Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

STONY POINT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Stony Point Brewing Co. - Brewery, Craft Beer

WEST HAVERSTRAW, NEW YORK

Since Memorial Day ’22, STONY POINT BREWING COMPANY at Bricktown Bierhaus has served its thirsty minions well-crafted, highly approachable suds. Inside a red brick right side cornershop in the Hudson River village of West Haverstraw, Stony Point’s brewmeister, Dave Ludwig, a former homebrewer, not only handles the brew tanks, but also mans the short German-inspired pub menu.

A grassy, side-decked, metal-furnished biergarden leads to the side entrance. The faux-wood floored pub features twelve-plus tap handles at the small bar and several small brew tanks in the back sidling the kitchen. There are five tables near the windowed frontage and the black tile ceiling nicely contrasts the white-tiled side walls.

Offering splendid Bavarian-styled food such as bratwurst, knockwurst, frankfurters, potato pancakes, horseradish-cheesed pretzels and Belgian waffles to go alongside Ludwig’s charming liquid fare, this diminutive nanobrewery retains a cozily relaxing neighborhood feel.

During my initial October ’23 visit, I discovered one crisp flagship and five easygoing, recurring beers while chatting with the bustling Ludwig.

Smoothly clean flagship, Tomkins Kolsch, tendered white-breaded lager malting for brisk lemongrass herbage, candied lemondrop tartness, mild green grape esters and salted guava daubs, leaving a fizzy lemon spritz upon the tongue.

Casual traditional marzen, Bricktoberfest, placed brown-leafed herbal hops and mild orange oiling above buttery breaded Vienna/ Munich malting.

Another sessionable moderation, Kanawauke Wheat, let lemony mandarin orange tartness and lightly spiced herbage reach its delicate white wheat base.

A demure collaboration with fellow Rockland County breweries, Gentle Giant and Two Ladders, modest floral-spiced agave herbage, dry lime juicing and raw-honeyed lemon souring gathered for Dos Piedras Gigantes, a slightly eccentric Mexican lager utilizing Modelo yeast and citric-graped Motueka hops.

Pureed apricot picked up lemon-seeded bittering for Beaver Pond Apricot Blonde, a simple grassy-hopped, pale-malted light body.

Dry juniper-perfumed gin spirits soaked the moderate pine-lacquered grapefruit, orange and pineapple bittering of Aye Be You, a boozy West Coast-styled IPA with terse turpentine licks suited for hardcore hop heads.

On early September ’24 revisit, tried another four worthy Stony Point pints.

Perfect with bratwurst and hot dogs, easygoing Crickettown Cream Ale placed spicy lemon briskness and grassy hop astringency across floral cologne perfuming above white-breaded pilsner malting.

Tart blueberry essence given floral-daubed mandarin orange licks for Bullowa Blue, a slightly musty blonde ale with pilsner-like graining.

Dewy Annie’s Amber put candi-sugared dried fruiting alongside bruised apple, hard cider and grape musk.

Dark chocolate, powdered cocoa and light-roast coffee led tarry Hi-Tor Rye Porter, allowing its rye-pumpernickel influence to deepen the mocha finish.

PO’BOY BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Port Jefferson Station's Po'Boy Brewery Wins 3 Best Of LI Awards | Port Jefferson, NY Patch

PORT JEFFERSON, NEW YORK

Founding brewmaster Bob Rodriguez setup shop as PO’BOY BREWERY in Port Jefferson during January 2017. Inside a red brick-fronted 2,200 square-foot Industrial space, its loose New Orleans vibe gets reinforced by all the greenery, gazebos and decorative ephemera complementing the cement-floored nanobrewery. A gorgeous side-walled forest mural adds to the bayou splendor and caged Edison lights hang from the ceiling.

The wooden kiosk-like front bar, recalling a nifty backwoods shack, features a dozen-plus tree-branched tap handles. Silver tanks fill out the backroom brewing section. Most of Po’Boy’s delectable beer fare are one-offs, but a few recurrent brews have scratched the surface of an IPA-heavy lineup.

There were also a host of sour ales from the rear “Experimental Room” I didn’t get to try, including Miss Granny Smith Sour Golden, Sour Mash-Up (a marshmallowed kettle-sour with raspberry, blackberry and blueberry tartness), black tea-based Prickly Pear-Adox Sour Blonde, coconut creamed Coco-Stoutin’ To Impress and cask conditioned Shadow Of A Stout. Hard ciders are also available. A pub menu with pizzas and nachos sufficed.

Sweet millet-grained rice stayed soft for Ricey Business Lager, a pleasant lemon-fizzed light body perfect for casual tastes.

Tropical fruited IPA yeast and delicate hop spicing embraced My Cousin Kelly Blonde Ale, another soft-toned lightweight.

Dewy peat guided the mild raisin-date conflux, sweet autumn spicing and chalky chocolate parch of The Dark Schwartz Rises, a lightly barley-roasted German schwarzbier.

Molasses-draped cinnamon and nutmeg seasoned ‘yammy’ Pumpkin Out, picking up dry gourd earthiness over caramelized crystal malts.

Spiced orange, sweet cider and white peppered herbs nabbed Saison Rollin’ On, leaving a crystalline citric vodka kick.

Dry Irish stout, Shadow Of A Stout, coalesced black chocolate bittering with black licorice sweetness, gaining musty cellar funk along the way.

Easygoing IPA, East Coast State Of Mind, plied sweet navel orange, bitter yellow grapefruit and tangy pineapple to dry pine tones.

Delicate West Coast IPA, Just Peel It, let mildly spiced grapefruit-peeled orange tanginess and wispy pine resin ride atop dry pale malting.

Lightly honey-glazed Let’s IPA And Chill wrangled tangerine tanginess out of the misty tropical fruiting.

Bittersweet orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess allowed mild perfume spicing and dry piney hops to sidle Citrus Squeezebox IPA, another tropical delight.

Crisply clean lager yeast-induced One Hoppy Ending Cold IPA retained lemony grapefruit, orange and peach niceties above sweet white-riced amber graining.

 

UBERGEEK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Everitt Design - Übergeek

RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK

At North Fork Brewing, entrepreneurial brewmaster Rob Raffa began gypsy brewing after a stint at Patchogue’s Brickhouse Brewery and Riverhead’s now defunct Moustache Brewing. When the latter company stopped operations, local Long Island denizen Raffa decided to take up the space his former employers left behind.

Since January 2020, UBERGEEK BREWING COMPANY proudly boasts using “unconventional ingredients” and the “confluence of art and science” to craft “unique beers for newcomers and eccentric misfits.”

Stylistically on the mark and never as deliberately offbeat as advertised, Raffa’s elixirs certainly suit a range of thirsts.

Inside a 6,000 square-foot tan aluminum warehouse with brown awnings, Ubergeek’s tile floored, plastic-seated tasting room features a beautiful mosaic of modern cubist wall art, pendant-lit ten-seat black wood bar and twenty white-tiled draught handles. There’s even a backroom for special events. Angled crossbars along the high wood beam ceiling offer a resounding prominence.

A few front benches and a white picnic tabled side area add more seating.

My wife and I grabbed a seat at the bar to down a dozen delectable suds during September ’23.

Crisply dry Rockets Don’t Fuel Themselves, a mild clear aluminum yellowed bohemian pilsner, let spritzy lemon zest and sweet floral daubs tickle its light mineral graining.

Rustic amber lager, None Of The Things None Of The Time, combined tangerine spicing, dry barnyard acridity buttery Vienna malting and wispy cologne perfuming.

Light beechwood smoked (?) Mexican lager, And Now For Something Completely Different, grazed floral-spiced lemon spritz against delicate pilsner malting.

Dewy fungi, orange pekoe tea and dried fruit scampered thru Only When We Suffer Can We Be Great, a lightly caramelized marzen.

Herbal pumpkin-spiced autumnal moderation, I Have An Issue With The Force, nearly allowed soapiness to hamper its brown-sugared pumpkin pie seasoning.

Sessionable ‘summer IPA,’ I Thought You Liked A Challenge, placed Nelson Sauvin-hopped guava, gooseberry and white grape souring alongside tart lemondropped green mango salting and slight pine resin.

Tropical East Coast IPA, Space Age Times, Stone Age Minds, let orange-peeled pineapple, mango and tangerine tanginess reach sweet pale malt sugaring.

Another East Coast IPA, A Casualty Of Circumstances, retained mild lemony white grapefruit bittering and salty guava souring above lightly acidulated wheat malts.

Eccentric mahogany-browned ‘dark tart,’ Dealing With Dissonance, spread ginger-candied sweetness inside date-like tamarind tartness, tannic red grape esters and dry lime bittering.

A nifty peach sour collaboration with nearby North Fork Brewery, I Thought You Liked To Get Funky, invited lemon peel bittering, mandarin orange tartness, guava souring, mango salting and white grapefruit zesting to the fruitful tropical party.

Plummy dobbelbock, You Call That A Calculator, picked up date, raisin and plum snips above a peaty tobacco-roasted chocolate-y caramel base.

Richly creamed peanut butter porter, All These Quarters, Still No Dollars, caressed its dry nuttiness with dark chocolate and dark-roast coffee, leaving a vanilla-centered ice cream sandwich finish.

 

NORTH FORK BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

North Fork Brewing Company: Newbie Joins the Riverhead Clan February 17, 2019 | NoFo Wineaux

RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK

Inside a former firehouse two blocks from Riverhead’s Main Street, NORTH FORK BREWING COMPANY opened for business June 2018. Tucked into a tree-lined residential neighborhood, the white overhead-doored red brick station provides a diverse array of brews utilizing different hops and malts for each stylistically ambitious elixir.

Being a proud local farm brewery, North Fork utilizes many local hops (Nugget and Chinook) and grains to formulate their recipes. In five years, they’ve crafted at least fifty different one-off and recurring brews.

A lovely yellow and white bird/ eyed pyramid insignia near several plastic chairs and tables guards the green cement floored interior and a benched porch area outback adds extra seating. The plain white walls contrast well with the black ceiling. The black wood-topped, white-paneled, U-shaped bar with twelve tap handles distributes the nine available beers (including four divergent India Pale Ales) on my pleasant Friday afternoon journey, September ’23.

Brisk German-styled moderation, Hold Me Closer Tiny Lager, brought musky millet-grained pilsner malting to sharply soured lemondrop misting and dark floral nuances.

Smoothly crisp Ancho Chili Pils remitted a mild ancho pepper burn to lemony grain musk.

Lacquered peach sweetness guided honeyed wheat-fortified Lewin Amber Ale, picking up latent apricot, nectarine and pear illusions.

Spritzy spiced squash ale, Butternut The Hutt, allowed hand-roasted butternut squash to influence the mild crystal malt sugared pumpkin pie spicing.

Zesty dry-hopped NEIPA, Run The Juice, let salty yellow grapefruit juicing infiltrate pine needled minting and peppery herbage, gaining light mandarin orange licks.

Conditioned on OG Kush terpines, sticky cannabis-derived Da Can-Abyss NEIPA Version 2 retained a pineapple vodka kick and orange-peeled grapefruit tang to counter its light resinous pine bittering.

Spectral NEIPA, Juicy In The Sky With Paradigm, rushed Pina Colada-like coconut toasting and pineapple zesting thru peachy grapefruit tanginess, white-graped gooseberry souring and perfumed hop musk in a crystalline setting.

Mild lemony orange bittering contrasted peachy pineapple and tangerine tanginess for Shaolin Shadowboxer, an approachable Imperial IPA with humble herbal hops and dry pale malts digging into its tropical fruiting.

Maple syrup-infused Dark Side Of The Maple Porter secured a dry Irish stout template to sidle its molasses-like frontage, leaving dark roast coffee, black chocolate and hop-charred nuttiness in its wake.       

TWIN FORK BEER CO.

United States Brewpubs,

East End Full Show: Wickham's Fruit Farm, Twin Fork Beer Co., The Naked Farm

RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK

Owned by twin brothers, Dan and Pete Chekihian, Riverhead’s TWIN FORK BEER CO. opened October 2020 – six years beyond doing minor contract brewing. Now producing a steady lineup of year-round brews in a spacious gray aluminum facility, the arts-loving duo name each of their consistent beers after music language.

A front-benched glass frontage leads to Twin Fork’s overhead-doored pub area. The sparingly decorated interior includes black and white metal chaired barreled seating, wood tables and community benches – a pristinely embellished warehouse pub further galvanized by its colossal pipe-exposed aluminum ceiling. Stainless steel aluminum tanks tower thru the huge backspace.

Twin Fork’s relaxing outdoor setup includes a well-groomed gravel-stoned deck with Adirondack chairs, wicker furniture and a wooden bench.

The small stooled serving station slung two IPA’s, a pale ale, kolsch, marzen and pils to my wife and I during our sunny Saturday afternoon stopover, September ’23.

Lemony grapefruit zest glanced dry pilsner malting for Prelude, a sessionable pils.

Sharply citrus-spiced pale ale, Chromatic, countered dark-roast hop bittering with crispy amber graining.

Orange-rotted lemon herbage initiated lightly soured kolsch, Sonata, picking up contrastive floral-daubed apple-pear snips desiccated by oats-dried barnyard acridity.

Sessionable Mosaic-hopped IPA, Minuet, allowed tangy orange-peeled grapefruit bittering to contrast reluctant candied peachy mango sweetness over dry pale malts.

Piney citrus sharpness bestowed West Coast-styled IPA, Crescendo, leaving oily pine residue upon orange-peeled grapefruit bittering and reclining peachy pineapple tang.

As for the autumnal seasonal, pumpkin-spiced Harvest Notes let reclining ginger-cinnamon-nutmeg spicing speckle light vanilla creaming.

GREENPORT HARBOR BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Peconic — Greenport Harbor Brewing Company

PECONIC, NEW YORK

Right in the heart of wine country at Long Island Sound’s North Fork hamlet, GREENPORT HARBOR’S second location (the first’s in nearby Greenport at a dilapidated firehouse opened July ’09) is situated on prime farmland and came to fruition in 2015. Taking up a yellow wood-shingled, brown-trimmed warehouse and overhead doored brewing facility, the expansive brewery includes a large old wood-tabled picnic area and aluminum-tabled side deck.

Inside the epoxy concrete-floored pub, an aluminum-walled back bar with twelve draught handles (and prominent American flag) services the wood top serving station, three plastic-chaired community tables and red bricked hearth seating. A right side wood-furnished blackened cement-floored dining space is also available for fine pub grub.

After dipping our feet in Orient Point, my wife and I head west to grab a picnic table to down five previously untried suds alongside a caprice sandwich on our initial GH trip during a sunny Friday afternoon, September ’23.

Muskily mineral grained Haus Pils, a moderate German pilsner, took floral-herbed Noble-hop mustiness, fresh-cut grassiness and mild lemon rot to rustic millet-spelt flouring.

Mild coriander-spiced mandarin orange sweetness picked up casual butternut-chestnut illusions, delicate herbal cilantro minting and rummy banana wisps for Sounding #5 Witbier.

Tart “dessert-styled” Pina Colada knockoff, Tiki Paradise Berliner Weiss, regaled tangy pineapple zesting, toasted coconut sweetness, dainty lemondrop souring and peachy orange-tangerine daubs above its milk-sugared oated wheat base.

Meanwhile, saltier lemon acidity anchored Bramble Paradise Berliner Weiss, leaving tart blackberry and raspberry souring to contain mild green grape vinegaring, spritzy pink champagne sudsiness and cranberry rhubarb snips over acidulated wheat malts.

Dryly full-bodied dark ale, Black Duck Porter, placed dark chocolate bittering next to burnt coffee oiling and tarry molasses gunk over peaty hop-charred black patent malts.

PORT JEFF BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Port Jefferson | Edible Long Island

PORT JEFFERSON, NEW YORK

Taking up the first floor of a white-railed barn house across the street from Port Jefferson Harbor and amongst the sundry boutique shops crowding the pristine Chandler Square harbor front, PORT JEFF BREWING COMPANY was established October 2011. An enclosed outdoor side deck with barrel tables and a wraparound wood-planked covered porch offer plenty of seating for the diminutive pub.

Inside, a small serving station with twelve-plus taps sidles a glass-enclosed brewing area. Unlike most craft breweries, there is only one small table and some nautical decorations in the dinky brick-floored pub so most visitors buy growlers and cans to go.

My wife and I visited Port Jeff on a beautiful Sunday at noon, September ’23, to consume eleven well-rounded, diversified suds. I’d already discovered Port Jeff’s year-round brews such as Schooner Pale Ale, Runaway Ferry Imperial IPA, Porter and Starboard Oatmeal Stout (reviewed in Beer Index).

For a light-bodied starter, sessionable golden ale, Centennial Sunset, spread mild lemon zesting over sugary pale malts, retaining a clean Seltzer-like spritz.

Tartly sweet strawberry and spritzy lemon fizz received light vanilla creaming for amiable fruited blonde ale, Darryl Strawberry, named for the Met-Yankee baseball icon.

Approachable pale ale, Fresh Hop, plied mild lemon-dried Cascade hop bittering to floral spiced herbage and its white breaded base.

Mildly embittered pineapple, grapefruit and orange rind zesting soaked lightly pined IPA, Casa De Roberto, a dry pale malted moderation.

Lightly creamed vanilla froth guarded the lemony grapefruit peel bittering and resinous pine-hopped stickiness of Shiznit IPA, a straw-cleared moderate-medium body.

Lightly salted lemon-limed passionfruit tartness surfaced for fruited sour, Mermaid Tears, picking up white grapefruit and mandarin orange daubs above slightly acidulated wheat malts.

Rummy orange zesting given creamy vanilla froth and banana pureed sugaring to contrast the boozy vodka-induced 10.3% ABV silking, salty green grape esters and hard cider remnant of lusciously rich Orange Dream, a mighty tripel.

Meanwhile, semi-flagship tripel, Trippel H, caressed candied lemony orange tartness and peachy pineapple tanginess plus sweet banana-clove snips and chestnut daubs with soft herbal spicing above buttery pilsner malt sugaring.

Toned down pumpkin spicing, delicate roasted pumpkin salting and mild brown-sugared nutmeg and cinnamon gave seasonal Boo Brew its blanched flavor.

Chocolate syrup draped deep-fried banana chip sweetness for robust Banana Porter, leaving maple-glazed molasses and peanut-hazelnut snips in the dust.

Coffee-oiled black chocolate bittering in a soft tongued setting guided Coffee Porter – Nitro, a wildflower honeyed take on its flagship porter.

AUTODIDACT BEER

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for autodidact beer

MORRIS PLAINS, NEW JERSEY

Opened for business, March 2023, AUTODIDACT BEER crafts precision-guided, stylistically efficient brews. Occupying a pristine Morris Plains strip mall in an epoxy floored neo-Industrial middle space, Autodidact is run by long-time friends Ron Scouten and Ron Cassell, whose beer journey started when they utilized stovetop brewkits.

A concrete-topped ten-draught serving station anchors the studio-like black ceilinged pub. There’s a loungey right side area, four metal-chaired left side tables and benched tables. Windowed brew tanks are in the back.

I sojourned to Autodidact one rainy Thursday afternoon in September ’23 to try all eight available brews.

Delicate light-bodied Bavarian-styled Pastel Pilsner allowed nutty millet graining and husked corn dryness to spread thru mildly musky herbal hopped pungency.

Crisply clean dry-bodied West Coast-styled Hexagram Classic Pale Ale retained orange-oiled yellow grapefruit bittering and resinous floral herbage above muskily grained pale malting.

Soft-toned Wash Grisette let herbal botanicals soak into lemon-oiled vodka salting contrasted by honeyed rum florality.

Dry sea-salted liming and mild coriander spicing guided Burn Out The Limelight Gose, leaving lemony cologne musk on key lime pie tartness at the backend.

Easygoing Colder Hearts Cold IPA placed flaked rice sweetness inside its lemony orange-peeled grapefruit spritz, retaining a mildly creamed vanilla froth to contrast its latent grassy astringency.

Peachy pineapple tanginess, orange-peeled grapefruit zest and mildly salted guava-passionfruit enveloped Dualism New England IPA, as dry cannabis-oiled Strata hops and lemony pined Pacific Sunrise hops coalesced above sugary pale malts.

Rye-dried Sign The Bill Phil NEIPA utilized Sabro hops to remit mild coconut toasting, candied lollipop tartness, lemon meringue piquancy, orange marmalade tanginess and sugary spicing.

Oats-charred molasses treacled thru the nutty black chocolate bittering of Hawks And Doves Oatmeal Stout, a dryer stylistic changeup.

On Thanksgiving Eve ’23, sank four new Autodidact creations, including two less creamier and sourer NEIPA’s (with citric-pined West Coast aspirations) plus a dryer witbier and a herbier saison collab. I chatted with co-owning brewer, Ron Cassel, who was manning the tanks this cold afternoon.

Dried orange peel tartness and sour lemon rot dotted the delicate coriander spicing and teasing herbal musk of Tempest Witbier.

An interesting alliance with gypsy brewer, Dekkera, citric herbed barnyard-grained farmhouse ale, Late Bloomers Saison, placed tart lemon meringue, tangy marmalade, sweet banana and key lime piquancy across basil, sage and minty lemongrass seasoning.

Sharp piney citrus bittering embraced NEIPA, Shellstar, lifting bright lemony orange-peeled yellow grapefruit sunshine above mild oats-dried malts.

Dryer than Shellstar, lemon-dropped grapefruit, orange and pineapple zesting fronted Glint, a West Coast hop-influenced NEIPA with mild peachy mango tang and lightly soured redcurrant-gooseberry snips topping buttery oated wheat creaming.

17 WEST BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

17 WEST BREWERY - Brewery - Liberty, New York

LIBERTY, NEW YORK

Located at the crossroads of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley tucked into the valley, 17 WEST BREWERY opened November 12, 2022. A local family-owned brewpub with proprietary beers crafted by co-owner Michael Foster, 17 West’s a dandy blue collar hangout with a brew-kettled pub area and left side dining area along the wall.

17 West’s small L-shaped seven-seat bar features a raw wood bar back storing ten draught handles. An open kitchen supplies expansive pub fare.

Tented picnic tables with Edison lights and tiled floor reside under the small aluminum-and-wood side deck.

My wife and I gathered at the bar to try all five well-rounded, lightly hued homebrews available this warm Saturday afternoon in September ’23.

Spritzy lemony orange zesting picked up engaging sugary spicing for Frosted Pilsner, bound by its raw-honeyed pilsner malt base.

Delicate light-bodied True Blonde Ale sprayed delicate citric hop spicing across mild crystal wheat malts.

Doughy cornmeal sugaring sweetened Honey Wheat before dainty orange lollipop tartness countered latent lemony whiskey souring beneath the surface.

Tangy orange, pineapple, and peach sweetness picked up mild lemony grapefruit bittering for Hazy Double IPA as dank pine resin and wispy herbal licks settled over buttery pale malts.

Super-tart sour ale, Wild Berry, linked pureed blueberry, blackberry and raspberry rasping to sharply acidic white grape vinegaring, strong cider briskness and salty lemon liming.

 

UPWARD BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Upward Brewing Company | Livingston Manor, NY

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NEW YORK

Catskill Mountain’s rural mountain vista, Livingston Manor, is home to UPWARD BREWING COMPANY, opened in 2018 (four years after Catskill Brewery formed). A beautiful retreat in the hilly pastures nearing a natural spring on a 120-acre preserve at a black aluminum neo-Industrial hacienda, Upward’s loungey furnishings, stained wood bar back, snazzy wood-slat chandeliers, pristine swivel-chaired serving station (with twelve tap handles) and tiled floor-to-ceiling hearth give the cement-floored interior an exquisite appearance.

An open kitchen serves fine pub fare to go alongside basic nubian beer styles (such as a tart sour, dry-hopped lager and Citra-Mosaic-hopped India Pale Ale) emanating from the right side windowed brew tanks.

A private wood-tabled, aluminum-sided event room reinforces the delightful elegance. And there’s bench seating along the grassy fields.

My wife and I stopped in Friday evening in September ’23 to enjoy five draughts.

The best brewery taprooms in the Hudson Valley

“Classic” dry Bohemian pilsner, Ascension, let sharp grapefruit bittering and spicy orange tang linger thru barley-malted baked breading.

Dry-hopped pale lager, Base Camp, hid tart peach inside musky mineral grained malting.

Easygoing Citra-Mosaic-hopped IPA, Breadwinner, let tangerine tanginess, mellow grapefruit bittering and candied orange tartness pickup dainty perfume spicing and mild dank pine tones.

Effervescent lightly soured tart ale, Watercolours, tantalized with its citric yuzu-juiced adjunct sitting atop acidulated wheat as dry lime-soured lemon zesting remained perky.

On the dark side, OM Oatmeal Stout brought dry Bakers chocolate, mildly bitter espresso, tarry Blackstrap molasses, musty dried fruiting and wispy anise spicing to a fulsome cacao nibs finish.

CATSKILL BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Catskill Carriage

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NEW YORK

Established in 2014 and occupying a large maroon carriage house with raccoon-faced grain silo, CATSKILL BREWERY resides at the Sullivan County hamlet of Livingston Manor. A commemorative Woodstock birdie celebrates the rural mountainous surroundings where the ’69 music and arts fare exploded a few miles south.

A six-seat aluminum-topped serving station pours beer emanating from the windowed silver brew tanks and round wooden casks on the left. The cross-barred high ceiling, paneled wood backdrop, barreled tables with steel-wood seating and aluminum-topped side seating spread thru the pristine barn house. A huge TV hangs from the front wall.

An aluminum -topped back deck with wood picnic tables, hung-up canoe and Adirondack chairs provided outdoor comfort.

My wife and visited Catskill Brewery during September ’23 to quaff seven previously untried, well-rounded, efficient beers – four of ’em of the IPA variety.

Spritzy lemon and peppery Saaz hop herbage dotted Ball Lightning Czech Pils, leaving delicate floral spicing and honeyed tea daubs upon its mild oated wheat pilsner malts.

Bittersweet orange oil pasting and leafy hop astringency scurried thru moderate-bodied Octoberfest, Barkaboom Marzen, leaving caramelized amber grain sweetness and chestnut-hazelnut snips in the dust.

Toasted amber grains and dry Noble hop herbage coalesced for lightly caramel spiced German-styled red ale, Little Quarry Franconian Rotbier.

As for the India Pale Ales, sessionable sunny yellowed Grass Wagon gave its dainty Citra-Mosaic-hopped grapefruit peel, orange rind, pineapple and mango licks a light wintry pining above earthy pale malts.

Soft-toned gold-hazed New England IPA, Devil’s Path, let tart guava and green grape esters plus bitter yellow grapefruit and sweet orange peel settle above oated wheat creaming, picking up tertiary lemon meringue, lime gelatin and pineapple chiffon whims.

Hybridized farmhouse IPA, Onteora Mountain, retained a sour lemony orange lollipop tartness and brisk white grapefruit zesting over saison-like barnyard leathering.

Meanwhile, cryo-hopped Rusk Mountain NEIPA, spackled its lemony herbal misting with dry wood tones and dryer pale malts. 

 

 

 

ROSCOE BEER CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for roscoe beer co

ROSCOE, NEW YORK

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in September of 2023, ROSCOE BEER CO. continues to roll out fine approachable beers for the Catskill Mountains. Located at the fly fishing capitol of the world in the hamlet of Roscoe, its trusty tasting room and glass-encased brewtanks anchor a former 1,600 square-foot firehouse.

A silver grain silo welcomes beer lovers to the log cabin-sided microbrewery (with green aluminum awning). Tented wood benches, a grassy patio area (with tucked-in stage) and blue-tiled deck offer beautiful outdoor views of the mountains.

Inside the pub, a marbled concrete floor with two central oak trees, chop-block wood furnishings, lacquered wood paneling and hunting club paraphernalia provide a lodge-like feel. A colorful Woodstock festival signpost

The day before the 10th anniversary party, my wife and I stopped by Friday to enjoy all available Roscoe brews, then headed back Saturday for the official celebration, watching a cool local rock band while downing Eagle IPA and Red Wit & Blue before the closing celebratory fireworks. Roscoe Trout Town Two Headed Stout and American Amber Ale were quaffed a few years prior and reviewed in Beer Index.

Maybe our favorite, pinkish beige-cleared Red Wit & Blue (a fruited wheat ale), gave its tart raspberry-blueberry conflux a mild coriander spicing alongside wispy orange lollipop, Bazooka bubblegum and Bosc pear illusions.

Mild Fightin’ 29 Pilsner, a bohemian Czech-styled light body, spread honeyed lemon goodness all over musky hop herbage and white breaded pilsner malting.

Spritzy blonde ale, Peace Love & Ale, tossed lemon briskness, lemongrass oiling and musky grains at its floury white cracker base.

Sharp perfumed grapefruit spicing and blackcurrant tartness spackled Rainbow Red Ale, hiding its sweet amber graining.

Lightly pined citrus spicing engaged hazy IPA, Darwin’s Theory, letting candied pineapple, tangy orange peel and bitter grapefruit find room in a musty green hop setting.

Dark-roast hop pungency and piney residue embittered Eagle IPA, gaining orange-peeled pineapple and grapefruit zesting over its sweet caramel malt backing.

Another dark-roast hop-imbedded medium body, Trout Town Brown Ale, let lightly charred walnut, Brazil nut and cola nut dryness settle alongside mild toffee sweetness above lightly kilned barleymalts.