LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Occupying a stately gray bricked Industrial building with aluminum-sided large windows atop a small hill on Route 45 in Lewisburg (home of Bucknell University), JACKASS BREWING opened March 2020. Started by two homebrewers inspired by the Portland Ale Fest, Skip Kratzer and Larry Winans, craft well-designed straightforwardly stylized suds.
A beautifully landscaped property with metal-furnished tiled patio leading to the metal-and-wood factory-like pub, Jackass Brewing’s high ceilinged fans and exposed pipes add proper industrial details to the 4,000 square-foot space. The 25-seat red brick-backed bar features twelve-plus jackass-handled draughts connected to the windowed brew tank room via large red engine room piping.
My wife and I and dog, Roscoe, grab seats on the turf-floored, umbrella-tabled back deck to down nine proprietary brews alongside delectable pub fare. Signature cocktails are also available.
Polite light-bodied German pilsner, First Voyage, brought lemon-soured herbage to raw-grained maize dryness and grassy hop astringency contrasting sweet corn pop and mild coriander jot.
Smoothly fruited IPA, Orphan Annie, left floral-herbed citrus traces upon caramelized pale malts, as modest lemony grapefruit-peeled orange pith bittering and zippy tangerine tanginess maintained casual summertime appeal.
Easygoing ‘pine-forward’ IPA, Random Walking Nun, held steadfast with mild grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and modest passionfruit tartness riding atop delicate crystal malt sugaring.
Laidback limey grapefruit, orange and mango zesting paced easygoing Citra-hopped NEIPA, Foggy Doo, contrasting light pine resin with spicy pale malts underneath.
Zestful NEIPA, Juicy(er) Ass, placated lemony grapefruit-pineapple tanginess and orange-oiled tangerine tartness with buttery pale malts.
Candi sugared dried fruiting ensconced Belgian IPA, Rakau Me Amadeus, bringing Rakau-hopped apricot, plum, pear and plantain illusions to spicily white peppered fungi phenols.
Sweetly tart candi-sugared banana puree, lemon meringue and orange marmalade bluster fronted Wonkey Donkey Tripel, picking up wispy white-peppered clove and coriander spicing.
Soft-toned breakfast stout, Bfasst, an Imperial Porter despite its descriptive moniker, placed cream-sugared medium roast coffee alongside dry espresso, milk chocolate and cocoa nibs resilience.
Dry Irish stout, Kizma Irish Ass, saddled barley roasted caramel malts with mild hop-charred coffee, espresso, dark chocolate and cola illusions.