HATBORO, PENNSYLVANIA
A hidden gem in the heart of Hatboro 25 miles north of Philly, CROOKED EYE BREWERY came into existence when homebrewer Jeff Mulherin began experimenting in 2014. Growing into a seven-barrel microbrewery over a few years, Crooked Eye’s sturdy stainless-steeled suds certainly deserve attention.
Set inside a garage-doored makeshift pub, its modern Industrial rusticity and Edison light-strewn canopy give the small space a welcoming neighborhood bar feel. And the stylistically straightforward brews will please any palate.
The corrugated-bottomed, wood-topped, 8-seat bar serviced three stainless steel industrial cart tables and a few wood-metal tables. A blackboard beer list and one large-screen TV fill out the room. Behind the black brick wall lies the silver brew tanks.
My wife and I stopped by during early November ’19 for an enjoyable afternoon wakeup call.
The lightest offering, Boro Blond Ale, brought light orange-oiled hop bittering to dewy mineral grained French breading and delicate sugared spiciness.
Blending mellow orange-peeled coriander spicing with lemon-soured ginger herbage and fried plantain sweetness, White Tail Wit was a fine opener.
Smoothly mineral-grained Regimental 80 Scottish Ale gave its dewy tobacco sweetness a resinous brown tea musk, mildly spiced caramel malting and pastry-like flouring.
Earthen brown tea consumed dewy The Brit ESB, an easygoing moderation with subtle leafy foliage.
Designed close to an India Pale Ale due to its piney dry-hopped citrus bittering, Accidental Pail Ale retained a sweet pale malt sugaring to amplify its lemony orange-peeled tang and relegate the spicily floral herbage.
Creamily white-headed Hazy Eye Double IPA soothingly plied sunny orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess to mineral-grained wood lacquer and mild alcohol astringency, picking up juicy floral-daubed peach, mango and honeydew illusions for further roundedness.
Black chocolate malt bittering inundated dry-roasted pumpkin rusticity of Austin’s Pumpkin Porter, a fine autumnal dark ale with cayenne-peppered cinnamon bark swipes and latent anise-nutmeg seasoning.
Sweet grain-roasted caramel malts received glazed pecan-hazelnut sugaring to combat dried cocoa powdering for Gangster Of Lover Imperial Brown Ale.
Dark-roast black chocolate malts rampaged forth for nitrogenated One Eye Dog Coffee Porter, leaving black peppered coffee remnants on the back end.
Creamily sweet brown chocolate gave nitrogenated Black Eye Oatmeal Stout its opening salvo as roasted coffee, molasses, charred cedar and hazelnut illusions play backup.
crookedeyebrewery.com