On tap at River Of Beer, dry champagne-salted fizz prickles mild lemony orange spicing and herbal respite above mineralized pilsner malting.
NESHAMINY CREEK PUSHING DAISIES KOLSCH
On tap at Hoover’s Tavern, crisp springtime golden kolsch with light frothy cream lets salty lemon spicing invite champagne grape spritz and light Tettnang hop herbage to grassy hop astringency over delicate white crackered pilsner malts.
CATSKILL JOHN O’ THE BIRDS HEFEWEIZEN
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, hazy straw yellowed hefeweizen retains lighter mouthfeel despite stylishly higher 6% ABV. Subtle brown-sugared banana bread sweetness and mild clove spicing allow lemon-soured dried plantain stint and wispy herbal tinge to contrast vanilla wafer flouring at its sourdough bottom.
SULLIVAN’S IRISH GOLD
Brisk English-styled pale ale from Ireland coalesces amber grained cereal malt sweetness, dewy peat mossing and toasted bread crusting, recalling an Irish Red Ale in many aspects. Ascending East Kent Golding hop herbage brings snappy bitterness to slightly caramelized barley roast finish.
TOX ERGOT
Summery American wheat beer with “coriander and citrus” and puffy white head embraces sunshiny lemon zesting and dried mandarin orange snip above pallid white wheat bed. Lemon juice continuance brings mild acidity and candied lemon tartness adds slight mouth pucker, but coriander spicing lacks.
JACK’S ABBY LAVENADE LAGER
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, ‘zesty lemon lavender lager’ stays sunny as limey lemonade frontage picks up sweet lavender florality. Tart lemon juicing ultimately wins out.
WILD EAST LEMONDROP LAGER
On tap at Ambulance, dry Lemondrop-hopped pale lager needs zestier lemony grapefruit splash. Lemon pit bittering consumes mandarin orange lilt, green tea tannins and herbal respite.
OAKFLOWER LAMMY HELLES LAGER
On tap at Kitchen & Beer Bar, dry helles lager attaches corny rice sugaring to contrastive musty barnyard rusticity and muskily dark floral Noble hops, leaving gluey malt pasting.
SIXPOINT THE CRISP PILZ
On tap at Pompton Craft House, ’24 updated German-styled light pilsner retains fizzy lemon spritz, maize-dried minerality, grassy hop astringency and sugary pilsner malt base.
CHECKERSPOT HILLBILLY GOLD PILSNER
Crisply dry German-styled pils retains musty barnyard rusticity, maize-dried mineral graining, musky herbal lemon fizziness and dark floral whims, bettering less solid-bodied moderations.
AQUATIC FOSSILIFFEROUS BBA BARLEYWINE
Debonairly mellow Makers Mark bourbon influence could use a push – but caramelized whiskey warmth, candied butterscotch serenity, leathery oaken vanilla tannins and dewy cellar funk stay elegantly subtle upfront atop lightly spiced brown chocolate base. Mild Amaretto, plum wine, prune pudding, dried cherry and roasted chestnut illusions waver. Confectionery fruit-pasted Fig Newton finish seals deal.
AQUATIC BREWING CO.
FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside a beige professional building at the coastal Cape Cod town of Falmouth on Main Street, AQUATIC BREWING CO. opened November ’20. The casually intimate brewpub was started by local MIT-grad residents Greg Horning and Alex Bergman, two homebrew hobbyists serious enough to take their ambitions to a higher level of prosperity.
A sterling operation, Aquatic Brewing’s porcelain-floored brewroom features an oak top serving station, five community tables, hanging pendant lights and rear brew tanks. A wood-boarded Aquatic insignia hangs above the silver tap handles.
My wife and I showed up on a Thursday eve in April ’24 prior to visiting Martha’s Vineyard for trivia night, downing five of Aquatic’s well-rounded offerings.
A fine yeast-lagered steam beer, Highly Common California Common gave its honeyed amber grain toastiness, lightly smoked peat malting and rustic hop earthiness a spritzy lemon pep as gluey paper pasting ensued.
Tart lemon souring overrode herbal hibiscus adjunct and light black peppering for muskily leathered saison, Hibiscus Shrewd, leaving a candied lemon peel bittering on the waxy crayon-like citrus finish.
A Northeast/West Coast IPA-styled pale ale, Defendable Draft placed dry grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering across spruce-tipped pine resin as candied papaya-mango-pineapple tropicalia seeped below.
Dark chocolatey light roast coffee and Madagascar vanilla headed rich Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Faint Glimmer, picking up ancillary espresso, mochaccino, caramel latte and burnt marshmallow banter over Black patent malt(?) bittering.
Cold-brewed milk-sugared coffee overtones ruled debonair Oatmeal Stout, Pie In The Sky, sweetened by toffee-candied burnt caramel malting.
During late September Cape Cod trip, discovered three more Aquatic draughts while taking home another eight new offerings (see Beer Index for reviews).
Brisk summery helles lager, Supergeil, a cold conditioned pilsner-malted light body, brought dewy orange oiling, sour lemon musk and dank leafy hop herbage.
Vibrant tropical fruited NEIPA, Planktos, spread zesty orange peel sweetness and yellow grapefruit bittering across light pine resin as lively pineapple salting, peachy papaya tanginess and guava souring emerge.
Nitro version of Woods Hole Stout retained light frothy head, dark-roast nutty coffee tones, dark chocolate bittering and powdered cocoa tartness as well as mild soy breading.