ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

On the outskirts in Ogden, ROHRBACH BREWING has a log cabin exterior, low-ceilinged right side bar area, left side dining booths, rear brew tanks, and great food prices.

Visited July ’05, beers were a bit tepid, from soft tea-like Red Wing Red Ale, mediocre sharp-hopped tangerine-lemon-fruited Highland Amber Lager, barrenly red-orange-fruited Scotch Ale, lemon-wedged lime-centered wheat-husked Southwedge Summer Ale, softly-embittered blueberry-prominent Bluebeary, buttery raw-honeyed lemon-aided Hefe-Weizen, and dimly cocoa-soured licorice-tinged Sam Patch Porter. But vanilla frosting-scented birch-dried coffee-chocolate-cocoa-fused Vanilla Porter was nice exception.

This brewery has survived since the ’90s – prior to the New Beer Revolution – and the beer recipes have improved.

www.rohrbachs.com

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

Across from minor league Frontier Field baseball stadium in centralized High Falls section lied BRU, which opened February ’04 and closed two years hence. In a big industrial building (formerly a button factory) with outdoor deck, back dining, encased brew tanks, rear billiards, and dining booths on State Street side, this near-upscale venue offered appetizers, sandwiches, wraps, and burgers, plus warbled brew selection, July ’05.

On tap, meekly-grained popcorn-like blue collar fodder Big Rack Blonde, diacetyl off-dry banana-sifted clove-spiced Yellow Card Hefeweizen, Cascade hop-embittered orange rind-sharp quince-berry-currant-backed Dugout IPA, bitter hop-fruited blueberry-doused Bruberry Ale, and subtly sweet chocolate-smoked Rochester Robust Porter proved to be middling.

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

Visited three differing local brewpubs at upper New York metropolis, July ’05. Rochester University hangout THE DISTILLERY at Mount Hope section is in freestanding brick and cedar building. Though brews were mediocre, cozy cove-like rooms, wood paneled walls, upstairs dining, satellite TV’s, and second floor deck with awning provide great sports bar atmosphere.

Brew tanks caddy cornering right side offered indistinct mild-hopped berry-dried Raspberry Wheat, blurry wheat-husked diacetyl-spoiled Iroquois Amber, and cereal-grained Scotch-snipped hop-bit British Ale.

www.thedistillery.com