafed hop esters.

Lactic Joose Goose Double IPA brought limey grapefruit salting to waxy white grape, pineapple, gooseberry and mango fruiting, floral-bound herbal resin and subtle pale malt dryness.

Milk chocolate-centered Dark Entries Oatmeal Stout serenaded its bittersweet mocha continuance with Blackstrap molasses, toffee and black cherry illusions.

brickworksde.com

MIDNIGHT OIL BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for MIDNIGHT OIL BREWING

NEWARK, DELAWARE

In the new Industrial outskirts of Newark, Delaware, MIDNIGHT OIL BREWING COMPANY came to fruition at Pencader Business Park during February 2018. Its prominent black insignia hangs from the tan brick edifice that encompasses this huge 15,000 square-foot high-ceilinged cement-floored brewing warehouse.

A 14-seat serving station features nine draught handles and a cool purplish blue chalked Midnight Oil painting at the bar’s frontage. Ten surrounding tables and some window seating are also available plus the elegant left side lounge area has two couches and a TV. A wood paneled beer list centers the bar.

Image result for MIDNIGHT OIL BREWING Insomnia Stout - Midnight Oil Brewing Company - Untappd

I took a seat at the side of the bar to try four interestingly disparate brews during a half-hour July ’19 afternoon stopover.

Basic, mild and approachable flagship brew, Neutrino Blonde Ale, brought spicy mandarin orange subtleties and a lemony spritz to dewy earthen moisture above its gentle white bread spine.

Juicier Serenity Mandarin (an orange offshoot which also includes peach, strawberry, mango and pineapple versions) let dainty mandarin orange tanginess pick up lemony grapefruit, tangerine and clementine snips above a sugared pale malt base with easygoing splendor.

Lactic raspberry pureeing soaked into vanilla-beaned blonde ale, Your Mom, leaving sour melon rind, tart watermelon and juicy pineapple illusions on the tail end of its bittersweet raspberry rhapsody.

Dark-roast coffee and black chocolate bittering consumed Reilly Irish Stout, an oats-charred full body with dewy earthen mossing and slight anise spicing that gains a nutty remnant.

There were five more beers on draught but I had limited time so I returned a year-and-a-half later.

I revisited Midnight Oil to consume eight more brews New Years Eve, 2021.

Dry German light body, Slingshot Pils, let herbal lemon whims reach raw-honeyed spelt and oats in an easygoing manner.

Crisply dry kolsch, Neutrino, retained easygoing crisping as straw-dried barnyard astringency and salted herbage grazed lemon-dropped tartness to its French bread bottom.

Tartly dry Your Mom, a mild blonde ale with raspberry, vanilla beans and lactose, let lemon-soured strawberry tartness sit upon the fluffily creamed tongue as oaken vanilla phenols buttressed celery-watered rhubarb pie piquancy.

Mildly vinous plum-dried gose variant, Plum Pulse, blended Amarillo-hopped piney citrus-daubed Impulse IPA with lemony coriander-salted green grape esters.

Mellow floral-daubed yellow grapefruit zing, zesty orange peel sweetness and tangy pineapple slither combine with dehydrated lemon licks for dry-hopped India Pale Ale, Subspace Anomaly, leaving mild pine needling on the dainty citrus-spiced finish.

Candi-sugared dried fruiting glazed dewy Temptress Quad, leaving sugarplum, red cherry, date and wintry spices in its wake.

Ashen mocha nuttiness and Blackstrap molasses draped Midnight Porter, mingling walnut-charred coffee tones with dark cocoa bittering.

Semi-sweet dark chocolate bittering gained sour coffee-stained edge and ashen nutty hop char for Insomnia, a lactic-soured mocha stout with cacao nibs powdering outpacing cherry-stewed Tahitian vanilla beaning.

midnightbrewing.com

BROOKLYN BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

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An essential part of Williamsburg’s Renaissance, BROOKLYN BREWERY is located alongside Brooklyn Bowl and one block down from Mc Carren Park in the heart of hipsterville.

Opened during 1988 and gaining tremendous exposure from world renowned brewmeister, Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery makes one of the finest lagers ever invented – for starters.

During July ’19 on a sweltering Friday evening before my High Times softball game, I got to once again peruse the mighty warehoused pub. Inside a rustic brick-walled space with several community tables and a 30-seat U-shaped wood-top bar with silver mash frontage, this large watering hole features multiple draught taps. A makeshift stage area with colorfully painted mural fills the far left bar area.

Tonight, I grab the four-sampler package with previously untried suds (Petite IPA, Come As You Weary English Dark Mild, 1,001 Nights Saison and Stonewall Inn IPA) alongside a pint of complex Sherry-aged cocktail-styled barleywine, Capataz. All are reviewed at Beer Index.

brooklynbrewery.com

SECATOGUE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Secatogue Brewing Co.

WEST ISLIP, NEW YORK

Spending many a summer playing ball and ridin’ Fire Island waves at the wholesome smalltown Long Island community of West Islip as a kid, I was totally readied to enjoy my sojourn to SECATOGUE BREWING COMPANY. Finally, a well-respected brewpub less than a mile from my grandparents old home on Malts Avenue just ‘cross the trax.

Named after the Native American inhabitants of yore, Secatogue landed in a newly built white-columned brick building with Classical high black ceiling expanse, large brew room and pristine pub.

West Islip-raised homebrewing enthusiast, Ken Srubinski, leads the family-backed entrepreneurial business, utilizing experienced assistant brewer, Gabe Calero (formerly of Fort Pierce, Florida’s Sailfish Brewing and a local Babylon restaurateur).

Scattered metal-wood tables fill the pub’s crystalline white-walled open space. A beautiful white-topped slate bar top with blue-tiled siding adds elegance to the 12-stooled L-shaped serving station (with a café-styled floral-designed wallpaper section bringing springtime aspirations).

Ten blue-tiled draught handles served a splendid array of crisply brisk sedations on my noontime June ’19 stopover with cousins, wife and dog in tow. We tried eight superfine suds at the small outdoor patio area.

First up, hazily opaque yellowed light-bodied flirtation, Cosmic Blonde (used as the base for the ever-popular Berry Blast), brought dry-wooded citrus bliss to creamily seduction crystal malts, herbal restraint and grassy hop astringency.

Sessionably fruitful dry-hopped moderation, OOF IPA, gained sharp grapefruit, orange and lemon bittering as well as ethanol-licked herbal daubs to contrast its peachy pineapple tanginess.

Floral-bound hibiscus, salty citrus zesting and strawberry rhubarb tartness overrode dryly resinous pining for pinkish amber rosé-inspired Pink Hibiscus IPA.

Prickly citrus sharpness led double dry-hopped medium body, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy NE IPA, retaining lightly soured mango-guava-gooseberry tropicalia and pasty Maris Otter malting.

Smoothly lupulin-powdered double dry-hopped pleasantry, Lupulin Pillows NE IPA, stayed slightly one-dimensional in good stead as juicy grapefruit peeled orange rind bittering surged over a sugary pale malt setting.

Soft-tongued tropical effervescence guided Lengthy Island Imperial NE IPA, a juicily fruited summertime treat with salt-licked lemony grapefruit zesting riding atop brisk mineral grain crisping.

Arguably the best, most rounded and juicy of the New England-styled India Pale Ale entrants, zesty tropical delight, Screaming Space Cowboy Double IPA, advanced its sunny lemon-peeled grapefruit piquancy and tangy orange-rimmed pineapple sweetness above modestly creamy sugar malts.

Nutty hop-charred black malt bittering countered barley-roasted chocolate sweetness for espresso coffee-finishing Irish Stout, The Darkest One We Have, leaving dry bourbon whiskey snips on the back end.

Below is a link to fabulous article ’bout Secatogue.

https://www.ediblelongisland.com/2019/06/24/secatogue-brewing-co-opens-in-west-islip/

DESTINATION UNKNOWN BEER COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Gallery | Destination Unknown Beer Company | Local Craft Beer in Bay Shore, NY

BAYSHORE, NEW YORK

Just off Sunrise Highway in Bayshore’s Industrial section, DESTINATION UNKNOWN BEER COMPANY opened for business May 2015 (and began DUBCO Acres on a 50-acre farm, May ’22, in Warwick, New York). Created by head brewer Chris Candiano and Brad Finn, two local West Islip natives who began as garage-bound zymurgists, DUBCO (as it’s affectionately known) proves to be another worthy New York farmhouse brewery.

An overhead door leads to the 10-stooled serving station sparsely decorated with a side-walled Destination Unknown insignia, wooden L-shaped pew and amber-tiled floor. Wood-furnished mezzanine seating is also available at the small 2,000 square foot space. A large projection screen TV is set along the back wall.

A wide variety of ambitious liquids ranging from sundry India Pale Ales to two Belgian-styled ales to a coffee stout and sour ale pour from the tap handles as my cousins and I settle down at one of the three outside patios on a sunny Sunday afternoon in June ’19.

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Approachable flagship moderation, hopped-up pale ale, It’s A Shore Thing, retained a sedate citrus piquancy and mild woodsy dryness above mineral-grained cereal malting.

Easygoing smoothie, Sonar Saison, let lemon-bruised green grape souring gather rummy bourbon sweetness for bristling ethyl alcohol astringency.

Placing dry wood tones next to mossy dewiness and floral orange-peeled grapefruit zest, plainly monikered DUBCO IPA seemed to blend an earthen English IPA with a juicy fruited West Coast style.

One of the most popular amongst locals, tranquil dry moderation, Sore Thumb Double IPA brought limey grapefruit, pineapple and orange tanginess to resinous pine hops over its delicate caramel malt base.

Part of DUBCO’s “Milkshake Series,” Science Of Selling Mango Milkshakes IPA overwhelmed its lemony mango tartness with lactic vanilla yogurt souring and zestful orange-grapefruit-pineapple punch.

Lactose-sugared sour yogurt milking pervaded the juicy orange-peeled pineapple tropicalia of fruitful Water Taxi Triple New England IPA, gaining tart green grape, gooseberry and guava goodness.

Tartly white-wined Sour Science IPA retained lemon-soured green grape tannins and relegated straw-dried barnyard musk.

As for the two Belgians, wood-dried rusticity contrasted the dark candi-sugared citrus persuasion of off-dry Dubbel Rainbow. Pleasantly elegant Tripel Rainbow imbued its dried fruited candy sugaring with tea-like earthen dew, leaving sweet fig-date-raisin illusions to fade lightly.

Soft-toned milked coffee, hop-charred nuttiness and buttered molasses breading saddled Red Eye Breakfast Stout, finishing like a mild espresso.

destinationunknownbeercompany.com

LITHOLOGY BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for lithology brewing

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK

Smack dab in the middle of downtown Farmingdale with a bright blue awning and glass-front window, LITHOLOGY BREWING CO. opened during 2015. A tiny two-room nanaobrewery with small silver metal three-barrel system, Lithology’s whimsical one-off ales are usually delicately persuasive soft-toned liquids for easygoing semi-conventional tastes.

The front bar room features a modern Industrial setup with cozy L-shaped serving station, tan floor tiles, Classical white ceiling tiles, one central TV and prestigious side-walled wood insignia.

The twelve Industrial metal tap handles serve New York farmhouse brews and there are several state-crafted liquor selections as well.

Behind the kitchen-designed brew room lies a small outdoor patio beer garden with metal furnishings. During my June ’19 stopover, I tried nine homemade suds.

Soft-toned Jay Walker Cream Ale – Nitro retained grassy hop astringency and celery-watered crisping for its maize-dried finish.

Dry lemony grapefruit piquancy fronted Sunrise Summer Ale, leaving its subtle citric spicing upon the simple pale wheat malting.

Understated The White, a Belgian witbier, let coriander-spiced orange tartness subtly sink into wheat-dried lemongrass herbage and zesty lemon snips.

Tea-like moderation, Lithology Red Ale, imbued dry amber-grained chocolate malting with murky orange fruiting.

Dainty mango soaping welcomed summertime moderation, Magothy Mango, a buttery wheat ale with subtle tropical fruiting.

Pallid Watermelon Blonde’s cucumber-laden watermelon tease and melon rind earthiness gained mild lemony hop bittering and dry pale malting.   

Waxy citrus tones brought mild bitterness to herbal-tinged Local Gold, a watered-down West Coast-styled IPA.

Black chocolate and dark toffee picked up earthen leathering for mildly nutty Brown Ale.

Minty chai tea illusions seeped into dark chocolate and licorice tones for nitrogenated Chai-Lo Ren Latte Stout, relegating its delicate spiced black tea notion.

BARRAGE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

 

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK

Inside a pristine white warehouse across from regional Republic Airport and just a mile from Black Forest Brew Haus, BARRAGE BREWING COMPANY opened January ’14 (and closed January 2020).

Its small yellow-walled taproom features a metal-fronted serving station with bright Barrage insignia, eight draught handles, five stooled black tables and vinyl black floor.

Silver tanked brew barrels are located in the rear and store a veritable cornucopia of beers quaffed on my highly pleasurable two-hour June ’19 journey.

First up, delightfully IPA-fruited Nerd Girl Hoppy Pilsner raised zesty Mosaic-Citra-hopped grapefruit, tangerine, orange and pineapple tanginess above grassy earthiness, picking up tart gooseberry, melon rind and lemon custard illusions at the finish.

Soft-tongued New England-styled IPA hybrid, It’s Got Hops In It Pale Wheat, spread juicy lemony grapefruit zest across herbaceous floral hops and white wheat malts.

In the same NEIPA league, tropical I’m Still The Best Galaxy, brought subtle orange-grapefruit-pineapple-peach tanginess to dry pale malts and fennel-celery vegetalia.

A collaboration with nearby Spider Bite, Collaborator Doppelbock left dewy sweetness upon dark-spiced fig, date and apricot illusions as well as wispy toffee notions.

Not unlike a Snickers candy bar, Yada Yada Yada Brown Ale loaded caramelized peanut butter alongside dark chocolate, bitter coffee and coconut illusions, leaving a trace of oily hop bittering.

Salted caramel indulged Assault N Fudgery, an offbeat Imperial Porter with sour black cherry notions.

Pina Colada-bound Tribal Cow Toasted Coconut Milk Stout layered coconut-milked pineapple zesting above its mossy bottom.

A mellow milked coffee tone embellished Café De Leche, a divergent Imperial Stout with black chocolate and coconut illusions intercepted by mild charred hop bittering.

barragebrewing.com

NAP TIME LIQUID CREATION

United States Brewpubs,

BLAUVELT, NEW YORK

An outgrowth of Andean Brewing’s quirkily cherished maca root-derived Kuka brand, NAP TIME LIQUID CREATION came to fruition late 2017 (and closed 2023). Directed by proficient Kuka brewmeister, Alex Coronado (RIP), Nap Time’s rangy elixirs sometimes stretch stylistic boundaries, but just as often reach a comfort zone for Blue Collar pilsner-lager lovers as proven by the two fruitful offerings quaffed during my two-hour June ’19 excursion.

Nap Time’s cozy interior featured a few tables, couch, regal black-and-white paper cut wall art and slate-topped serving station with four draught handles. A few black metal patio tables near the entrance add extra seating.

Image result for nap time brewingImage result for nap time brewing

Sunshiny IPA-like citrus spicing and dank wood musk fronted dry-hopped The Dreamer Light Lager, leaving herbal snips upon its juicy grapefruit-orange tang, mild lemon spritz, latent Hallertau Blanc green grape tannins and teasing Hull Melon gooseberry tartness.

Similarly bright and lively moderation, Incantation Pilsner let lemon-peeled grapefruit zesting and delicate mandarin orange sweetness appease herbal barnyard-dried grassiness and white breaded pale malting.

Heavenly Lick The Mind Of God, a Mosaic-hopped Imperial IPA, brought tangy pineapple juiciness to sweet orange, red grapefruit, mango and peach tropicalia, contrasting its light resinous wood tones.

Dark-roast chocolate and bitter coffee coalesced for easygoing stout, Floating Into The Night, bringing molasses-draped cola, hazelnut and Brazil nut illusions and pureed black cherry daubs into the fray.

Ugandan vanilla beaning and roasted coffee tones guided clean-watered Swedish-inspired milk stout, Fika, a terrific dessert treat utilizing cardamom-spiced cinnamon toasting to caress its minty brown chocolate surge and vanilla-sweetened java finish.

During January ’21 afternoon jaunt with son, Christopher, discovered four more fine suds from this dependable lounge-styled pub.

Dry Italian-styled Imperial Pilsner, Obliviation, leveraged biscuity bohemian pilsner malting with ambrosial fruited oats sugaring.

Mildly creamed pale malt-sugared citrus zest embraced Dream Is Destiny, a crisply clean Imperial IPA with spiced pineapple, grapefruit and orange tang and moderate resinous piney hop bittering.

Temptingly sweet honey and brown sugar adjuncts regaled Nothingness, a judicious Imperial Stout weaving dried cocoa into ancillary hazelnut coffee, espresso, toffee and dark cherry illusions above a rich cookie dough base.

Inconspicuous 9.5% strong ale, Old Queen Cole, a subtly whiskey/red wine-barreled English barleywine-like dessert treat pleated brown chocolate-spiced sweetness with roasted coffee.

HACKENSACK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Hackensack Brewing Company | Hackensack, NJ | Beers | BeerAdvocate

Four Jersey-bred beer enthusiasts joined forces for HACKENSACK BREWING COMPANY, opening its doors January 2019. Though Bergen County remains too asininely exorbitant and monetarily manipulative to flourish in the current brewpub Renaissance, Hackensack now has two operational breweries within a quarter-mile of each other on Johnson Street.

Inside a white stucco warehouse with high ceilings, cement floors and barreled tables, HBC’s two-room interior features an overhead-doored brew room and right side pub.

At the pub’s V-shaped 12-stooled serving station, there’s several silver draught handles, a beer-ridden bulletin board, one central TV, Edison light fixtures and a crowler-filled refrigerator. Along the side wall are book-shelved seats and framed photos of several cool local musicians.

In early June ’19, stopped by to suck down nine straightforwardly original brews before grabbing dinner.

A fine opener, spunky Motion City Lager let casual lemondrop-hopped tangerine zest bring tongue-tingling spritz to buttery pale malt breading and latent herbal snips.

Pale malt spicing, lemony orange licks, dry wood tones and astringent herbal hops gather for bread-crusted moderation, Fairmount Pale Ale.

Summery fruit ale, Lawn Stripes, brought lacquered lemon-rotted raspberry candy and apricot pureeing to subtle resinous hop astringency over sweet wheat base.

Lemony banana-clove insistence permeated fine dry saison, Carried By Six, leaving funky barnyard earthiness, light white-peppered herbage and pale malt spicing upon candi-sugared citrus sweetness.

Just as effective and a tad lighter, more traditional Belgian-styled saison, Tried by Twelve, caressed its sweet orange-peeled coriander spicing, buttery banana breading and mild apricot sway with dry farmhouse herbage over a delicate sugary oats bed.

Easygoing New England-styled Imperial IPA, Walk-Off Double, brought tangy grapefruit zesting to lemon-sugared orange sweetness and barley-floured sourdough malting with irresistible splendor.

Crushed uziza pepper adds light herbal pungency to effectively offbeat hybridized Imperial Pale Ale, Pepper Coast, a cologne-perfumed dry body with limey chamomile resonance contrasting powdered lemonade tartness.

Subtle Madagascar vanilla creaminess faded over zesty citric hops for Nu-Bajan Blonde. Its coffee-beaned version, Nu-Bajan Breakfast Blend, coalesced light-roast coffee tones, creamy vanilla sweetness and mild coconut toasting above pale-malted citrus spicing.

Sweet toffee blanketed bittersweet chocolate and milk-sugared coffee tones for Toad Style Extra Stout, picking up dried anise, bruised black cherry and black grape illusions at the busy back end.

NIGHT SHIFT BREWING – EVERETT

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for night shift brewing everett

EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS

With three locations as of my May ’19 trip, NIGHT SHIFT BREWING has become one of Boston’s most successful craft breweries since opening 2012. Just down the street from Bone Up Brewing and close to Everett’s colossal casino, this mighty red-bricked pub really gets crowded by loyal locals at nighttime.

A large overhead door leads to Night Shift’s high-ceilinged warehouse where 24 draught lines, a proprietary owl logo and colorfully designed (and individualized) blackboard beer listing crowd the bright blue-walled mahogany bar. Some simple community tables and a few round tables fill out the well regarded cement-floored pub.

A fenced-in patio near the entrance provides extra outdoor seating. Brew tanks are in the rear and a small stage area gets set up for local musical talent on occasion.

Best of all, most of Night Shift’s rangy brews (available in cans) really hit the spot, though the first few tried and reviewed down below merely offer an alternative to Bud-Coors-Miller fare.

Image result for night shift brewing exterior

Effervescent aluminum-cleared lo-cal Mexican lager, Lime Lite, pitched agave-cologned tequila whimsicality to lemony lime zesting above its fragile white bread spine. Bud Light Lime alternative and nothing more.

Dry clear-yellowed moderation, Cul-De-Sac Cream Ale, brought grassy-hopped grapefruit and orange subtleties to musky corn-starched pale malt hesitance and wispy herbal snips.

Corn-whiskeyed phenols enveloped Outer City Limits Dry-Hopped Lager, a briskly carbolic light body with herbaceous hops and dry pale malts.

Next came a few fruitily tart hybridized Berliner Weiss-styled sour ales, dryly vinous summertime moderations with low alcohol volume.

Leathery mixed culture fermentation provided a firm sour foundation for Ever Weisse, an extremely popular variant with tart kiwi, strawberry and hibiscus adjuncts gaining mild lactic acidity, vinous lemon juicing, bitter green grape apprehension and oaken cherry dryness above saltine crackered spine. Try in lieu of strawberry rhubarb pie.

Similarly mixed-cultured sour ale, Blossom Weisse, loaded tart oaken cherries atop its lactic kilned wheat bed, leaving lemony green grape tannins in its wake.

Vinegary cidered wild ale, Zou Bisou Bisou Ale with Lemon & Juniper, brought agave-tinged lemon zesting and subtle juniper berry bittering to musky hop-oiled astringency, leaving a slight metallic sheen upon the teasingly whiskey-grained finish.

Briskly sharp dry-bodied moderation, MVP New England Pale Ale (a spunky collaboration with Mondo), brought sunshiny grapefruit-peeled orange tanginess to lightly piney hopped bittering and juniper-licked gooseberry sourness. Tropical pineapple, mango, peach and guava illusions enhance its piney citrus splendor.

Thickly orange marble-hazed New England India Pale Ale imbued juicy grapefruit-peeled orange zest with lightly lingering herbal hop bittering countered by creamy pastry-like crystal malting.

Brisk One Hop This Time: Citra brought sunshiny lemon zest and floral nuances to resinous pine-hopped wet grass astringency, picking up mild pineapple, mango and tangerine whims.

Heady Fluffiest New England Triple IPA (the strongest version of Fluffy IPA at 9.7%) lets lemony grapefruit tanginess, heavily sugared pale malts and floral perfumed musk encounter harshly alcohol-burnt esters at lingeringly phenolic citric hop-embittered finish.

Heavily hop-charred black coffee bittering, wood-burnt ashen nuttiness and treacly Blackstrap molasses attached mild citric spicing for mocha-smoked full body, Exit 11 Black IPA, a musky Blackstrap molasses

Soy-sauced sour nuttiness contrasts toffee-spiced caramel malting and dried fig notions for thinnish bock-like schwarzbier, Nocturno Black Lager.

Sourly coffee-roasted Bakers chocolate entry guided Awake Porter aged with Coffee, leaving earth-scorched oily nuttiness along the ashen cocoa powdered finish.

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