Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

EASTERN SHORE BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Eastern Shore Brewing | Craft Spirits | Casual Dining | Entertainment - St. Michaels Maryland Business Association, MD

ST. MICHAELS, MARYLAND

Moving next door to its original small garage space to a red barn-doored, gable-roofed millhouse, EASTERN SHORE BREWING celebrated its 17th anniversary upon my second trip to romantic St. Michaels. Its old wood floor and plank wood topped bar provide splendid rusticity and sundry small tables and community tables get squeezed closely.

Tightening up its beer lineup with a rounded selection of fine elixirs, I discovered five previously untried brews upon my Friday eve January ’24 stopover.

Dry moderate-bodied flagship, Back Creek Blonde, let spritzy lemon musk soak up mild Columbus/ Chinook-hopped pining and wispy beechwood sear above crackery white wheat base.

Another current year-rounder, Situation Critical IPA, brought ‘copious’ West Coast-styled hops (Cascade, Citra, Centennial, Columbus) to the fore as lemony grapefruit, orange and pineapple tanginess gained subtle floral pining and tart dried currant nip.

An Orange Crush cocktail with bold 10% ABV, Summer Crush let its tangy orange-tangerine sugaring receive icy lemon-limed vodka briskness as well as latent grapefruit rind bittering.

Milkshake-styled New England IPA, Strawberry Shakedown, graced its bittersweet strawberry puree tartness with lactose-sugared oated wheat creaming.

A pleasant dessert-like nightcap, Midnight Eclipse Milk Stout contrasted its milk-sugared coffee creaming and mild maple molasses syruping with dark chocolate bittering.

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ORIGINAL 2009 ARTICLE

Imagine, if you will, a small backstreet Key West brewhouse relocated on Chesapeake Bay’s inner harbor. Upon entering the heart of St. Michaels, a romantic retreat with antique shops, quaint eateries, and Old World charm, resides EASTERN SHORE BREWING, a tiny microbrew opened in ’09.

Along with delicious oysters, quaffed four pleasingly blue collar brews during April ’09 Food & Wine Festival. Head brewer Adrian Moritz and assistant Kurt Longenecker served tap versions of honey-soured, banana-clove-bubblegum-sweetened, lemon seed-embittered, grassy-hopped Magic Hefeweizen, mild lemony orange-embittered, Scotch-honeyed Lighthause Ale, molasses-spiced caramel-malted orange-soured astringency St. Michaels Amber Ale (a year round staple) and drier barnyard-wafted Cascade-hopped grapefruit-embittered wood-toned rye-dabbed Knot So Pale Ale. Bottled versions are better reviewed in Beer Index.

www.easternshorebrewing.com

Within walking distance, Ava’s Pizza had delicious homestyle pizzas, such as Onion Tart, and 100 quality microbrews on tap or in bottle.

CROOKED MOUTH BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Crooked Mouth Brewery - From $10 - Endicott, NY | Groupon

ENDICOTT, NEW YORK

Endicott’s CROOKED MOUTH BREWING resides at a former ice cream parlor with a newly green-painted exterior brick walled frontage matching its aluminum roof. Owned by former garage brewing partners Josh Olson and Sean Campbell, native Endicott residents, the cafe-like nanobrewery concocts well-balanced traditional beer styles.

Crooked Mouth’s rustic aluminum-sided, bark topped, ten-seat bar features eight stainless steel silver draught taps at the white-gray tiled back wall. Wood-metal tables and three centralized TV’s fill out the cement-floored pub. Black ceiling tiles adds a stark dramatic contrast. A back kitchen serves gourmet sandwiches and fine pub fare.

During my Sunday afternoon trip, early December ’23, while Crooked Mouth celebrated its one-year anniversary, drank all four flagships. Then, slid down the gullet a West Coast IPA, fruited sour and porter. New York ciders and wines were also available.

Clean-watered Kviek yeast gave Casper The Friendly Cream Ale its soothingly creamed smoothness as light lemon-soured green grapes esters and mild herbal musk met honeyed millet-grained corn sugaring.

Easygoing Cousin Kevin Pale Ale gathered tangy tangerine, lightly spiced orange and sugary pale malts alongside grassy hop astringency.

Effervescently soft-tongued Herbert Session IPA contrasted peachy orange tanginess against lightly embittered pineapple zesting and dry pine bark over slim pale malt stipend.

Another flagship offering, Moon Juice NEIPA, let sugary oats sweeten its juicy grapefruit, orange, peach and pineapple tanginess and terse floral spiced respite.

A candy-fruited glaze stuck to West Coast IPA, Equinox, countering sticky piney herbage with mild orange-pineapple-mango spicing.      

Lactose-aided fruited sour, Bermuda Triangle, reached exalted Pina Colada status as toasted coconut and lemon-sugared pineapple tanginess combined to pick up a salty tequila-tinged twist.

Then came a rich autumnal pumpkin-spiced dark ale. Dry-honeyed Bakers chocolate seeped inside pumpkin-pureed cinnamon bark, gingery nutmeg seasoning and caramel-burnt vanilla sugaring of Harvest Moon Porter, picking up roasted chestnut and acorn snips.  

KEUKA BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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HAMMONDSPORT, NEW YORK

Residing at an inconspicuous Industrial styled farmhouse with insulated white roof in the vineyard-lined Steuben County village of Hammondsport, KEUKA BREWING COMPANY opened in 2008. By 2010, Mark Musso took over the brew tanks and began drifting into barrel aging, mixed fermentation and offbeat traditional beer recipes. Many of his limited edition one-offs have become Musso’s most cherished offerings while longstanding faves such as Afterburner Habanero Ale and Ghost of Rita Gose prove both experimental and highly welcoming.

A benched front deck with picnic tables and firepit welcomes patrons to the agrarian hillside pub. The overhead doored, cement-floored tasting room features a ten-seat wood-lacquered bar with wainscoting-paneled aluminum siding, pendant lights and central octagon tiled draught station. Two narrow wood benched community tables with metal pipe fit crossbars and a few barreled tables front the bar. Brew tanks are stored in the rear.

Alongside Keuka’s house beers were Southern Tier vodkas and local wines on my early December ’23 noontime journey. I took home a few brews reviewed in Beer Index.

Dry light lager, Dock Beer, spread spritzy lemon fizz atop salty pretzeled doughy pilsner malts and spicy hop smidge.

Mild habanero peppering glides thru floral-daubed mango salting and tangy pineapple juicing of brisk Tropical Afterburner Light Ale, gaining lemony respite.

Waxy floral fruiting embraced dry Keuka Pale Ale, leaving lemony grapefruit bittering and light gin-tinged juniper botanicals upon its buttered biscuit base.

Powdered sugaring and wispy vanilla maple creaming saddled the cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice autumnal seasoning of Pumpkin Cream Ale, picking up a candied apple glaze.

Bittersweet blueberry caking gains doughy wheat sugared glaze and mildly brisk lemon zesting for lactic vanilla creamed wheat ale, Blueberry Cake Donut, a fruity pastry-like dessert.

Sharply spiced lemony grapefruit spritz picked up mild floral herbage and woody Chinook hop dryness for Polymorphic #27, the latest in a series of mixed hopped NEIPA’s.

Closer to a milkshake IPA, Polymorphic #28 retained vanilla-sugared marshmallow fluff and oated wheat creaming for its zestful lemony grapefruit, orange, tangelo and guava heist.

Ice pop-derived fruited sour, Sticky Drips – Bomb Pop, had its limey cherry and blue raspberry tartness receive dry bourbon wisps, sneaky green grape tannins and lemon-dropped orange snips.

Medium roast coffee bean entry gained milk-sugared vanilla creaming and dark chocolate bittering for Local Mocha Stout, a relaxing full-bodied digestif.

Decadent lactose-aided milk stout, Cookies And Cream, let its chocolate cookie richness rise above creamy vanilla sugaring for blissful luxuriant dessert.

Barrel aged in 4 Roses bourbon for eight months, Fat Stack Maple Pecan Porter stayed smooth as thick maple syruping coats pecan pie sweetness as well as dry vanilla tannins contrasting latent whiskeyed brown chocolate, cola nut, almond and caramel illusions.

STEUBEN BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Steuben Brewing Company

HAMMONDSPORT, NEW YORK

Overlooking beautiful Keuka Lake in a tan aluminum farmhouse with large back deck and picnic-tabled lawn, STEUBEN BREWING COMPANY is one of at least three Hammondsport brewpubs. Opened in 2014, Steuben seems to specialize in Bavarian pilsners and American IPA’s.

The main pub features a plank wood serving station, a few three-seated round tables, a green-walled blackboard beer listing, pendant lights and snazzy blue-stained concrete floor. Brewtanks are to the left behind the serving station and a TV, to-go refrigerator and shelved glassware fill out the space. Several local wines and ciders were available.

We grab a few seats at the cement-floored right side windowed room where several community tables crowd up on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, early December ’23.

Enjoyed all four German-styled pilsners upon entry. A zesty lemon spritz, pretzel-salted barley roast and musky herbal nip guided Cascade-hopped light body, The N.Y. Pils. Fizzy lemon sprayed the other yellow-cleared Bavarian, Premier Pilsner.

Softer, dryer, spicier Pederson Pilsner, retained doughy biscuit buttering. Dry lagered N.Y. Curtis Cyclocross snagged orange pekoe tea musk and wispy floral tangerine snips.

As for the IPA’s, tangy ‘clementine and peach’ brightened pine-salted Hopyard IPA, as did orange-peeled grapefruit zesting.

Sunshiny orange-peeled lemon rind bittering and salted green grape esters prodded the piney lupulin oiling of Harmonyville IPA, leaving floral daubs on its citric-spiced finish.

Tropical fruited New England IPA, Trail Town, plied peachy orange tanginess and lemony pineapple-grapefruit zesting to light evergreen pining.

Nutty dark chocolatey Hometown English Brown relegated its maple-glazed chestnut and walnut roast.

Dazzling bourbon-barreled Imperial Stout dangled bourbon vanilla pleasantries alongside fudgy brown chocolate richness, picking up sweet vanilla spicing, almond marzipan sugaring and chewy toffee nip.

WEBE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

WeBe Brewing Company | Geneva, NY

GENEVA, NEW YORK

The 14th Ontario County brewery to open since the Craft Beer Revolution started ’round 1998, WeBe BREWING COMPANY initially tapped its draughts on March 31, 2018, in the Seneca Lake town of Geneva. Entrepreneurial brewing enthusiasts, Colleen and Daniel Lieberg, have crafted a wide array of stylistically balanced suds in small batches for WeBe.

At an off-white concrete and brick warehouse with two overhead doors, large grassy backyard and windowed brew tanks, WeBe decorates its wood-metal tabled interior with a cool paint-chipped epoxy floor and Edison lights hanging from the rustic ceiling. There are three TV’s at front, back and center.

I grab a spot at the 20-seat, lacquered bark-topped bar to draw some liquids from the dozen draught handles (skipping all three fine ciders) while my wife chomps on spinach artichoke pizza during my December ’23 Finger Lakes adventure.

First up, a German-styled light pilsner. Fizzy lemon sugaring reached honeyed pilsner malts for Bills’ner, leaving herbal whims in the distance.

Vanilla-creamed banana sweetness and light clove spicing welcomed The Golden Peel Hefeweizen, lathering its honeyed wheat base.

Orange-peeled coriander spicing and banana chip sweetness coddled witbier, At My Wit’s End, posting dry rum sentiments at the durable citric-plantain finish.

‘Silky smooth’ S.O.S. Scotch Ale gathered dewy peat moss for milked coffee, dark cocoa and caramelized toffee riffs.

Tart mango juicing joined stylish sea-salted coriander spicing for Man-Gogh, a variant gose with wavered guava-gooseberry souring.

Tropical NEIPA, Yard Games, plied navel orange, lemon verbena and tangerine marmalade to buttery saffron spicing and lightly salted oated wheat.

Juicy double dry-hopped NEIPA, Serenity Now! merged tangy pineapple sweetness and melon-cantaloupe snips with lemon-limed gooseberry souring, gaining dry wood tones to contrast mild oated wheat creaming.

Sour double dry-hopped NEIPA, Sour Squeeze Play, conditioned with blood orange and tangerine puree, received moderate lemon salted acidity contrasted by its delicate oats-flaked creaming.

Decadent lactic milk stout, Grammy’s Candies, draped caramelized brown chocolate syrup atop oats-flaked sugaring. Lovely Buche de Noel, chocolate chip cookie, creme brulee, Graham Cracker and cappuccino illusions add to the luscious sweet-toothed glory.

BREWERY ARDENNES

United States Brewpubs,

Brewery Ardennes Taproom & Kitchen ...

GENEVA, NEW YORK

Inhabiting a refurbished stone-and-slate dairy barn turned into a turret-roofed manor in the rural western Seneca Lake town of Geneva, BREWERY ARDENNES TAPROOM & KITCHEN is a pristine Belgian-inspired brewhouse entrepreneurial owners Derek & Stacey Erdinger created after attending nearby Cornell University. A former sheep farm, Ardennes now recalls a serene Euro-styled high-end winery. Tapping for the public began May ’21.

At the grand side entrance on the left side are the varied windowed brewtanks. On the opposing side, a brown-couched lounge area leads to the exquisite main pub. A U-shaped bar with black granite sandstone top stages two tap stations with six draught handles each plus a separate three tap station. Across the bar, tidy wood tables and chairs gather atop the rust concrete floor.

A small kitchen serves upscale gourmet dishes paired with certain house beers. Upcoming Events include Monday Burger & Pint night and Sunday Brunch at the Barn.

My wife and I grab seats at the bar ’round noon on a Friday early December ’23 to try four elegant Belgian-styled farmhouse ales, taking home a few more reviewed in Beer Index.

Expressive Belgian-styled Blonde Ale backed its white-peppered orange salting, saison-like barnyard musk, mild Chardonnay buttering, sweet clove snip and cellared herbal fungi with crusty baked breading.

Stylish orange-peeled coriander spicing lingered softly for Belgian-styled Wheat, letting lemon-candied banana breading counter its salty peppercorn notion and musty cellared mossing over a wispy white wheat base.

Tidy Belgian-styled Session IPA slid dry yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering onto white peppered herbage above buttery caramel malting.

Tropical fruited Belgian Hazy IPA may’ve lacked the haze, but this clear yellowed medium body let lightly embittered orange rind, grapefruit pith and pineapple tanginess gain grassy hopped pine resin and peppery herbal restraint atop honeyed pale malts.

 

TWISTED RAIL BREWING – GENEVA

United States Brewpubs,

Twisted Rail Brewing arrives | Business | fltimes.com

GENEVA, NEW YORK

With four locations in the Finger Lakes, including Canandaigua, Honeyone and Macedon, TWISTED RAIL BREWING’s Geneva pub is inside a historic tan brick movie theatre. Opened in 2019, a red brick walled lobby leads patrons to bistro-tabled, wood-floored main space where a U-shaped bar and leather-couched mezzanine (with old theatre tables) traverse the backspaced windowed brew tanks.

Utilizing reclaimed wood throughout provides a splendid antique design. At the bar, two TV’s surround the centralized tap list and pub food menu. Whiskey, rum and gin are available alongside the twelve proprietary house beers.

During my Saturday afternoon in December ’23 voyage, I quaffed a cherry wheat, rye IPA, barrel aged Scotch ale and three dark ales, picking up a few to-go cans reviewed in Beer Index.

Sweet-tart red cherry fizz greeted powdered sugared wheat base for Cherry Wheat Ale, a mildly hopped summertime spritzer.

Dry rye malting charged the piney orange-grapefruit blur of medium-full-bodied Hunters Rye IPA, retaining sharply citric residual spicing.

Creamy Madagascar vanilla abutted brown chocolate syrup for Vanilla Cream Porter, leaving dewy moss upon tertiary cherry and plum dried fruiting.

Molasses oats sweetness guarded the Black Forest-caked chocolate-cherry mesh of luscious Quaker Express Oatmeal Stout.

Treacly black chocolate syrup draped the creamy vanilla sweetness and mild espresso bittering of Vozkal Russian Imperial Stout, a luxuriously robust mocha java digestif.

A hearty nightcap, Barrel Aged End Of The Line Scotch Ale let dry bourbon warmth seep into chocolate and toffee sweetness plus mild sherry-port wining over toasted oak-chipped vanilla tannins.

LAURENTIDE BEER CO.

United States Brewpubs,

LAURENTIDE BEER COMPANY, Penn Yan - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

PENN YAN, NEW YORK

Residing at a 200-year old yellow carriage house in the heart of Penn Yan since 2020, LAURENTIDE BEER CO. finds married couple Brett and Jackie Driscoll crafting some well rounded sassy suds for local Keuka Lake minions.

Laurentide’s pristine neo-Industrial setting features wood slot flooring, wood and formica topped tables, an above-bar kiosk and dramatic hanging pendant lights. A centralized U-shaped, twelve-seat bar offers a dozen draughts.

A rear kitchen served sandwiches, soup and appetizers. I consumed the parmesan-cheesed chicken wings while downing nine rangy brews one Friday night in November ’23.

A local fave, Penn Yan Light Lager let lightly caramelized amber graining recede to musty lemon rot.

Musky lemon fizz caressed dark floral spicing for dry-hopped Italian Pilsner, a simple light body.

Summery Laurentide Mango Wheat let ripe mango juicing counter dry mango skinned bittering as ancillary orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess and mild cantaloupe nips settle atop wispy white wheat.

Lemon-licked grassy hop astringency gained mild spiced herbage for Kolsch, a pilsner malted moderation.

Laurentide’s most popular beer, lively tropical fruited IPA-like Hazy Pale Ale, allowed waxy lemony yellow grapefruit and navel orange lacquering plus slight guava-gooseberry souring to coalesce beside piney cannabis oiling above pale malt sugaring.

Cleanly dry Wet Hop West Coast IPA prodded mild yellow grapefruit bittering with mild herbal spicing and dextrin crystal malts.

Dewy peat-mossed cocoa powdering faded to sweet toffee for coppery Altbier, depleting its toasted hop crisping.   

Dark chocolate syrup draped the oats-flaked barley roast  and bitterly nutty hop char of Oatmeal Stout, leaving Blackstrap molasses on its tail.

Caramelized brown buttering induced luscious Barleywine, regaling candy apple-glazed whiskeyed cherry loveliness and mild sherry-cognac wisps for its brown chocolate base.

ABANDON BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Home - Abandon Brewing Co

PENN YAN, NEW YORK

Inside a restored barn overlooking Keuka Lake, ABANDON BREWING CO. began operations in Penn Yan during November ’13. Through major expansion, greater fermentation and the use of a geothermal system, Abandon’s become a true staple of the Finger Lakes region, concocting dozens of one-offs and recurring brews over its first decade.

On a 25-acre lot with vineyards and a hop farm, Abandon’s enclosed cement-floored porch and smokehouse pavilion surround the old creaky floored, archaic-wooded pub. Wood crossbars and columns fill out the farmhouse interior and the U-shaped wood-paneled bar (with six metal chairs) offers twelve-plus draughts and local wine. There are small wood benched seats plus a raised level with four-seat tables and ancient metal fireplace. TV’s are on opposing sides.

Wood-fire pizza, meatballs and mac ‘n cheese went well alongside the dozen stylishly diverse beers I enjoyed this Friday afternoon, early December ’23.

Fluffy soft-toned Pilsner submitted lightly creamed oated pilsner malting to lemon-daubed herbage and musty maize musk.

Amber-grained Vienna Lager let mossy fungi envelop its wattleseeded chestnut and caramelized rye toastiness.

Summery light-bodied Blonde Ale let mild yellow-fruited zesting, tart currant whims and probable sage/rosemary snips reach the white bready bottom.

A lighter English Brown Ale, Mild, let tobacco-roasted chestnut and pecan illusions plus dewy mossing reach its laidback rye chocolate finish.

Sweet orange-peeled coriander spicing and cologne-perfumed lemon zesting propped up moderate-bodied Belgian Wit Bier, drowning out its pale wheat malt base.

Spicy yellow fruited Belgian Golden Ale let beet sugared lemon meringue tartness, banana puree sweetness and champagne grape tannins pick up sweet vanilla creaming.

Beet sugar-syruped dried fruiting led Abbey Ale, gaining light rum spicing, mild chestnut sweetness and chocolate truffle earthiness.  

Easygoing Session IPA gathered perfumed citrus sweetness and wispy redcurrant tanginess for its resinous pine dryness.

“Smooth” Citra-Chinook-Cashmere-hopped New England IPA maintained lemony orange-peeled pineapple and guava fruiting for pine lacquered herbal salting contrasting mild spiciness over light oated wheat creaming.

Coffee-stained dark chocolate outdid gingered pumpkin spicing for Pumpkin Brown Ale, leaving earthen dryness at its gourd-licked mocha-latte finish.

Robust dark ale, Porter, stayed muskily dry as raw molasses bittering and dewy peat soiling saturated murky black cherry, raisin and date illusions.

Milk-sugared coffee sweetness contrasted the dark chocolate bittering of decadent Coffee Stout, sporting chocolate mintiness over Graham Cracker honeyed base.

LYONSMITH BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Upstate Beer Tourist

KEUKA PARK, NEW YORK

Concentrating on crafting Brit-styled brews and a few American ales since opening during 2020 (after five-plus years at a smaller locale), Keuka Park’s LYONSMITH BREWING COMPANY occupies a former ice cream shop. A pristine family-styled cafe for English beer lovers, Lyonsmith competes favorably with Seneca Lake’s Beerocracy.

A pale green walled pub with loungey right side gaming, several four-chaired wood tables and an eight-seat wood top bar with tulip-cupped lighting, Lyonsmith’s eight silver-backed tap handles retrieve head brewer Dave Smith’s backroom brew-tanked liquid suds.

My wife and I visited the first day of December ’23.

Dewy peat sweetened Reid’s Mild Ale, leaving earthen truffle, wattleseed, rye and chestnut illusions on spritzy dried fruiting.

Sessionable, yet assertive, Rylie English Pale Ale let dry leafy-hopped fungi penetrate toasted amber grains as well as acorn, macadamia and hickory nuttiness, finishing with a slight rye tease.

Rustic Wide Open Throttle Golden Ale let mossy English mild ale fungi and pale ale-malted ESB-like mineral graining meet tenacious herbal onrush as moldy apricot and rotted orange allow musky dried fruiting to penetrate basil, rosemary and lavender vim above musty horse-blanketed wet hay bed.

Offbeat herbal eccentricity, Dorset Coast Summer Ale, plies lemon-soured ginger spicing to sage, lavender, cilantro and tarragon perfuming plus coniferous fern minting atop malted white wheat base.      

Floral-spiced red and orange fruiting dabbed Irish-styled Rhiannon Red Ale, a crisp barley roasted moderation with slight cocoa powder influence.

Mild whiskey-soured rye entry picks up lemon-bruised spoiled orange and tangerine tartness for Peasantman Royal Bloodline ESB, hiding its earthen floral aspect.

Peat-smoked English-styled porter, 1814 Flood, let its Band-aid-like beechwood curing caress dark chocolate malting and nutty earthiness.

Uncommon Medieval-styled foraged gruit, Witchcraft, utilized heather tips instead of hops to serenade its dandelion leaf bittering, floral lavender perfuming, lemon-salted lime peel tartness and desiccated orange rot above light cellar fungi.

GRIST IRON BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for grist iron brewing company

BURDETT, NEW YORK

Founded in 2015 and a half-mile South of Two Goats Brewing, Burdette’s GRIST IRON BREWING COMPANY is perched above Seneca Lake on a 150-acre farm. A wide range of beer styles boasting a rich American heritage favors lagers, IPA’s and sours.

Occupying a spacious ruddy browned, vaulted-ceilinged barnhouse, the cement-floored, rustic wood-topped pub features a rounded service station with twelve taps plus aluminum-seated wood lacquer-topped four and six seat tables and silver-kettled brew tanks (behind the bar). A separate overhead-doored dining space and outdoor porch provide further seating and an on-site beer-themed lodge promotes overnight stays.

Sandwiches, pizza and barbecue crowded the food menu as I downed a few brews on a brisk Friday afternoon, late November ’23.

Easygoing Campfire Lite Lager stayed brisk as Seltzer-fizzed lemon peel bittering, salty lime dryness and Saaz-hopped herbage upstaged mineral grained pilsner malting.

Part of Grist Iron’s Sour Series, tart raspberry seeding seeped into sour lemon acidity and herbal woodruff syruping for Sour Raspberry Wheat.

Upfront Meyer lemon sweetness picked up salty lime-peeled yellow grapefruit bittering and slight mandarin orange tang for Life’s Lemons, an eccentric citric-splashed NEIPA.

Creamy dark chocolate syruping trickled thru the wood-burnt Blackstrap molasses bittering, mild hazelnut coffee roast and dry cocoa remnant of Maxximus Brown Ale, picking up subtle walnut-cola conflux and figgy black cherry nuance.

Dark-roast coffee bittering, coarsened nut char, dark chocolate creaming and crisp tobacco roast anchored Banshee Breakfast Oatmeal Stout, an oats-flaked full body with a dry espresso finish.

Modestly creamed dark chocolate bittering and mild peanut buttering nestled the dark-roast hop char, dry cocoa chalkiness and chicory coffee caress of Mom’s Favorite Chocolate PB Stout, leaving maple molasses-induced toffee fudginess on the rich mocha flurry.

I also consumed a few canned Grist Iron brews afterwards in January ’24.

Classic aluminum clear pilsner-malted bantam, Campfire Lite Lager, retained mild raw grained minerality, dry maize astringency, lemon-dried Saaz hop herbage, slight green peppering and sour cabbage musk suiting pleasantly pedestrian slightly salted fizzy fodder.

Semi-sharp lemony grapefruit and orange spicing plus lingered herbal hop astringency rose above the dry pale malting of polite moderate-bodied Ol’ Buddy Ol’ Pale Ale.

Dry golden West Coast-styled IPA, Lake Life, coalesced mild lemon-peeled grapefruit bittering with sweet orange peel zesting and peachy mango tanginess, staying easygoing as floral-daubed earthen hop herbage and light pining settle above doughy French breading.

Lemony yellow grapefruit tanginess gained subtle New Zealand-hopped guava souring and kolsch-like champagne wining for Juicy Way, a less oat-creamed, fizzier New England IPA.

TWO GOATS BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Two Goats Brewing

HECTOR, NEW YORK

Inside a renovated 19th Century barn with “sweeping views of Lake Seneca, TWO GOATS BREWING came to fruition in 2010. A solar powered facility, co-owning entrepreneurs Jon and Jess Rodgers craft traditional beer styles that are right on the mark stylistically.

A nifty shanty-like interior includes five rounded three-seat tables in a roomy V-ceilinged right side space across from the left side eight-seat oak top bar (with low kiosk balcony). But it’s the oak wooded side deck, covered picnic pavilion, huge back deck and parkway benches that offer the beautiful outdoor lake views.

Brewtanks are located near the lower level fermentation room. Tow Goat’s signature beef sandwich plus local wine and hard seltzers are available as well. Interestingly, the hilltop pub makes beer mixers such as a kolsch/IPA, stout/cream ale and red ale/IPA blend.

I spent a noontime hour at Two Goats enjoying the lakeview and trying some homebrewed beer, last day of November ’23.

Alongside its Goatmeal Stout and Imperial IPA, the generic-named Cream Ale is one of Two Goats staples. Its crisply clean. mildly creamed kolsch-like malting and grassy hop astringency welcomed zesty yellow fruiting.

Spiced apple, pear and tangerine engaged the sharp citrus hop bite contrasting the amber grained caramel malting grounding Redbeard Red Ale.

Juicy orange-peeled pineapple and mango tanginess plus spritzy lemon zesting picked up bitter juniper-licked pining to contrast mildly spiced pale malt sugaring for X-IPA, an experimental hopped Imperial IPA with Azacca, El Dorado and Mosaic influence.

Peaty soy dabbed the dark chocolate malting of Dirt Shepherd Brown Ale, leaving mild nuttiness at the soily mocha finish.