STURBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Round back of an old industrial red brick warehouse, ALTRUIST BREWING COMPANY came to fruition January 2018. A rustic hideaway with a dank cement-floored, wood-ceilinged interior and community-tabled front patio, Altruist brewmaster Bob Bixby and his assisting son, Cam, craft mostly well-rounded one-off brews maximizing flavor profiles.

The homespun nanobrewery features a 14-seat L-shaped bar (including 12-plus tap handles with a reclaimed wood backdrop), left side seating and a small front stage. On my initial September ’21 Saturday evening stopover, I downed all seven available brews (skipping the Ginger Hibiscus Kombucha Tea).

Dry white-wheated lemony grapefruit spicing graced Pucker, an expansive Berliner Weisse with delicate cinnamon-spiced vanilla sweetness, musty salted herbal licks and vodka-nipped peach/pineapple remnant.

Pink Himalayan-salted Passion Gose let lemon-pitted strawberry-kiwi souring reach lightly vinous white grape esters.

Sharp-spiced autumnal, Pumpkin PI, let mild cinnamon-nutmeg seasoning seep into the brown-sugared pumpkin pie crusting, leaving phenol esters upon the piquant gourd finish.

Lemon-oiled tangerine tanginess sufficed for Single hop With Galaxy, a lightly salted NEIPA with dry wood tones.

Smooth coffee-roasted Force On Nitro Oatmeal Coffee Stout gained dry wood-burnt nuttiness and hop-charred mocha luster above maple oats.

Like a Black Forest cake, Fiske Ale brought cherry-bruised dark chocolate to the fore as red grape-jammed cocoa nibs secured the backend.

PB&J knockoff, Sassy Cassie Stout, allowed black grape bluster to storm dark cocoa-syruped peanut buttering and moderate charcoal-singed hop bittering.