On tap at Taphouse 15, ‘heavily fruited’ pinkish mauve Italian gelato-styled sour ale receives Smoothie-like marshmallow fluff for sweetly tart banana-bruised strawberry resilience parading rich birthday caked soft serve ice creaming. Lactose milk-creamed strawberry/banana pureeing thickened by peachy pineapple tang and lemon meringue tartness.
On tap at Growler & Gill, lemony orange-peeled yellow grapefruit Citra-hopped zesting and tart Nelson Sauvin-hopped gooseberry souring sit across sticky Simcoe-hopped pine resin (and dank grassy stead), picking up candied peach glaze for lightly embittered tropical fruited NEIPA.
SUGAR LOAF, NEW YORK
Up in the woodsy rural hills of Sugar Loaf three miles north of similarly rustic Drowned Lands, TIN BARN BREWING opened springtime 2020. Co-owning head brewer, Lauren Van Pamelen, whose rotating beer lineup pours from twelve-plus taps, honed her skills as a homebrewer and an apprenticeship at Long Island’s Oyster Bay Brewing Company.
Inside a spacious forest green farmhouse lodge with pitched high ceiling, exposed pipes, a cozy couched hearth section and Industrial wood-metal-plastic furnishings, Tin Barn’s mammoth stainless steel brew tanks occupy the entire left side. The food station (next to the gray ’52 Ford tractor) provides specialty gas-fired red and white pizzas.
Plus, there’s plenty of outside backyard seating as the benched wood deck and its mezzanine sidle the turf grounded open air outdoor pavilion.
I step up to the wood top bar and order a few rangy homemade brews (reviewed below) before heading outside on this warm Saturday afternoon May ’21 to watch acoustic duo, the Al’s, give a new spin to old classics while offering funny pandemic-related originals such as “Where’s My Charger?” and “Plan B.”
Sessionable hazy straw yellowed NEIPA, 1938 Farmall, let spritzy lemony grapefruit tanginess pick up mild pineapple, mandarin orange and tangerine slumber as well as piney hop resin.
Easygoing sunny yellow-glowed Oh! How I’ve Dreamt Of Taps, a lightly creamed triple IPA moderation, saddled its peppery lemon tang with oats flaked mineral grains.
Musky golden marbled NEIPA, Dank Island, retained yogurt-soured pineapple tartness, grapefruit-pitted orange rind bittering, lightly peppered lemon spritz and spiced mango salting.
Tartly sour Tropical Tsunami brought puckered orange-juiced guava, mango, pineapple and tangerine tropicalia to the moderately acidic surface above oated white wheat dryness.
Whipped cream banana pudding received chocolate chip sugaring for richly creamed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bourbon Banana Pudding Imperial Pastry Stout, leaving fudgy molasses brownie goodness all over ancillary bourbon vanilla sweetness.
On tap at Growler & Gill, salted orange zesting picks up mild grapefruit bittering and wispy tangerine-clementine tartness over dank piney hop astringency.
On tap at Ambulance, blush pinkish amber Berliner Weiss knocks off black cherry soda with salted lemon seltzer spritz. Refreshingly tart black cherry permanence gains mild lactic acidity and floral-nipped raspberry snip for easygoing soft drink posing as a viable kettle soured ale.
On tap at Growler & Gill, briskly smooth orange-peeled grapefruit tang gains sweet floral-daubed Citra-hopped spicing and wispy lemon spritz for juicily hazed NEIPA-wavered moderation.
On tap at Growler & Gill, semi-sharp lemony grapefruit, pineapple and orange juicing picks up herbal piney hop whim above delicate spice-sugared oats base for uncomplicatedly appealing NEIPA.
On tap at Growler & Gill, rounded moderate-medium body plies evenly spread grapefruit, navel orange, pineapple, peach and mango tanginess to soiled earthen herbage and mildly resinous pine hop bittering. Clean vodka twang promotes fruity front end.
On tap at Draught Industries, mellow dry-hopped gold-hazed NEIPA boasts clean floral-fruited zesting and lightly creamed vanilla sweetness to contrast white-peppered herbage and dank piney earthiness above its dry pale malt spine. Sedate sugar-spiced grapefruit, pineapple, orange and tangerine tang gains subtle lemon-dropped tartness to secure fruitful finish.
On tap at Ambulance, lactic double dry-hopped NEIPA with murky golden haze provides sharp lemony orange juicing and spiced pineapple tartness with mild yogurt-soured vanilla creaming. Zesty tropical fruiting abounds.
