ROMULUS, NEW YORK

Overlooking beautiful Cayuga Lakes in the Finger Lakes hamlet of Romulus, the second location for LIQUID STATE BREWING COMPANY, known as the North End, lies 25 miles north of the original pub. Opened during springtime 2022, Liquid State North End’s white-fronted red brick barn house features a cement-floored aluminum-ceilinged barroom connected to an overhead-doored wood-benched/ Adirondack-chaired covered patio and sprawling lawn.

The wide 20-seat bar with tan slate top and wood backdrop hosted multiple draught taps, mocktails, ciders, local wines and whiskeys. A plank wood-backed Liquid State insignia stares out from atop the stainless-steel draught board.

A fab local folk duo harmonizes and chimes guitars at the sidling wood kiosk while my wife and I and ole college pal, Bob, enjoy a varied array of sudsy libations.

First up, three polite German-styled brews provided easygoing initiation. Dry maize and grassy hop astringency properly possessed ‘snappy’ golden ale, Lively Up Kolsch, a slightly champagne-sparkled light body.

Mildewed peat moss, cellared fungi musk and raw honeyed from traditional ale yeast gave coppery Deutchland-styled Upside Down Alt its earthen rusticity to contrast lesser toffee sweetness.

Another Bavarian brew, Leipziger-styled Surf Guitar Gose let expected sea-salted coriander spicing gain light perfumed lemon musk, vinous white grape dabs and raw-honeyed orange blossom oiling.

Then came Czech-styled moderation, Hi Hat Pilsner, plying its sweetly spiced lemon spritz to herbal Saaz-hopped grassiness over dry barnyard grained pilsner malting.

‘Boozy’ Belgian-styled Cloud Swing Tripel draped orange blossom honey atop sweet banana-clove-coriander conflux, lemon custard tartness and dry rum splurge.

There were a trio of IPA variants next.

Robust bronze yellowed Sonic Space IPA boasted brisk orange-peeled lemon zesting and white grapefruit bittering as tertiary guava-mango-pineapple salting and tangy peachy tangerine tease stay subtle alongside slightly juniper-embittered mild pine residue.

Equally vigorous rust-golden New England-styled Pink Boots Hazy IPA merged salted grapefruit, guava and passionfruit tang with lemon meringue tartness and perfumed floral spicing above mildly creamed oated wheat.

Approachable pale yellowed NEIPA, Local Vibe, let its dry citrus spicing and mild herbage simmer alongside light pine resin, leaving lemony grapefruit and orange zest upon the delicate oats base.

On the dark side, soft-tongued oatmeal stout, Naughty Bits, retained lightly creamed coffee-stained chocolate roast, wood-burnt nuttiness and molasses oats sugaring.