WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
Located in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains, rural valley village Great Barrington is 30 miles west of Pioneer Village. One of its landmarks, BARRINGTON BREWERY, inhabits the rear section of a large maroon barn connected to extravagant antique shop.
Originally visited October ’07, its midsize back patio deck offered rustic dining experience. Once inside, wood furnishings garnished red-bricked interior with small right side bar and cozy left side dining. Sundry beer coasters, antique steins, and ancient beer cans adorned walls alongside ‘Beer Crossing’ signs. Full Americana menu included burgers, sandwiches, specialty sausages, and robust dinner entrees.
Brew tanks near tiny bar-bound dining space served mainstays such as pilsner-dried mineral-grained rye-oats-fortified Berkshire Blonde Ale, lemony juniper-embittered wood-hopped lilac-fern-forged Hopland Pale Ale, dry English-styled walnut-Brazil nut-roasted, fig-date-gourd-tinged Barrington Brown Ale, and creamy coffee-spurred, dried-fruit-pleated, chocolate malt-smoked, hop-roasted Black Bear Stout.
Seasonal offerings included vegetal pumpkin-roused fig-dried honey-roasted twig-wet Oktoberfest, candied lemon-fizzed raspberry-tart cranberry-apricot-fruited baked bread-backed Raspberry Wheat, and light-bodied lemon-wedged peach-glazed floral-hopped Belgian Wit.
During February ’19 revisit, tried juicy Hop Brook N.E. IPA while hanging outside at the round plastic-tabled entrance patio. Its brisk citrus setting and lightly lacquered wood tones stayed the course as mildly embittered yellow grapefruit tartness picked up tangy orange, pineapple and peach riffs.