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America’s

100 BEST BEER BARS


The top places to discover, drink and experience beer

SUMMER
BEER TRAVEL
Berlin • Brazil • Boston

Trending Now
THE NEW IPA Summer Sips
Fresh Taste SESSION IPAS
HERB GARDEN SAISONS
BEERS FRUIT GOSES
+
What’s Next
SAVORY
SOURS
…NOW GOES ANYWHERE
LIFE TAKES YOU
Presenting a portable version of the rich and
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» IT’S THE
REINHEITSGEBOT THAT FUELS
OUR CREATIVITY.«
The Brewmasters of the Radeberger Gruppe
The way to the heart of Germany is through the palate:
there’s nothing more German than German Beer
and German Beer is good by law. The Reinheitsgebot
from 1516 decrees that only malt, hops, water, and
yeast may be used for brewing. That’s all our brew-
masters need. For the past 500 years, the boundaries
set by the law have challenged them to be innovative
and inspired them to be creative. Today, the country
with the strictest brewing law boasts the greatest
regional beer variety in the world. For every drop is
brewed by a select few who live for what they do.
www.DeutschesBier.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Erika Ann Rietz

ART DIRECTOR
Kevin M. Robie

BEER EDITOR
Kate Bernot

BEER EDITOR
Zach Fowle

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Cristina Carrasco

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Joe Stange

PHOTO EDITOR
Jess Suworoff

COPY EDITOR
Cynthia Puleo

CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Body, Jeff Cioletti, Jackie Dodd, Matt Furman, Stormy Ingram,
Andrew Jenner, Erin Kincheloe, Lily Padula, Kristen Pope, Ed Rudolph,
Brian Yaeger

CEO
Clancy Woods

PRESIDENT
Trevor Cravens

PUBLISHER
Evan M. Hughes

V.P. SALES
Erik Laudenschlager

SALES EXECUTIVE
Bryce McDonald

WEB DEVELOPER
Jonathan Surratt

CIRCULATION MANAGER
Lori Day

SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SERVICE


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DRAFT Magazine (001-330) is published bimonthly by Draft Publishing, LLC,
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July / August 2016, Volume 11, Issue 4.
Postage paid at Phoenix, Ariz. and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Draft Publishing, P.O. Box 8512, Big Sandy, TX
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for claims by its advertisers or contributors.

4 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


CONTENTS
FEATURES ON TAP REVIEWS
52 GOING WHOLE LOG 18 PAIRING GREEK EATS 34 BREWERY TO WATCH: 87 SUMMER SIPS
Brewers harvest tree sap, leaves Best bets for sipping alongisde TRANSMITTER BREWING Session IPAs
and bark for one-of-a-kind beers gyros, hummus and more Vibrant farmhouse ales from NYC Saisons
Fruit goses
56 WHAT IS BRAZILIAN BEER? 20 BEST BREAKFAST: MPLS 38 A LA BEER: CORN FRITTERS
Brazil’s nascent craft breweries A Minneapolis morning starts at How to make grilled corn and pale
seek a national identity these must-try brunch spots ale bites even better? Fry ‘em up

76 NONSTOP BERLIN 30 THE SAVORY SIDE OF SOUR 45 TRENDING: THE NEW IPA
There’s beer for anyone, Taste what chocolate and coffee Welcome the fresh face of IPAs:
anytime in the German capital can bring to tart wild ales hazy, aromatic, delicious

32 TASTY ACCIDENTS 48 BEERTOWN: DETROIT ON THE COVER


How brewers turn disaster The Motor City’s beer scene Barrel Republic in San Diego
into your next favorite beer blends grace and grit photograph by Paul Body

61
THE 100 BEST
BEER BARS IN
AMERICA
TERI CARR

6 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


©2016 Goose Island Beer Co., Goose IPA®, India Pale Ale, Chicago, IL | Enjoy responsibly.
ONTAP

THE DRAFT LIST the


SUMMER
issue
COOL BREWS
V

Tasty Freeze MINI TREND


V
At Saltine in Jackson,
Mississippi, Chef Jesse Houston Sea-ingredient goses
likes to play with his food … and Gose’s signature salinity can be reminiscent of the sea; brewers are doubling
beer. This summer he’s trans- down on the oceanic theme by adding oysters and even seaweed to these
forming pints like Slowboat historic beers. Each summer for the past two years, Everett, Massachusetts-
Into the Mystic Hibiscus Witbier based Night Shift Brewing has added whole, raw Island Creek oysters to the
and Natchez Southern Grace boil of its Harborside gose; the shells open up during the brewing process,
contributing brinyness to the beer. (Bonus: Brewers get to slurp a few raw
Berliner Weisse into ice cream
oysters in the process.) A recent collaboration between Baltimore’s Stillwater
flavors.
Artisanal Ales and Germany’s Freigeist yielded Atlantis Gose, a slightly
umami-flavored beer brewed with seaweed and oyster shells. And a tag-
team brew last year between England’s Siren Craft Brew and Minneapolis-
based Surly Brewing Co. created Blue Sky Blue Sea, a gose with kombo
and sea spaghetti seaweed as well as cloudberries, which are orange-hued
berries similar to blackberries or raspberries.

YOUR CELLAR
V

GOTTA HAVE AGAVE


Bring Out:
LOST ABBEY AGAVE MARIA 2014
Aged for a minimum of 10 months in
anejo and reposado tequila barrels
(which originally housed tequila for 2
to 12 months and 1 to 3 years, respec-
tively), this 13.5%-ABV strong ale
Ready for This Jelly was a boozy, caramel-sweet beast
Bia wun, aka “jelly beer,” is when fresh. After a couple years—
super-chilled beer made and the activity of some very funky
with a technique developed yeast—it hasn’t been tamed so much
in Thailand, and now it’s as transmogrified. Smooth oaky
springing up stateside. At tones and leather recall the brew’s aroma
Thai restaurant Pok Pok in when it was fresh; the swirling cherry-
Portland, Oregon, chef Andy like fragrance and the tongue-gripping
Ricker first started to make acidity are a departure. Caramel and
dark chocolate arrive mid-sip to soften
bia wun after learning about
the tart impact, but the tequila’s vegetal,
a Bangkok local who, inspired
shotlike heat ignites the conclusion of
by street vendors who freeze the sip. Drink this bottle while the funk is
popsicles in large vats of ice-salt still at a manageable level.
slurry, decided to do the same
thing with beer. Agitating the Lay Down:
beer in the vat evenly cools all COACHELLA VALLEY MAYAHUEL
the liquid in the bottle; opening No tequila was harmed in the making
Parks & Rec
it sets off a chain reaction that of this Belgian-style tripel; its spirituous
In honor of the National Park Service’s
crystallizes the liquid, turning it character comes from additions of Blue
centennial this year, Rogue part- Webber Agave Nectar, clear Belgian candi
into jellylike slush. Bia wun has nered with Pendleton Woolen Mills sugar, tangerines, limes and a couple
since been adopted at several (which has woven blankets inspired months spent in bourbon barrels. The
Asian-influenced restaurants by National Parks since 1916) to cre- beer those ingredients create, however, is
across the country, includ- ate Pendleton Pale Ale, a canned boozy enough to belong in a salt-rimmed
ing Sway in Austin and Uncle summer seasonal that features the glass. Initial spikes of lime zest and vanilla
Boon’s in New York City. mill’s Crater Lake-inspired artwork. quickly fade on the tongue to a melange
of sugar cookies, ripe plum and harsh
A portion of sales are included in
whiskey. Currently, there isn’t enough
Pendleton’s donation to the National
complexity to balance the beer’s alcohol
Park Foundation. (Read about brew- character, but give it a year or so and the
eries near national parks on p. 28!) Belgian yeast should dry things out and
pad the flavor with fruity complexity.

VOCAB LESSON
Ever heard of txotx? It’s a Spanish term for tapping a
Basque cider barrel, offering a taste of liquid straight
from the wood. The new Black Twig restaurant and
cider bar in Durham, North Carolina is one of the
few places where guests can sip pours in the txotx
tradition (which, FYI, is pronounced “choach”).

JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

HERB
SIXER
V

GARDEN
Prior to A.D. 1000, when
residents of northwest
Germany began to cultivate
hops, brewers seasoned
their beers with an herbal
mixture called gruit. Now
that humanity has figured
out hop farming (high five!),
herbs are still a part of beer,
but play a more subtle role
in contemporary styles.

Epic Utah Sage Saison


Distinctly earthy sage still allows the
excellent base saison’s aroma to shine
through; it synchs up with zesty peppercorn
in the nose. Fresh, sweet sage greets the
tongue first, flanked by sunny lemon and
white peppercorn. Herbal bitterness and
zippy carbonation make this a refreshing
companion to backyard dinners.

NOLA 7th Street Wheat


A crisp wheat beer brewed with lemon basil
is a cool, canned antidote to the Big Easy’s
notorious summer humidity. A thread of
citrusy basil weaves through clean, crackery
malts, ending with a dollop of fresh, spicy
basil leaf flavor.

The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments


Rosemary, honey and raisin additions
combine with a Belgian dark strong ale’s
dark malts for layers of rich, spicy flavor; this
is definitely meant for slow contemplation.
Just a smidge of piney rosemary peeks out
between port wine, malt and cocoa powder,
grounded by deep, golden honey flavor.

Bison Honey Basil


Basil and honey—both organic—contribute
floral intrigue to this aromatic amber ale;
subtle, leafy flavor segues into bready and
lightly toasted malts before the creamy
finish. Even-keeled and not overly sweet, the
beer leaves lingering toasty malts and mild,
PHOTO BY ED RUDOLPH; FOOD STYLING BY STORMIE INGRAM

peppery basil on the tongue.

South Shore Northern Lights


A sessionable cream ale provides a quietly
sweet platform for lavender and wood betony,
which the brewery grows and then turns into
tinctures that flavor the beer. Fresh grain and
crisp corn sweetness begins the sip; a rustic,
sagelike note (not unlike a woody, herbal hop
flavor) provides a counterpoint and initiates
the lightly bitter swallow.

Almanac Golden Gate Gose


The lemon verbena addition to this spot-on
You can gruit! base gose lends a peppercorn and lemony
Want to taste a contemporary citrus note to both aroma and flavor. White
interpretation of these ancient, pepper and citrus blossom chase the soft,
unhopped beers? Seek out Solarc fruity wheat flavors before a rush of pleasant
Brewing’s peppery and food-friendly salinity and warm coriander asserts itself
flagship brew, Dunes, a gruit brewed at the swallow. The not-too-tart brew is
with organic sage, lemongrass, cohesive and easy-drinking, exactly right for
wormwood, mugwort and turmeric. an afternoon picnic.

JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

DOUBLE FISTING
V

Slashies
For many breweries,
beer is just one aspect
of the business plan.

Tröegs Brewing Co. art gallery


Pennsylvania-based Tröegs sends a call
out to artistically inclined beer nerds
each spring for submissions to its Art of
Tröegs contest; this summer, the brew-
ery will finally have a place to display
all the pieces it’s been sent. The Tröegs
Gallery, according to spokesman Justin
Williams, will be housed above the
brewery’s new Splinter Cellar wood-
aging area and will showcase the best
Art of Tröegs submissions and commis-
sioned pieces from pro artists. Oskar Blues' REEB

Oskar Blues Brewery bicycle manufacturer


James Book at
Ninkasi Studios Thank a thief for REEB Cycles: The company was born after Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis’
bike was snatched in 2011. Dismayed by both the ubiquity of bike thievery and the dearth
of quality, American-made products to replace said stolen bikes, the brewery folks founded
REEB (yes, it’s “beer” spelled backwards) with an eye toward building handmade bikes with
domestically produced steel tubing. “It’s something you don’t see very much in the bike industry
anymore,” says Chad Melis, Oskar Blues’ marketing guru and REEB’s operations manager. “The
handcrafted, hand-welded element is by far the most important part, and that mimics the hand-
brewed character of brewing beer.” Along with building and shipping bikes, REEB also operates
CyclHops Bike CANtina, a full-service retail bike shop-slash-taqueria in Longmont, Colorado,
and REEB Ranch, a trail-riding destination located on a farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Burnt City Brewing Co. McMenamins Bagdad Theater


bowling alley & Pub in Portland, Oregon
Operating at
various times
under different
names—Lucky
Strike, 710 Lounge
and, most recently,
Atlas Brewing
Co.—this boutique TOP: YANN ROPARS. LEFT: STEVI SAYLER. BOTTOM RIGHT: LIZ DEVINE
Ninkasi Brewing Co. recording studio
bowling alley/
Since its opening, Ninkasi has supported
indie musicians in many ways—album-
bar/brewpub in
pressing sponsorships, assistance with Chicago’s Lincoln
tour scheduling, booking bands for Park neighborhood
performances at the brewery’s events. finally became a
But the desire to grease the wheels for cohesive unit in
up-and-coming artists crystallized May. The eight
in 2015 with the opening of Ninkasi hardwood lanes
Studios, an in-house recording studio are old-school McMenamins movie theater/spa/golf course
on the brewery’s campus in Eugene, Perhaps the most prolific brewery slashy of all, Oregon-based
(read: no automatic
Oregon. James Book, Ninkasi's Brand and McMenamins operates an eclectic mix of secondary businesses
scoring), but across its 54 locations, from nine separate movie theaters, 10 hotels,
Experiential Marketing Director, helms
the operation and, at no charge, guides
bowlers forced to five soaking pools and two spas to a winery, a distillery and a pair
artists utilizing his two decades of music grab a round after of golf courses. “We didn’t want to avoid getting involved with
industry expertise: He operated a Los a beer frame only these things just because we didn’t know much about that specific
Angeles studio and was the bassist for The have to take a few business,” says Renee Rank Ignacio, the chain’s marketing director.
Flys—you’d recognize their 1998 hit, “Got steps to reach the “The spirit at McMenamins is, ‘We don’t know how to do that, but
You (Where I Want You),” if you heard it. brewery’s taps. we want to learn how to do it. So why not?’”

14 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

GREAT GETAWAY
V

Road Trip:
Boston to
Coastal Maine
Consider I-95 your stairway
to beer and seafood heaven.
Tag-team the driving
duties—it takes two hands
to eat a proper lobster roll.

Day One
X Put on your best open-road playlist
and head about an hour north on I-95 to
Q Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Hampton,
New Hampshire. Even if you’ve been to
the brewery before, you likely haven’t
played on its months-old, nine-hole
disc golf course; it’s free, and although
there’s no beer allowed on the course,
your score card earns you a $2 pint at
the brewery’s restaurant, Hayseed. From
there, veer slightly west off 95 to check out
W Stoneface Brewing Co., a name that
references the Old Man of the Mountain,
the state’s iconic geological feature. Try
a pint of the India Red Rye Ale at the tap-
room; if you like it, grab a bottle to take
home to friends. By now, you’re hungry,
right? Fortunately, you’re just 15 min-
utes from E The Black Birch in Kittery,
Maine, a convivial and rustic little restau-
rant serving super-seasonal shared plates.
The vast majority of the 24 draft lines are
dedicated to Maine or New Hampshire
brews, with pours from hometown favor-
ite Tributary Brewing and Maine brewer-
ies Rising Tide and Banded Horn. After
dinner, another 45 minutes’ drive gets you
to Kennebunkport, full of stately B&Bs
(this is Kennedyland, after all).

Day Two
XBy now, most of your friends expect you 15 minutes from Y Bissell Brothers’ new of the eight beers on draft at the taproom
to share photos of the awesome seafood location at the Thompson’s Point devel- that day, including selections from the Hop
you’re eating on the coast, right? Pick up an opment, a larger space in which to soak Program series and pilot brewing system.
early seafood snack at R The Ocean Roll, up the brewery’s coveted, hop-forward Make an outdoorsy side trip to nearby O
perhaps the East Coast’s most retro food beers. Next, veer east five miles for a late Wolfe’s Neck Farm, where you can tour the
truck, which (during warm months) dishes lunch at U Little Tap House, whose 14 barnyard and gardens or hike through the
up clam cakes, swordfish sandwiches, lob- taps pour mostly Maine drafts—look for forest; you can even camp oceanside over-
ster rolls, a daily rotating chowder and more Foundation Brewing, Gneiss Brewing and night or rent daytime kayaks during warm-
from the back of a vintage truck parked at Marshall Wharf Brewing—that synch with er months. Loop south and you’re heading
the corner of Ross Road and Route 1. Then the kitchen’s seasonal pub menu (we’d go back to Boston. P Oxbow Brewing Co.’s
head north to your first brewery destina- for the Beer for Breakfast Sandwich during Portland taproom marks the final stop of
tion of the day: the venerable T Allagash weekend brunch: two fried eggs, bacon the trip; although the space’s city vibe is
Brewing Co., which has been turning out and beer cheese fondue on a grilled bun quite different than what you’d find at the
Belgian-style ales in Portland, Maine, for for just $10.) Next up: I Maine Beer Co., brewery’s rustic digs in Newcastle, Maine,
more than 20 years. Stop by the retail shop a 30-ish minute jaunt north along I-295 the Portland space also offers farmhouse
for a free flight of four, 3-ounce pours, or to Freeport. You won’t be able to tour the beers and is the site of Oxbow’s sour blend-
LILY PADULA

book a free tour (which also includes a tast- brewery, but large windows offer a glimpse ing and bottling operation. Try some beers
ing) through the website if you want to see of the brewing process while you work your there or pick up a few bottles to help you
the behind-the-scenes magic. You’re just way through the “all in,” 5-ounce pours remember the trip.

16 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


OnE TiMe, We BrOuGhT HoMe GoLd
FrOm ThE WoRlD BeEr CuP. * To ThEsE PeOpLe. sM

WhO DiDn’T EvEn KnOw ThAt WaS A ThInG.

©2016 Blue Point Brewing Company, Toasted Lager ®, Patchogue, NY and Baldwinsville, NY | Enjoy responsibly.
*World Beer Cup 2006 Gold Award for American Amber Lager.

T O A S T E D L A G E R. A M E R I C A N S T Y L E A M B E R L A G E R .
B R E W E D W I T H A B L E N D O F S I X S P E C I A LT Y M A LT S F O R A
F L AVO R A S R I C H A N D U N I Q U E A S T H E T O W N I T ’ S F R O M .

BlUePoInTbReWiNg.CoM
ONTAP

PAIRING
V

Street Greek and Beer


This summer, take it to the street: Hit up a
Greek food truck with beers in tow, and create
the perfect picnic.
Dolmades & Rice Lager
Tart, vegetal grape leaves are perfect
packaging for vegetarian delights like
rice and tomato; the appetizer-sized
bite packs big flavors, so it’s smart to
introduce a beer with subtler ones.
Hummus & American
Falafel & American IPA A rice lager’s lightly floral hops meld
Wheat Beer
A falafel’s fried, salty perfectly, while the clean lager
A sunny, lemony
exterior loves an IPA finish tempers the acidic bite.
American wheat
with some garlic and
beer lends a bright
onion hop flavors that
kick to the hummus,
draw out the crisp bite’s
while the beer’s soft
light (but similar)
carbonation easily
spices. In turn, the
cleanses the creamy
starchy chickpeas
paste from the palate.
highlight the beer’s
quiet malts.

Tabbouleh & Czech Pilsner


Tabbouleh’s flavorful burst
happens when the parsley’s green,
leafy and bitter bite meets the bright
acidity of a lemony dressing. Steady
all the flavor with an even-keeled
pilsner; the bready malts are like a
dinner roll with your salad.

PHOTO BY ED RUDOLPH, FOOD STYLING BY STORMIE INGRAM

Baklava & Porter


Baklava’s a flakey treat
filled with sweet
cinnamon spice and
pistachios. A porter’s
Gyro & American Brown Ale dark chocolate tones
This street Greek favorite requires two beautifully complement
hands and is built to fill with garlic-and the cinnamon and the
onion-spiced lamb slathered with tart nuts, while its velvety
tzatziki sauce: Try it with a soft brown body makes dessert that
ale, whose nutty notes complement the much more luscious.
savory meat and sweet, toasted flavors
round out the soft, bready pita.

18 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

HOT TABLES
The best seats in
beer right now.

Q
After years in planning, Chicago’s
first cider focused-restaurant,
The Northman, finally opened
in March from the owners of
beer bar Fountainhead. The
restaurant offers 18 draft ciders
plus 80 more in cans and bottles
alongside a European-influenced
bistro menu.
Hola Arepa’s
Fried Chicken & Cachapas W
Opened this spring just outside
of Atlanta, Ba Bellies brings the
BEST BREAKFASTS
V owners’ fine-dining experience
(chef Mike Yang cooked at NYC’s

Minneapolis Morning Craft and interned at Per Se) to


casual Southeast Asian cuisine.
Order up a rice or noodle bowl
You could easily spend all your time in Minneapolis wandering from taproom to
washed down with one of 11 draft
taproom. Start your day at one of these brunch spots and you’ll set yourself up for beers from the likes of Creature
brewery-hopping success. BY ERIN KINCHELOE Comforts and Wicked Weed.

E
HOLA AREPA NIGHTHAWKS BURCH STEAK & PIZZA BAR Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s
X The modern food truck-to- X What if your favorite diner X Burch reinvented the steakhouse long-awaited Venice location
mortar success story of Hola made everything from scratch? when it opened its doors, offering finally opened in April. Much like
Arepa hinges on the humble Named for the Edward Hopper offbeat beef cuts, plenty of the brewery’s satellite Barrelworks
arepa, a griddled cornmeal cake painting, Nighthawks’ menu vegetarian options and a sleek location in Buellton, the new
and the best of what can be looks approachable (breakfast basement pizza bar. Its brunch is Propagator campus houses
a barrel-aging cellar, a tasting
stuffed inside it: chorizo and egg sandwiches are diner standbys), equally inspired, with a menu that
room,and a restaurant featuring
done classically or Benedict-style, and even their breads are made runs the gamut from rice pudding
bites from brisket to banh mi.
with hollandaise plus guava for in-house. Counter stools give to a lobster-gruyere croque
a bright twist. You can’t go wrong you front-row seats to the action, madame. Everything is executed R
with any dish on the menu, but where the flat top sizzles straight with simple, earthy goodness, but A real-deal beer garden on the
you might find a favorite in the through dinner service. You’ll have some of the best dishes lie in the a Las Vegas Strip, Beerhaus now
Silver Dollar Cachapas, mini a hard time choosing between la carte section: potato cakes are provides reprieve from the mass-
sweet corn pancakes layered with the fluffy plate-sized chorizo, cheffy stand-ins for McDonald’s produced lagers on the casino
smoke and spice thanks to bacon cheddar and corn pancakes and hash browns, zucchini fritters floor. Local breweries Joseph
James, Big Dog’s and Crafthaus
and jalapeño. The spot is vibrant Minneapolis’ favorite squishy make a case for vegetables before
make regular appearances on 26
and playful, with a standout double cheeseburger, but it noon, and fried taleggio skins with
taps and wash down grub like the
cocktail list and a sunny patio to won’t be difficult leaving totally, chimichurri are puffed hangover- hop-infused Beerhaus Brat.
sip them on. happily, stuffed. curing delights.
3501 Nicollet Ave., 3753 Nicollet Ave. S., 1933 Colfax Ave. S., T
holaarepa.com nighthawksmpls.com burchrestaurant.com Dressed-up Southern and Creole
fare are the focus at Houston’s
The Durham House, but beer
believers will appreciate this new

LATE-NIGHT
spot’s selection of more than
Masu Sushi & Robata: Serving cold sake and hot ramen to hungry bar crawlers until mid- 100 cellared bottles separated

BITE:
night, this lively corner izakaya also features sushi and grilled meat and veggie skewers. Snack thoughtfully by style and serving
on steamed bao buns filled with pork belly and bacon-wrapped quail eggs between rounds at the temperature (42 and 53 degrees),
MATT LIEN

gleaming wall of pachinko machines. 330 E. Hennepin Ave., masusushiandrobata.com with vintage beers from as far
back as 2011.

20 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

THE SPEAKER

V
The superdurable, waterproof
FUGOO Sport Speaker can
easily withstand splashing, but
don’t risk drowning out your
tunes; stick it in the FUGOO
Go-Float and let your in-pool
THE SHADES

V
Pandora set the mood for up
to 40 hours of continuous play. The Hook Sunglasses don’t just
$199.99 for speaker and shield your eyes from rays: The
jacket, $19.99 for FUGOO aersospace-grade titanium arms are built to
Go-Float; fugoo.com last. Plus, thanks to their unique hook design,
they pull double duty as a bottle opener.
GEAR
V $145, williampainter.com

Pool Party
Crack open some beers, grill
up some burgers and dive right
in: We’ve got the gear for your
best summer pool party ever.

V
THE DRINK HOLDER
Finally, a pink flamingo that’s useful: Inflatable
Flamingo Coasters are floating cup (or can!) holders.
prices vary, amazon.com V
THE FLOAT
Grab a friend for chilled-out drifting on
this 6-foot-long Pizza Slice Pool Float;
it’s outfitted with cup holders for two.
$48, urbanoutfitters.com
V

THE BALM
Citrus-flavored Bell’s
Oberon Lip Balm
packs SPF 15 and is
the next best thing
to putting the beer to
V
V your lips. $1.25,
THE TOWEL THE GAME bellsbeer.com/store
Dry off and drink up: The cotton
You can tie down this PORTOPONG floating beer pong table
terry 60-inch Summer Ale Beach
or take your chances with the waves; either way, your favorite
Towel from Brooklyn Brewery
outdoor beer game is definitely better when everyone’s
sports a bright blue can of its
getting wetter. $49.99, portopong.com
seasonal British pale ale.
$26, store.brooklynbrewery.com

22 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


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A N
EXTR
PED
AVAG

HOP t
We pu
ONTAP

WE’RE OBSESSED
V

Sixfold NYC
Two-Bottle Tote
XAn incredible bottle of beer or cider
calls for a carrier that’s just as tasteful
and well made. Exhibit A: Vegetable-dyed
leather and American walnut wood
come together with minimal processing
(no glue or flimsy stitching) in this du-
rable, timeless package. We also love that
Sixfold designs, laser-cuts and hand-as-
sembles it in the river town of Newburgh,
in New York’s Hudson Valley. Sure, you
could slip your bottle into a paper bag,
but really, doesn’t it deserve better?
$140 (also available in black), sixfold.nyc

26 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


GREAT BEYOND
REAT BEY DOUBLE
ND D BLE IPA
PA

attain
enlightenment
Celebrate the launch of Brewery Ommegang’s first Double IPA.
Featuring notes of citrus and pine with a silky, hoppy finish.
ONTAP

WHERE TO DRINK NEXT


V

National Park
Breweries
As the National Park Service celebrates its
centennial this year, nature lovers are flocking
to breweries in and around national parks.
Check out these five favorites and plan your
summer of adventure.
BY KRISTEN POPE

SUPERIOR BATHHOUSE BREWERY fine Big Bend National Park. It’s a best-kept secret: Only park’s iconic lakes while helping fund the Jenny Lake
Hot Springs National Park about 300,000 people journey to the park each year to Restoration Project.
Arkansas soak up the local culture, see cacti and sneak peeks The two-story brewery and restaurant in Jackson,
XAt this park, visitors can tour historic bathhouses, of black bears, mountain lions, coyotes and javelinas Wyoming, is often packed with locals and visitors enjoy-
bathe in hot springs or imbibe the creations of Superior (hopefully while avoiding the park’s several indigenous ing the indoor brewpub ambience or soaking up the pa-
Bathhouse Brewery, the only brewery actually located species of rattlesnake.) tio’s summer sun after a day taking in views of the Teton
inside a national park. Using soft water directly from the Big Bend Brewing Co. is located in Alpine, Texas, Range and spotting grizzly and black bears, bison, elk,
park’s 47 hot springs—piped in at approximately 143 just over an hour away (but virtually next door in the vast wolves and other critters in the park.
degrees Fahrenheit—the brewery creates Chaudfontaine Lone Star State), and has a rustic ambience enhanced This summer’s offerings include Freedom Pilsner,
Noire (dark strong ale), Chaudfontaine Trente-Trois (tri- by the taproom and porch’s mountain views. Visitors sip Hoback Hefeweizen and Blank Czech Pilsner, in addi-
pel), Barn Burner (smoky wild yeast saison), Superior Tejas Lager, Terlingua Gold and La Frontera IPA along tion to mainstays like Pako’s EYE-Pand Zonker Stout,
Pale Ale (British-style pale ale) and more. with this summer’s new additions Tejas Negra amber ale along with several barrel-aged releases.•
And the ambiance? “It has this kind of bathhouse- and Tejas Clara. “The beers are specifically brewed to
chic atmosphere to it,” says owner Rose Schweikhart, honor the biculturalism of this border region,” says Vice
noting the bathhouse was built in 1916 and features President of Operations Mahala Guevara.
hexagonal subway tiles on the floor and marble wain-
scoting on the walls; the bar was even constructed from JUNE LAKE BREWING
the bathhouse’s original check-in desk. Yosemite National Park
California
ESTES PARK BREWERY XKnown for its stunning waterfalls as well as iconic rock
Rocky Mountain National Park formations such as Half Dome and El Capitan, the 1,200
Colorado square miles of Yosemite National Park are packed
XLocated just 3.6 miles from Rocky Mountain National with glorious meadows, great expanses of wilderness,
Park, Estes Park Brewery is an easy stop for the 4 million ancient giant sequoias, the high country of Tuolumne
visitors who hike the park’s 300-plus miles of trails, drive Meadows and beyond.
scenic Trail Ridge Road, fish the many lakes and spy on Head through Tioga Pass at the eastern entrance
wildlife like elk and bighorn sheep. and pop into June Lake Brewing, located just 20 min-
TOP: JENNIFER BOOMER. BOTTOM: SCOTT WOOD

Situated next to a go-kart track and a giant slide, utes away. June Lake’s four mainstays—Alpers Trout
the laid-back, family-friendly restaurant and brewery Pale Ale, Deer Beer Brown Ale, SmoKin Porter and
features a deck, pool tables, a sample bar and an open Hutte Double IPA—and this summer’s specialty, Silver
floor plan where visitors can survey the scene below. Lake Saison, all have one secret ingredient in common:
This summer, it’ll have a pineapple passion fruit wheat “Eastern Sierra Nevada water,” says co-owner Sarah
beer on tap as well as favorites Bear Lake Blueberry Walsh. “Everything comes from underground springs
Wheat, The Shining Pale Ale and the 10% ABV Estes and that’s what makes our beer exceptional.”
Park Barley Wine.
SNAKE RIVER BREWING
BIG BEND BREWING CO. Grand Teton National Park
Big Bend National Park Wyoming
Texas XSnake River Brewing, located about 10 miles from
XVast expanses of desert, deep canyons, the forest- Grand Teton National Park, is named for the famed river
ed Chisos Mountains, glorious isolation and the Rio that winds through the 480-square-mile reserve. The
Grande—which separates the U.S. from Mexico—de- brewery’s Jenny Lake Lager pays homage to one of the

28 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


CHEERS
TO
30 YEAR
OF ABITS
A BEER
Celebratin !
g thirty ye
Louisiana ar
’s originals as
craft brew
er.
ONTAP

Coffee Wild Ale


XBarley spans the flavor connection
between coffee beans and dark-

SOUR BEANS
NEXT LEVEL
V
hued American sours: R oasty,
raisiny malt flavors harmonize
with similar characteristics in the
coffee. “Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee
specifically has a lot of funky, dark
Coffee and chocolate berry notes,” says New Belgium
seem like flavors that don’t Brewing Co.’s wood cellar blender,
belong in a tart wild Lauren Salazar. “When we were
talking about that varietal at the
ale—until you try it. brewery, it sounded like we were
BY ZACH FOWLE describing Oscar, our dark sour.”

Chocolate Gose “It’s this funny sort of


XTraditional goses are spiked with
sea salt, making them the perfect sour mind tease in which
style to higlight cocoa flavors. That’s you smell one thing but
because salinity actually enhances then you taste
our perception of sweetness, boosting something totally
sugary qualities while creating a salty/
sweet juxtaposition that can’t be beat—
unexpected.”
as anyone who’s tasted salted chocolate - Lauren Salazar,
chip cookies will tell you. New Belgium Brewing Co.

Coffee Berliner Weisse


XThese German wheat ales become tart
Due to the cost during fermentation with bacteria that
of ingredients— produce lactic acid (the same stuff that
and, you know, makes yogurt tangy). Certain coffee varieties
the weirdness of have similar acidity and flavors that deftly
the flavors—these accent a Berliner’s lemony twang. “Having
beers are usually some of the more floral, citrusy and light
draft-only. coffees can really complement a sour beer
well,” says Christopher Basso, CEO and
brewmaster at Newburgh Brewing Co.
which makes C.A.F.E. Sour.

SIX TO TRY:
New Belgium Wicked Weed Silencio Newburgh C.A.F.E. Sour Greenpoint Enduro 8-Bit Ryan’s Urban Artifact Abacus
Oscar-Worthy Coffee Bourbon barrel-aging The “cafe” in this Berliner Duromina coffee beans Temporary Insanity “For us, dark flavors and
Oscar, New Belgium’s dark rounds out the edges of weisse’s name is actually from—guess where?— Video game-themed roast don’t go well with
sour ale, picks up bracing both the aroma and flavor an acronym—Coffee Ethiopia accentuates the 8-Bit Aleworks crafted sourness,” says Bret Baker,
acidity and lively funk of this ebony-hued sour Acquired From Ethiopia— bright lactic character this cocoa-flavored gose brewer at Urban Artifact in
during the several months ale, providing a smooth which alludes to the of this 3.5%-ABV at its Avondale, Arizona, Cincinnati. With Abacus,
it spends fermenting in vanilla note (enhanced by Yirgacheffe beans with Berliner weisse made brewpub last winter with he kept things on the
giant, bacteria-packed wood actual vanilla beans) that which it is flavored. The in collaboration with the malt sugars left over sweeter side by spiking the
vats called foeders. A few bridges the divide between connection to the African Lofted Coffee Roasters after brewing Mayan gose post-fermentation
days of “dry-beaning” with hazelnut-heavy coffee nation, however, goes in Brooklyn. A dose of Chocolossus, a 12% ABV with vanilla beans and
whole Yirgacheffe coffee and cherrylike tartness. deeper: Brewmaster milk sugar adds even spiced imperial stout. a pound per gallon of
beans gives it a powerfully Originally released as part Christopher Basso crafted more intrigue to Enduro’s Kettle-soured with wild raspberries and fruity/
earthy, espresso aroma. “The of the Asheville, North the brew with gesho lemon-tart and woody yeast and infused with floral cocoa nibs. While the
JESS SUWOROFF

coffee’s totally unexpected, Carolina-based brewery’s leaves and a grain called flavor. Savor the brew if you vanilla and chocolate, beer has the same pH as a
and yet it’s this amazing experimental Canvas teff to mimic tella, an ale happen to find it on draft: the brew maintains the glass of grapefruit juice,
complement,” Salazar says. Series, Silencio returns commonly brewed among Greenpoint releases just light body of a gose while the nibs and fruit provide
“You can’t tell where the sour as a flagship sour in Ethiopian tribes. five barrels each year. slathering the tongue with enough sweetness to deftly
starts and the beans end.” early July. baker’s cocoa and salt. balance the sip.

30 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

PHOTO BY ED RUDOLPH; FOOD STYLIING BY STORMIE INGRAM


TRENDING New Glarus Serendipity
V
When Mother Nature annihilated most of Wisconsin’s cherry harvest

Recipes for disaster in 2012, brewmaster Dan Carey couldn’t make the brewery’s beloved
Wisconsin Belgian Red. Luckily the apple and cranberry crops fared well,
so Carey combined them with the cherries he could gather and placed
When calamity strikes, brewers turn adversity into opportunity. the beer in oak. The cranberry juice cocktail- and mulled apple cider-
BY ZACH FOWLE flavored “happy accident fruit ale” is now a year-round release.

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s Saint Arnold Boiler Room The Bruery
This aggressive imperial IPA was born when several In 2014, 2,500 pounds of malt spilled on the Black Tuesday
mislabeled bags of extra-dark, extra-sweet crystal malt ground instead of into the upcoming batch of Fancy The Tuesday morning
were added to what should’ve been a batch of Dale’s Lawnmower. Brewers didn’t give up; when combined this 19% imperial stout
Pale Ale. Rather than dump the liquid, brewers dry- with a lambic and left in a hot boiler room to sour was made went like this:
hopped the bejesus out of it; the resulting brew won (hence the name), the half-strength wort evolved First, a leaky pump; then,
silver at the Great American Beer Festival in 2011. into a lovely little Berliner Weisse. an overflowing mash tun;
next, a stuck sparge; and
Fat Head’s Semper FiPA Innis & Gunn Original finally, a spill that sent
2015’s hop shortage meant that Mike Hunsaker, brew- When Dougal Sharp, hot liquid and 170-degree
master at Fat Head’s in Portland, Oregon, didn’t have then-head brewer at water flying all over the
enough Simcoe or Citra to make the brewery’s flagship Caledonian Brewery in brewery. As punishment,
Head Hunter IPA, so he crafted a recipe with completely Edinburgh, Scotland, first brewers condemned the
different hops. It worked. “Not only did it pull us out of brewed this Scottish ale ale to bourbon barrels for
the fire, it’s part of the rotation now,” Hunsaker says. Lagunitas Sucks for the whiskey maker more than a year and gave
Lagunitas’ brown sugar- William Grant & Sons in it an appropriate name:
He’Brew Port City spiked strong ale, Brown 2002, he did so thinking Black Tuesday.
Funky Jewbelation Derecho Common Shugga’, takes a long time it would only be used to
The 2008 edition of On June 29, 2012, to make—so long that season the distillery’s Right Brain
Jewbelation Ale was a Port City’s head brewer, in 2011, brewers nixed barrels and then be sent Dead Kettle
catastrophe: The yeast, Jonathan Reeves, it because they couldn’t down the drain. Distillery When the kettle that was
expected to finish experienced a “derecho”: spare the fermenter space. workers, however, loved warming the first batch of
fermenting after the beer a giant windstorm that As a peace offering, they the beer so much that this IPA croaked, nothing
reached 15% ABV, gave up can cause tornadoes, instead brewed the humbly they would sneak it home could bring it back to
around 11%, leaving the thunderstorms and flash named Sucks, whose in bottles and empty life. Russ Springsteen,
entire batch undrinkably floods. The storm knocked tropical, grassy hop flavors buckets. Sensing he’d Right Brain’s owner, had a
sweet. To save it, brewers out power, causing a won over fans and became inadvertently crafted a solution: Extend the beer’s
blended in a variety of tank of lager to ferment a year-rounder. winner, Sharp founded whirlpool and stuff it full
beers they had resting in at much hotter temps, Innis & Gunn, which still of hops while it ferments.
barrels. A rebrewed batch morphing the beer into makes the original oak- The beer’s boiled all the
won silver at the 2014 a California Common. aged ale today. way now, but still gets a
World Beer Cup; the 2016 Reeves still brews fat dry-hop addition. It
vintage combines eight Derecho Common the premiered in cans for the
He’Brew beers aged in same way—intentionally, first time in April.
bourbon and rye whiskey now—and releases it
casks for a riotous flavor yearly on the anniversary
of tart cherries, blackberry of the storm.
jam, coffee beans and
oak-aged cola.
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE
CHANCES OF WINNING. PURCHASE OF ALCOHOL BEVERAGE IS NOT REQUIRED. Sapporo Mystery Trip Giveaway
is open to legal residents of the 50 US/DC age 21+. Entries will be randomly assigned to separate drawing
for either: (a) Beach Trip, (b) City Trip, or (c) Snow Trip (ARV $4,995 ea). Each trip destination will be within
the 48 contiguous US/DC; exact destinations to be disclosed to winners at time of winner notification.
For Official Rules including odds & complete details, visit SapporoBeer.com/MysteryTrip. Begins 6/20/16
at 9:00:00 AM PT; ends 9/4/16 at 8:59:59 AM PT. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: SAPPORO U.S.A., INC.
PLEASE SHARE SAPPORO RESPONSIBLY. ©2016 SAPPORO U.S.A., INC., NEW YORK, NY SAPPOROBEER.COM
ONTAP

BREWERY TO WATCH
V

Accardi’s 3 to try
Transmitter Brewing
Complex, farmhouse-style beers from an W3
1,800-square-foot NYC garage X “It’s a wit we brew with
BY KATE BERNOT hibiscus, fresh orange peel and
coriander with a relatively high
ABV for the style, up in the
mid-6%. It’s a beer we think of
as not intended for guzzling in
the sun; it tends to be an early
summer beer. We ferment it
with saison yeast, so it ends up
being pretty dry with not a lot
of Belgian fruitiness. It leans a
little spicier, which I think lets
the background citrus and
coriander poke through.”

F4
X “This farmhouse beer uses three strains of
Brett and a light malt base. The major flavor
is super overripe fruit, really juicy with some
traditional hay and grassiness from the Brett.
It’s got a funkier nose than it does flavor; it
telegraphs funk, but then finishes as overripe
fruit. I think of the flavors as akin to a melon
or strawberry that’s just on that very last day
that you want to eat it.”

NY3
X “This saison uses all New York state
ingredients, including some malted corn.
I sometimes really like corn in a beer; the
maltster that we work with makes such a
great product. We also use three strains of
Brett, so it’s got funkiness and this underly-
ing grainy, subtle sweetness from the corn.
It’s very drinkable and just subtly hoppy.”

CSB
Transmitter Brewing The brewery also offers a CSB (community-
53-02 11th St. supported beer) program. A six-month share
Long Island City, New York costs $175 and buys you two bottles a month
transmitterbrewing.com for pick-up at the brewery, plus glassware
and discounts on other bottles.

X A HEMMED-IN FORMER AUTO garage few sticker-covered refrigerators and 30 or so 60 beers in its first two years, each iteration
seems an unlikely place to snag saisons, bières wine and spirits barrels currently aging beers. marked with a number so that the beers’
de garde and other farmhouse treasures, but The vibe is industrial, but the beers are names read like a Battleship move: B2, B3, F7.
here it is: two full-time owner-brewers and far from it. That begins with the yeast strains, With each release, Accardi zeros in on
a handful of part-time staff brewing 18 to 24 the majority of which are grown in-house. more of what he wants from a yeast strain
barrels a week of French- and Belgian-style “Some are purchased commercial strains, or ingredient: “Is that a flavor we like? Is that
country ales under the Pulaski Bridge. The some are derived from bottles that we ad- something we want to chase?” he asks. “What
Doppler whoosh of traffic overhead and the mire, and we get some of the funkier strains are people thinking about it? Is it a weird beer?
piercing beeps of reversing delivery trucks cast from yeast wranglers out in the world,” says Do they like it weird?”
the Long Island City brewhouse as a compara- Anthony Accardi, who opened the doors to Accardi developed his obsession with
tively quiet refuge. Transmitter in March 2014 with fellow home- process in his former career, when he owned
Transmitter bottles 75 percent of its beers brewer Rob Kolb. “As a homebrewer, I taught a lab that printed photos for fine artists and
in corked-and-caged 750 mLs, with the re- myself enough microbiology and yeast cultur- photographers. He sometimes made paper by
maining quarter kegged and bound for top ing to plate and isolate strains.” hand, incorporating both historical processes
Brooklyn bars like Covenhoven, Bar Great The brewers are yeast fanatics, but the and chemistry—not dissimilar to brewing.
Harry and Owl Farm. It has no draft lines in its farmhouse sensibility also extends to other “Whether it’s photography as craft or
10-by-12-foot retail area, just choices of bottles ingredients, like the all-New-York-state-grown beer as craft, it’s about paying attention to de-
for sale each weekend and three or four picnic hops and grains that make up Transmitter’s NY tails and taking notes and trying to understand
MATT FURMAN

tables wedged inside the brewery at which to series of beers. Other series include S (saison), the cause and effect of a process on a product,”
enjoy them. A “crowd” of 15 to 20 people feels F (farmhouse), W (wheat/wit), PH (sour) and he says. “We’re constantly honing the flavors
cramped here. The tables are within spitting B (black, like stouts and porters); no flagships we’re after. It’s not unlike working in a dark-
distance of the six-barrel brewing system, a here. Accardi estimates the brewery released room, always testing and perceiving.” •
34 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016
the sour that
STARTED
THE WHOLE

SOUR
THING
RODENBACH. The Original Sour.
Around here, sour beer isn’t the next big thing. It’s the only thing.
We’ve been brewing and aging RODENBACH since 1821. Try the
Original Sour and discover how delicious sour beer can be.

Imported by Latis LLC, Ridgefield, CT Rodenbach ©2016 Latis, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
ONTAP

Music To My Beers
Brewers, beer fans and even
researchers find innovative ways
to make beer and music harmonize.
BY ZACH FOWLE

Sound Advice Good Vibrations Band Brews


It turns out that we don’t just feast with our mouths: Sight, touch and In May of 2015, brewer Sasha Certo- Fire up a playlist of beers
hearing increase our enjoyment of food. That’s according to Charles Ware and head brewer Vince DesRosiers
inspired and funded by
Spence, professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, of Philadelphia’s Dock Street Brewery
mounted a pair of custom-made “head- well-known musicians.
who spent more than a decade studying the ways in which all of the
phones” on one of their red wine barrels
senses enhance the experience of eating. He’s found that we perceive BADASS American Lager
filled with a Brett saison; they then treated
potato chips with a louder crunch to be fresher; that adding weight to it to a bumping playlist from Wu-Tang Clan Kid Rock, the American Badass himself, is
a plastic yogurt container can make the food within seem more filling; for six months. When the beer—Dock behind this his 5% ABV lager that’s brewed
and that red light can increase our perception of fruity notes in wine. Street Beer Ain’t Nothing To Funk With, at Brew Detroit in Michigan.
His most recent research revealed that what we hear can named for a more profanely titled track
Slayer 666 Red Ale
impact our perception of beer flavors. In an experiment con- from Wu-Tang’s debut album—dropped in
November, drinkers took note: It was more Sweden’s Nils Oscar Company brews this am-
ducted earlier this year, he found that participants rated the same
complex and funky than the saison from a ber ale with four hop varieties and five different
Belgian brew significantly sweeter while listening to a melodious, malts for the brutal thrash metal band, Slayer.
music-free barrel.
high-pitched soundtrack than when they heard songs that were
“It seemed like the yeast was more
dissonant or lower in pitch. Mmmhops Pale Ale
active,” Certo-Ware says. “We’re creating a
Here’s how he explains the discrepancy: “If you look at hu- state of agitation and vibrations that would The Hanson brothers—yes, they of “MMMBop”
mans, chimpanzees, rats or any other species at birth, if you put a pulse the beer and make it taste different. I fame—founded Hanson Brothers Beer Co. in
sweet taste on the newborn’s tongue, all those creatures will stick think there’s sound science behind it.” Tulsa, Oklahoma, to produce this American-
their tongues out and up, as they try to lick in and ingest the sweet- Will Meyers, brewmaster at style pale ale.
ness,” Spence says. Those same species, he says, will stick their Cambridge Brewing Co. in Massachusetts,
has a background in music theory and TROOPER Red ’N’ Black Porter
tongues out and down—the classic ‘blech!’ motion—as they try to
has studied research dealing with music’s Stockport, England-based Robinsons Brewery
eject bitter flavors that their brains recognize as poisonous. will release this 6.8% porter—the third beer
effects on plant growth; at the brewery,
“If I play a higher-pitched sound, that may be more consis- it’s brewed for British heavy metal band
Meyers treats his Belgian golden ale, OM,
tent with the sort of noises a baby makes with a sweet taste on its Iron Maiden—in September.
to “vibrational therapy” throughout the year
tongue, so your attention may be drawn to sweetness,” Spence it spends in oak chardonnay barrels. Each
continues. “If I play lower-pitched sounds, that seems to draw week, he touches the barrels with tuning KISS Destroyer
your attention to bitter notes.” forks and Tibetan chanting bowls that The costumed rockers in KISS lend their band’s
vibrate at precisely 136.1 hertz, believed in name to three different wines (a zinfandel,
a chardonnay and a cabernet sauvignon) and
Similar studies on the relationship some Eastern religions to be the frequency
to this pilsner brewed at Krönleins Bryggeri
at which all life resonates.
between music and beer have shown that: “It’s just a good vibration, man,” in Sweden.
X If you like the music you’re listening to, you’re more likely to enjoy the beer Meyers says. “Theoretically, everything is
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMBRIDGE BREWING CO.

you’re tasting. “We call this ‘affective ventriloquism’—the idea that I’m transferring already vibrating at that frequency; we’re Rock or Bust
For those about to rock—and for Australian
what I think about one thing to something else,” Spence says. “If I like the music, just concentrating it.” The beer will be
released for the first time in bottles this rockers AC/DC—Karlsberg Brauerei in Germany
that makes me think better things about the beer, and if I really dislike the music,
August. makes this beer, a 5% Euro-style lager.
that’s going to bring my enjoyment of the beer a bit lower.”
X Region-specific music can enhance regional drinks. “We’ve known for years
that if I play French music, a wine might taste more authentically French to you,” Tasting Notes
he says. “We know that when we play the sounds of the sea, that can enhance the Boston-based Tony Porreca, Adam Mackie and Reese Hanson founded the
taste of seafood.” Tasting Notes podcast, where the hosts (now just Porreca and Mackie) pair
X You’ll drop more money for Mozart. “There are hotel restaurants who’ve run beer with tasty tunes and chat with brewers to discuss the music they love.
with research that says you spend more if you’re listening to classical music than Nerdy? “We nerd out pretty hard, I suppose.” But so do their brewer guests,
if you’re listening to the Top 40.” who’ve included Tim Gormley of Burial Beer Co., Ben Howe of Idle Hands Craft
X Faster music fills you up more quickly. “The higher the number of beats per Ales and Troy Casey of Casey Brewing & Blending (who, it turns out, is a huge
minute, the faster people tend to eat and drink.” fan of old-school hip-hop). Hear all the episodes at tastingnotespod.com.

36 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

A LA BEER
V

Grilled
Corn and
Pale Ale
Fritters
When the sun shines
and the grill comes out of
hibernation, there are few
simpler pleasures than
cooking outside with a
beer in hand.
RECIPE BY JACKIE DODD

Grilled Corn and Pale Ale Fritters


makes 24 fritters

1 large ear of corn, shucked


1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar


1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
1/2 cup pale ale

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro


canola oil, for frying

1. Preheat the grill to medium-


high. Rub the corn with olive oil and
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on
all sides until grill marks appear, about
8 minutes. Let cool, then cut kernels
off the cob.
2. In a large bowl, add the flour,
cornmeal, baking powder, brown
sugar, salt and corn kernels, stirring
until well combined.
3. Make a well in the center; add
PHOTO BY ED RUDOLPH, FOOD STYLING BY STORMIE INGRAM

the sour cream, Sriracha, pale ale and


cilantro. Stir until well combined.
4. Heat about 2 inches of canola
oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
5. Add about half a tablespoon of
batter to the oil (a small melon baller
or cookie scoop works well), adding
six to eight small scoops at a time.
Fry until golden-brown on both sides,
about 4 minutes.

Save Some Summer Note: To ensure that your fritters cook


Corn can be grilled in batches ahead through without burning, make sure to
of time; just cut kernels off the cob keep the scoops of batter small.
to store. In the short term, cover and
refrigerate them. To enjoy the summer
flavor all year long, freeze grilled corn Tweet us pics
kernels in airtight bags. of your fritters
with #alabeer

38 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

Q&A
V

Country
and Brews
INTERVIEW BY KATE BERNOT

XJust a few years ago, Cole Swindell made a few


bucks selling merchandise for Luke Bryan’s tour
while trying to break out as a country singer and
songwriter. But this summer, the 33-year-old
Bronwood, Georgia, native has graduated to
arena shows of his own thanks to his hit “Chillin’
It.” It’s a catchy, turn-it-up summertime ode to
driving around with “the good stuff iced up in the
backseat.” While Swindell is no stranger to singing
about fun times and beer—this is country music,
after all—he takes a more emotional tone on
his second album, “You Should Be Here,” which
debuted in May. Catch him on tour with Florida
Georgia Line all summer.

Check out
Cole Swindell’s
tour dates at
coleswindell
.com/tour

Talk about the relationship between your music and beer. can have some beers the night before, but you still gotta get up to the
I think beer always leads to a good time. I had a song on my last album gym in the morning. I see my buddies [in the band] going and I’m like
called “Brought To You By Beer” that I thought should have been in a ‘OK, I guess I’m going, too.’ I do some lifting, but a lot of it’s cardio, trying
commercial. It’s about all the crazy stuff we did in college. Beer’s even in to get my breathing right to put on a high-energy show. You’re running
my new song “You Should Be Here.” That one’s about how I remember around these big stages and you can’t sing if you can’t breathe.
sitting down and not getting crazy but sharing a beer with my dad. We
could have had the memory without it, but having a beer was a part of life. What do you snack on in the bus?
One of the bus favorites is SmartPop popcorn; it’s 94% fat free, so you can
What’s the thing you miss most about home when you’re on road? see we’re trying to do better. Now, I’m gonna tell on him, but my guitar
Probably my couch. When I got my new place, that’s the first piece of player, he has this thing where he puts M&M’s in the popcorn. We like to
furniture I got. I love that thing. do that and find something good on TV to watch. One of my favorite guilty
pleasures is Ben & Jerry’s; there’s one in the freezer right now.
What sorts of things do you carry in your bag on tour?
I have a bag and I think it’s made for golf stuff, but I carry everything in Is there any sentimental piece of home you take with you?
that: wallet, vitamins to keep healthy, my Costa del Mar sunglasses, my If you’ve seen my newest video, there’s a picture of me and my dad
MATT DOWNING

iPad. And gym clothes. from when I was a kid, and he’s playing his guitar and I’m looking up
at him. I have a photo of him with me, because all these years later, I’m
You actually make it to the gym while you’re on tour? doing what he always dreamed of doing. It gets lonely out here, and it’s
I’m better about going when I’m on the road than when I’m home. You cool to know that I’m making him proud.

42 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

Cloudy, hugely flavorful and a lot less bitter, the new breed
of IPA is earning high scores and high praise from fans.
BY ZACH FOWLE

X ON A SUNNY JANUARY MORNING, shortly after Great Notion Brewing opened the doors to its Portland, Oregon,
taproom for the first time, it had a visitor. He was an employee from a brewery a few miles away who had come to
sample the newcomer’s wares, and he chose a pint of RIPE, a 7% American IPA. But when Great Notion co-founder
and brewer James Dugan set the beer before him, the visitor seemed incredulous. He lifted the glass high in the air,
squinting at it. “I just want you to know,” the man told Dugan, “This style of beer is not going to fly in Portland.” He went
on to tell Dugan that Great Notion needed to work on its filtration or no one would be willing to buy its ales.
The problem? The IPA Dugan poured for him was cloudy.
Now, cloudiness absolutely can be a sign of a low-quality beer. If there are issues with yeast and its fermen-
ED RUDOLPH

tation, certain adjuncts or, yes, filtration, tiny particles remain suspended in a beer, murking it up and contribut-
ing off-putting flavors. But, Dugan says, that’s not what had happened here. RIPE, along with most of the IPAs
he produces at Great Notion, is an example of a new permutation of the most popular style in the country—one
with less bitterness and (gasp!) a hazy glow—that’s poised to become IPA’s new ideal.

JULY/ AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 45


THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VARIATIONS in
IPAs, of course: Some shine and shimmer in trans-
lucent gold while others have a deep, caramel hue;
some wallop the nose with citrus and pine needles
whereas others caress it with soft melon and mango.
But this new breed of IPA differs from its forebears in
more meaningful ways.
First, the most obvious: It’s cloudy. Far from
the superclear IPAs that you could read a book
through, this offshoot sports haze that ranges from
early morning fog to extra-pulp Tropicana. This
“glow” isn’t a bug, however; it’s a feature. Brewers
add massive amounts of hops to beers late in the
brewing process—while they’re fermenting, usu-
ally—which packs them with haze-causing com-
pounds called polyphenols. When they choose
not to filter the beer completely, these compounds
remain suspended in the liquid, fogging it up.
But cloudiness isn’t the only departure these
IPAs take from the norm. “To me, it’s always been
about the yeast,” says Connor Casey, founder of
Cellarmaker Brewing Co. in San Francisco. “The In nods to the
yeast sweetens the hops and gives these fruity, states and regions from
which the beers seem to have
peachy notes that work really well with them.” While originated, most drinkers have
many examples of classically bright, bitter IPA use taken to calling these hazy,
an American yeast strain that lends a dry finish and juicy brews New England-style,
contributes few fruity flavors, this new IPA is most Northeast-style or
Vermont-style IPAs.
often brewed with a modified British ale strain Take your pick.
that’s like the devil-may-care cousin from across the
pond: It eats less sugar (leaving the beer sweeter),
throws off a ton of fruity flavor and sticks around
inside a beer well after the party’s over. In this new
breed of IPA, bitterness is of secondary importance
(Great Notion’s imperial IPA, Juice Box, clocks in
at just 60 IBUs) and grains that can contribute ad-
ditional haziness and body, like oats and wheat,
are welcome. In an effort to avoid any loss of hop aroma and flavor, many Trillium, Tree House and other breweries that specialize in IPAs of this
brewers are choosing to cut short the several days usually allotted for yeast nature can hardly brew them quickly enough to keep up with consumer
particles to settle out of a beer, and some are skipping any form of filtration demand. Which is sort of the point—even the bitterest, brightest, West
altogether—appearances be damned. Coastiest IPAs lose some hop character during the days spent in bright
“I don’t really understand the importance of serving a crystal-clear tanks or during filtration; the natural evolution of a style defined by its
pint of beer,” Dugan says. “What’s more important to me is serving a beer freshness and hop character requires that brewers skip these steps, craft-
that, when it’s put in front of you, the aromas of mango and papaya and ing their beers to get from kettle to keg in a shorter time than almost any
pineapple are just jumping out of the glass at your nose. If you close your other beer. As a result, they’re often as fresh and flavorful as IPAs get.
eyes and it tastes amazing, why worry about how it looks?” Which brings us back to Great Notion’s nay-saying RIPE drinker. After
Why, indeed? As a quick glance at any current list of top-ranked listening to his arguments against hazy beer, Dugan refunded the dude’s
IPAs will show, most beer geeks (save a few staunch holdouts) have em- pint but gave him one directive. “I told him, ‘Go out back, and close your
braced IPA’s newfound opacity. Eight of the 10 best-rated India pale ales eyes, and sit in the sun and drink that beer.’” The cynic did, and after he fin-
on RateBeer, as of this writing, are part of this new breed of cloudy, flavor- ished his pint, he returned inside and apologized. His judgment had been
ful brew; that number jumps to nine on BeerAdvocate. The Alchemist, clouded. The IPA had been, too. •

Haze for Days


Four brews that epitomize the foggy new face of IPA
The Alchemist Heady Topper Tired Hands PUNGE Tree House Julius Maine Beer II
“I am not reinventing the wheel Mimosalike in appearance, The nods to a certain India Pale Ales and double IPAs
of IPA,” Alchemist brewer John this Pennsylvania-brewed citrus fruit in this IPA from aren’t the only hop-forward beers
Kimmich says. “The British wrote imperial IPA gains a soft, Massachusetts aren’t becoming clouded. Beer II is a
the song of IPA; I’m just making creamy body from an infusion coincidental; the peel 4.7% session IPA that swells to
a cover song.” Give the man a of oats, while hops from New and juice of oranges are the nose with a gorgeous aroma
TOP PHOTO BY ED RUDOLPH

Grammy; this insanely popular, Zealand provide a garlicky, everywhere in the aroma, of onion, dried mango slices and
intensely resinous imperial IPA sesame seed-speckled filling out notes of freshly honeysuckle. Delicate strawlike
brewed in Vermont has a hop bouquet. Ginger, scallions mown grass. A smoothielike and sweet tropical hop flavors
character that blends liquefied marijuana and fresh broccoli initiate the sip, flavor leads with more orange and lead each sip; dried orange peel
and grass blades with sugar-dusted fading to soft, herbal bitterness— wheatgrass, while soft marmalade emerges and relinquishes to a faintly
orange slices atop a crackery malt base. lemongrass, sweet basil—that lingers and onion jam slide into pulpy bitter, remarkably even finish.
Consistently ranked among the top beers long after the sugar cookie finish. tanginess at the swallow.
in the world, it’s considered by many the
beer that forecasted the cloudy IPA trend.

46 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY/ AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

Slows Bar BQ

Midtown/ X Jolly Pumpkin X Motor City February 2015, Batch’s


Cass Corridor Pizzeria & Brewery Brewing Works tiny setup looked like a
Each of the brewery’s A seat inside the glorified homebrew kit
X 8° Plato Beer Co. three pubs has a unique taproom will get you with a kitchen tacked
BEERTOWN U.S.A.
V
This second location feel; this 100-seat, closer to the pizza oven, on. (It’s since added

Detroit Rising of the bottle shop and


bar (the original is 15
minutes from downtown
wood- and communal
table-decked outpost
down the block from the
but the picnic table-
specked beer garden and
second-floor deck are
equipment.) Inside the
no-frills taproom lined
with windows and white
Slick newcomers and tenacious in Ferndale) opened in Shinola store is all about where you’ll catch the subway tiles, look for 16
mainstays prove that the Motor September 2015 with the pizza. Twenty-nine sunshine. A small pilot rotating drafts including
City’s beer scene has both style 16 taps of beer, cider and taps pour Jolly Pumpkin system yields a steady summertime favorite
mead, plus hundreds of faves like Bam Bière stream of taproom one- Handsome Stranger, a
and sticking power. BY KATE BERNOT bottles and cans lining farmhouse ale and Oro offs, but Ghettoblaster hibiscus saison.
the walls of the historic de Calabaza wild Belgian “Detroit-style” mild ale 1400 Porter St.,
X WITH ITS 2013 MUNICIPAL bankruptcy building, a former an- golden ale, plus hoppy, is the best-seller. batchbrewing
in the rearview, Detroit is no longer the butt tique store. Swing by on American-style brews 470 W. Canfield St., company.com
Fridays for tap features from sister brands North motorcitybeer.com
of jokes. A generation of young, creative en-
that often include rare Peak and Grizzly Peak. X Slows Bar BQ
trepreneurs has primed the city for a beer X HopCat
releases from Michigan 441 W. Canfield St., A Detroit institution
renaissance that celebrates its hardworking, breweries. jollypumpkin.com What started as one beer since 2005, the
industrial roots. Hometown pride runs deep 3409 Cass Ave., bar is now a Midwest energetic, brick-walled
here, so drinking local is the way to go. 8degreesplato.com X The Peterboro empire; this location restaurant added a
A neon tiger sign guards stands apart with an second bar, bringing its
the entrance to this events space that hosts total to 56 taps (with
contemporary Chinese- everything from beer growler fills!). Michigan
American eatery whose dinners to concerts. The breweries rule, with
dining room blends tradi- 130 taps include 30 local rarities from Perrin,
tional red paper lanterns lines; expect Atwater Brewery Vivant and
with a slick, charcoal- D-light kölsch, Griffin Right Brain. The real
colored bar. Though Claw El Rojo amber and star, though, is the ’cue:
known for cocktails, Dragonmead Castlebrite beef brisket, pulled
this spot’s nine-bottle Apricot Ale. Save room for pork and glazed chicken
beer list is also smart, beer-battered Crack Fries topped with your favorite
spanning food-friendly with cheese sauce. style of housemade
American, Belgian and 4265 Woodward Ave., sauce.
TOP: EMILY BERGER

German styles. One blow- hopcat.com/detroit 2138 Michigan Ave.,


your-mind pairing: Duvel slowsbarbq.com
Belgian golden ale with Corktown
Crab Rangoon. X Mudgie’s

Jolly Pumpkin 420 Peterboro St., X Batch Brewing Co. This ivy-covered, brick-
thepeterboro.com When it opened in laden deli has 100-plus

48 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


ONTAP

Clockwise from top left:


Townhouse’s atrium;
Mudgie’s Brooklyn
Sandwich; 8° Plato
Beer Co.

bottled beers and four


taps, many from the
Mitten State. The choice
HUNT THESE TAPS:
Michigan’s
among from-scratch
sandwiches made with
summer brews
house-roasted meats are all about easy-
isn’t easy, but owner drinking wheat
Greg Mudge says the
corned beef reuben is a
beers. If you’ve
best-seller. never had Bell’s
1300 Porter St., Bell’s Oarsman Oberon wheat
mudgiesdeli.com At just 4% ABV, this ale, it’s a rite of
tart and refreshing
X Brew Detroit
wheat beer is made passage (and
A contract brewery with a for summer crush- mighty delicious).
taproom is a bit unusual, ing. In cans since
but this spot has increas-
Kalamazoo’s
March, it now packs
ingly focused on its bar, easily from the Arcadia Ales
pouring 10 taps that fridge to the lake. produces another
include Detroit’s own
Atwater Dirty Blonde,
Mitten favorite
BADASS American Lager clude 14 local breweries blend of 28-day-aged cuts chandeliers. Dim and 5,000-square-foot English-style
and rotating house brews. such as Dragonmead and topped with bourbon- cozy, the bar stocks 170 taproom in November pale wheat ale,
Challenge your friends to Greenbush, although it’s glazed onions and white bottled beers with 21 within its historic
a round of darts, foosball hard to resist the boozy cheddar. Wash it down all-Michigan taps from building near the Detroit
Whitsun. Also
or an arcade game; milkshakes, like the one with Bell’s Oberon or a breweries including Axle, River, increasing seating watch for Shorts’
catch local musicians on blended with Atwater chaser from the bar’s siz- Bell’s, New Holland from a handful of bar Nicie, a crisp
Saturday nights. Vanilla Java Porter. able whiskey collection. and Wolverine State. stools to 125. A 25-seat
1401 Abbott St., 2163 Michigan Ave., 500 Woodward Ave., Heading to your hotel wooden bar offers views
wheat with orange
brewdetroit.com mercuryburgerbar.com eatattownhouse.com room? The bar offers into the brewhouse and lemon zest,
mixed sixers to go. where flagships Vanilla coriander and
X Mercury Burger & Bar Downtown X Grand Trunk Pub 612 Woodward Ave., Java Porter and Dirty
peppercorn
TOP LEFT AND TOP RIGHT: MICHELLE AND CHRIS GERARD

The kitchen is open Interiors don’t get much grandtrunkpub.com Blonde Ale are created,
till 1 a.m. Friday and X Townhouse more visually impressive while a spiffed-up accents.
Saturday, so make a late- Come for the lively than the early 20th Rivertown kitchen turns out pub
night run for this retro Sunday brunch party century former Grand food like white bean
diner-style eatery’s fare in this spot’s stunning Trunk Railway ticketing XAtwater Brewery chicken chili and
like The Juicy, a cheddar 2,400-square-foot station, which retains Biergarten and Taphouse fish tacos.
cheese-stuffed burger. atrium, and don’t miss its 25-foot vaulted Detroit’s largest 237 Joseph Campau
Sixteen taps always in- the namesake burger: a ceilings and brass brewery debuted a Ave., atwaterbeer.com

Detroit Shipping Co. aims to set sail


A few years ago, three Michigan natives sketched a small shipping container development on loose-leaf paper: five containers
arranged in a U-shape. It has since morphed into a 22-container, 8,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor compound hoping to debut in
Midtown sometime after late summer. Developers plan to include five restaurants, two beer-focused bars, four art galleries, a music
stage and a 20-foot projection screen. 474 Peterboro St., detroitshipyard.com

50 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


10%
of Net Proceeds
to support the
Brewers Guilds of
13 State Focus

Please join us August 3-6, 2016 for


the inaugural Southern Brewers Conference
in Nashville, Tennessee.
r Four days to meet other brewers, brewery owners, industry manufacturers,
material suppliers, distributors, bar and retail owners, and aspiring brewers
r Focused on 13 states stretching across the South
r Keynote address by Brian “Spike” Buckowski, Brewmaster
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Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/southernbrewersconference
Putting down

roots Trees’ influence on beer isn’t limited to


barrels. Today, brewers go whole log,
using needles, sap, leaves and bark to
create beers born of their surroundings.
BY KATE BERNOT PHOTOS BY AARON KLEIDON

XSUMMER AT THE MORTON ARBORETUM IN LISLE, ILLINOIS:


The 1,700-acre property is 23 miles west of Chicago as the crow flies, and its grounds are verdant and
boastful. The rolling hills, ponds and manicured, walled gardens flaunt new spring coats of flowers
and leaves. Lily pads yawn toward the sun, rhododendron sway lazy and heavy with perfumed petals.
Months ago, this bounty was nearly unimaginable. Battling the cold of a Midwest winter, a trio
of men crunched across the dormant ground, hands wrapped around mugs of hot water. One is a
scientist; one is the arboretum restaurants’ beverage director; and one is Clint Bautz, founder of
Lake Effect Brewing Co. in Chicago. They were on a hunt.
Lake Effect brews a year-round beer for the arboretum called Arbor Oak, an amber ale brewed
with oak chips from Morton’s fallen trees. These winter searchers, though, hoped to find the ingre-
dients to brew a summer beer for the arboretum—something expressive, refreshing and light. The
three men passed immovable cedar trees, picked blades of shivering wild grasses and snatched a
few chilly chokeberries, adding each of them to the hot water mugs to make a rough tea that gave an
idea of the plants’ aromas and flavors. Each berry, bark or leaf was auditioning.
They found a winner in juniper berries. Back at the brewery, Bautz fiddled with a few test batches,
finally arriving at a juniper berry and lime saison, a few cases of which will make it to the arboretum
this summer. Brewers sauteed the berries, reducing them with a touch of sugar into a syrup that, when
added to the brew, lent the saison a botanical and woodsy twang reminiscent of a gin and tonic.
Wood is not uncommon in a brewhouse; beers aged on fresh oak or made with spruce tips are
familiar. But brewers, especially those in arborous domains, have recently begun to eye entire trees—

52 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


Left: Eastern red cedar bark
Right: Scratch Brewing Co.’s
Aaron Kleidon gathers roots
bark, leaves, sap, needles and all—as ingre- of past creations. The Single Tree series had a cherry esters and minerals,” Kleidon says.
dients. Juniper, cedar, birch, Ponderosa pine, purpose beyond just tasting good and using That maple beer was a success, but
white fir and other timbers all confer their nearby ingredients, though. Kleidon and Josephson talk about even not-
own distinct flavors, from vanilla to citrus to “When people came up to our booth to so-great experiments (like an unexpectedly
herbs. More than that, brewers say the final try the beers, they thought our beer had been bitter maple bud tea they concocted) with
beers express the rusticity of their surround- made with barrels made of these trees. We talk- calm, scientific curiosity.
ings, that desirable sense of place that has ed to them a bit more to explain that it was not “The way we brew has definitely
led to a revival in foraging and local sourc- barrel-aged, but actually used different parts changed since we’ve opened just by learning
ing. Some brewers have the lumberjack look of the tree,” says Scratch co-founder Marika about these trees,” says Kleidon. “Just know-
down pat; others take it a step further. Josephson. “That opened people’s minds to ing when to add different components to the
3 thinking about trees in a different way.” beer has made our beer much more complex:
ast September, 844 miles from their “When you’re drinking at a bar or liquor Bark goes into the barrel, or leaves go into the

L Ava, Illinois brewery, the team from


Scratch Brewing Co. poured its se-
ries of tree beers at Denver’s Great
American Beer Festival. Surrounded by flu-
orescent lights and 500,000 square feet of
store, you see all kinds of barrel-aged beers.
I think it’s been ingrained that oak is one of
the few trees that you can use to brew with,”
Kleidon adds. “Oak trees are a big part of our
forest here, but we wanted to show that there
fermenter, or sap in the hot liquor tank.”
Their learning comes from observing
the forest, letting its rhythms and seasons
dictate what’s to be brewed. They take walks.
They watch and listen. They notice where
traffic-resistant carpet, they couldn’t have felt are so many other trees that have different plants grow, how they grow and what they
farther from the soft woods and quiet, filtered characteristics that we like better than oak.” grow alongside. And they don’t discard an
sunshine of their 80-acre property. It sits on Take the maple trees surrounding herb or tree because it presents a question or
co-founder Aaron Kleidon’s family’s land, Scratch, for example. Their leaves are shady a challenge.
five miles from the Shawnee National Forest. green in spring, blazing red and orange like a “If we happen to be walking in the woods
Kleidon grew up running through those flame in the fall. In the spring, their sap begins and see a tree at a certain time of year, maybe
woods, and he knows their trees and plants as to flow. That’s when Kleidon, Josephson and we hadn’t noticed it was giving off a smell or
well as anyone. They inspired the five Single company troop out to the forest, buckets in the leaves were a certain way during that sea-
Tree beers Scratch poured at the festival, in- hand, and tap the trees. If it’s a good year, one son,” Kleidon says. “A lot of it is, I don’t want to
cluding maple, birch and hickory, brewed tree will yield five to 10 gallons of sap. The sap say it’s random, but it’s a sense of discovery.”
with sap, leaves, nuts or buds from each type entirely replaced water in the recipe for the They discovered that aged tree leaves are
of tree. Buzz about these one-of-a-kind beers Single Tree Maple beer; sap isn’t viscous, like not unlike aged hops; leaves lose their aro-
crackled across the convention center. maple syrup is, but is actually quite thin, with matics and the bitterness begins to dissipate,
“We got a lot of ‘This beer is weird,’” a slightly sugary flavor. It’s also highly perish- but tannins emerge over time. They’ve also
Kleidon says. “But that’s people who are able, so after the buckets were filled, Scratch’s stumbled upon a tree called autumn olive,
drinking beers with their eyes and not their crew needed to lug them quickly back to the which grows dark berries and is cloaked in a
mouths. Once people tried the beer, the re- brewery and begin making the beer within two bark that tastes fruity (it may be destined for a
sponse was generally good.” days. It wasn’t easy work, but that’s never much beer soon). And they noticed that birch trees
AARON KLEIDON

Scratch constantly brews with foraged mattered to Scratch’s process. support chaga mushrooms, a clingy fungus
ingredients; it’s pretty much the brewery’s “We wanted to put together a beer that that attaches to the trees’ bark; that revelation
calling card. Herbs, pawpaw fruit, ginger and tastes like all that maple can give you: a won- led to a beer brewed with both birch bark and
chanterelle mushrooms have all been a part derful maple syrup quality, dark sugars and chaga mushrooms.

54 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


“brewers, especially
those in arborous
domains, have
recently begun
to eye entire
trees—bark, leaves,
sap, needles and
all—as ingredients.”

“We’re just working toward creating a the concept that the process is as important to
beer that’s completely unique to our area the beer as raw materials.”
and tastes like here,” Kleidon says. Now that The result of his kuurna research is Ale
Scratch has begun bottling its beers, that Apothecary’s Sahati beer, a resinous, peppery
sense of “here” can travel. and citrus-tart creation that evokes the Finnish
3 style, but with Oregon ingredients. Finns likely
wo time zones west, in Bend, Oregon, used alder trees to create kuurnas and chose

T sits The Ale Apothecary. Paul Arney


began building the brewery in 2011
on three scenic acres that abut placid
Tumalo Creek. He makes wild and rustic beers
with water from his property’s own aquifer,
juniper to flavor their sahtis; for his first batch-
es, Arney hollowed out a 14-foot, 200-year-old
spruce that had fallen on his property and
used its branches and needles as filters.
After a few years, when Arney upgraded SEEK THESE
with ingredients like wild harvested black the size of his brewing kettle to a modest three
currants and curious wild yeast and bacteria barrels, “we outgrew the log.” He’s since spotted TREE BEERS
unique to his brewery. At first, he had to con- a 14-foot, 32-inch diameter fallen tree trunk in
stantly correct people on one certain point. his woods that he thinks could do the job, but, Propolis Brewing Cedar
“Everybody at the time was like, ‘You’re a “we haven’t figured out how to move it yet.” Cedar tips contribute citrus flavors to
farmhouse brewery, a farm brewer,’” he says. Other tree beer forays include a wheat an imperial golden saison brewed with
“I’m up at 4,700 feet in a spruce forest no- wine brewed with Ponderosa pine needles, wildflower honey harvested near the Port
where near a farm. I said, ‘No, we’re not a farm which Arney realized solve a procedural Townsend, Washington brewery. Look for
brewery because, well, we don’t have a farm.’” brewing problem: Wheat can make a beer’s the recently released 2016 vintage.
Maybe he could get this message across mash (the grains steeped in hot water) gluey 
in liquid form. An internet rabbit hole led him and gummy. Pine needles help to de-gunk Big Axe Brewing
to photos of Finnish kuurnas, hollowed-out and fluff up the mash. As a pleasant benefit, White Birch Porter
logs cradling juniper branches that long-ago he found the needles also have a citrusy flavor Naturally bitter white birch sap replaces
Scandinavian brewers used as lauter tuns to that melds well with his house yeast’s fruity, water in this porter’s recipe, adding a second
separate unfermented beer from grain. Arney tart character. The ultimate tree beer, though, layer of earthy bitterness that complements
was intrigued. still eludes Arney. English hops. It returns on draft each spring
“One set of photos was black-and-white “This is a dream that may never be at the brewery’s taproom in Nackawic,
images of an old guy using a kuurna, so it gave reached, but years ago, I got to talking with New Brunswick, Canada.
me the idea of what it would look like,” he says. my first employee, who was a pretty big 
“The guy had a pail and a long log, and he was dreamer. We’d talk big ideas. He had a friend Skagway Brewing
standing in a barn. It was very rustic and very going to grad school and her focus was on the Spruce Tip Blonde Ale
dreamy, too. The photos referred to the sahti architecture of tree houses, so we came up This Skagway, Alaska brewery subs spruce
style of beer, which I was able to research a bit. with this idea to work with her, find a tree and tips for one of the hop additions in this
Bigger picture: Seeing these people who made make a whole brewery in it,” he says. “Now year-round blonde ale, lending a crisp,
beer in a similar ecological zone to us, and that would be the ultimate tree brewery: lots floral intrigue to the fruity base.
aligning myself with that, helped define who of pulleys and pedals up in the tree and a tap
we are as a brewery. Our brewery is focused on at the bottom of the trunk.” •
JULY / AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 55
Clockwise from top left: Cerveja Sideral
bar owner Tiago Genehr; Drinking a
Cerveja Imigração rye porter at Cerveja
Sideral in Novo Hamburgo; An evening
outside the bar; The night’s draft list
Beer Fingerprint
Brazilian brewers turn to native plants, wood and
yeast to create their beers’ national identity.
BY ANDREW JENNER

A nna Maria da Silva came from humble beginnings.


Born in 1918 to Austrian immigrants, she spent a difficult,
impoverished childhood in the backwaters of southern
Brazil. At 18 and newly married and looking for a better
life, she and her husband struck out for the burgeoning
city of Porto Alegre. They were among the first to settle on
a few blocks. None are more than six years old. Raphael
Rodrigues, a journalist who runs Brazil-focused beer blog
All Beers, recalls that “news about Brazilian craft beer was
pretty rare” when he founded the site in 2009. Now, hardly
a day passes when some news about a new brewery or
new beer doesn’t show up in his inbox.
a hillside on the outskirts of town, where long before, ac- Although the industry’s rapid growth has outpaced au-
cording to local legend, a young woman named Maria had thoritative statistics, there are now, at best guess, around 300
her throat slit by an enraged lover. People called the place craft breweries in Brazil capturing about one percent of the
Maria Degolada—Headless Maria. country’s beer market. The longer-established scene in the
As the decades passed, the city and the favela on United States has inspired much of this growth. Specialty
the hillside, officially known as Vila Maria da Conceição, beer stores and bar menus are full of hoppy American styles,
grew. Anna Maria raised three daughters there. Those particularly IPAs and pale ales. English-language labels and
daughters raised their own families there. the boisterous graphic design aesthetic widespread in the
“It’s a very Brazilian story,” says Glauco Caon, one American scene are also common.
of Anna Maria’s grandsons. “Brazil is made of stories like Sitting in the loft of a nondescript industrial building
[hers].” he’s converting into an expanded brewery, Caon declares his
In 2007, when Caon and his brother founded a brew- love for American beers. “I’m a big fan. But…” He trails off.
ery, they picked a name to honor their grandmother, still It’s a sunny December day, high summer some 2,000
alive then and still a great fan of beer: Anner. It had been miles south of the equator. Outside, banana trees along
her family’s name, one Anna Maria had long treasured the street sway in the breeze. American beers are great,
even though her immigrant parents gave her a much more but Brazil is not America, and Caon, along with a number
Brazilian surname, da Silva, in an effort to integrate. of other like-minded craft brewers, would rather innovate
Anner’s tripel earned mention in the 2013 book than imitate.
“Boutique Beer: 500 of the World’s Finest Craft Brews” by In an interview published online on paladar.estad-
British beer critic Ben McFarland. Caon was further look- ao.com.br, he acknowledged that copying better-known
ing to his roots when he named the beer Maria Degolada. foreign styles and brands was an important marketing
His mother, who still lives in the neighborhood, designed strategy for Brazil’s nascent craft beer industry.
the label in the cordel style, a traditional Brazilian wood- “But now, things are different,” Caon continued, in
cut used to illustrate cheap booklets of folk stories and the same interview. “It’s strange that we don’t take advan-
poetry. It shows Maria Degolada walking the street, hold- tage of the rich Brazilian culture—our reality, our history,

 
ing her severed head aloft. our daily life—to create a Brazilian beer identity.”

Though less than a decade old, Anner (now a brand of An obvious place for Brazilian brewers to begin is with
Caon’s current brewing company, Cervejaria AN2) is the natural abundance for which their country is famous.
among the old guard of Brazilian microbreweries. Caon’s “We have such richness all around us, and we tend
hometown of Porto Alegre, for example, has a micro- to underestimate it,” says Tiago Genehr, who runs a
brew district where nine breweries now operate within nanobrewery, Cerveja Sideral, in the southern city of

JULY / AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 57


Novo Hamburgo. beer scene, Caon—who also has a doctorate degree
Some of Genehr’s recent beers include a pink in marine biology and a postdoctoral in biochemis-
peppercorn wheat beer and saisons brewed with try with beer—has turned to the laboratory.
guava and tangerine. Far to the north in Belém, For many years, the origin of lager yeast had
near the mouth of the Amazon, Amazon Beer has long baffled scientists. Then, in 2011, a research
made a name for itself by brewing with even more team found the answer in an Argentinian forest.
exotic rainforest ingredients. Among their regu- Genetic analysis of a wild yeast species found
lar lineup is an acai stout, chosen as Brazil’s best there showed that, centuries ago, it hitched a boat
craft beer at the 2014 Brazilian Beer Festival; a wit back to Europe, hybridized with ale yeast and al-
brewed with the tapereba fruit (also known as the lowed brewers in Bavaria to develop the first lagers
hog plum); an IPA flavored with a vanillalike seed about 500 years ago.
called cumaru; and a red ale with priprioca, a root Caon was inspired. If a South American yeast
with nutritional and medicinal uses. had already revolutionized beer once before, what
“We can explore this much more,” says beer else might be lurking out there? In 2011, he began
writer Raphael Rodrigues, who believes tropical a post-doctoral research program, looking for wild
fruits and spices could be the basis for development Brazilian yeasts that might rewrite beer history again.
of a distinctive Brazilian style. “It won’t be known as a Working with samples primarily collected
‘bitter’ or a ‘sweet’ style, but as one that uses ingredi- in the mountain forests of southern Brazil, Caon
ents that aren’t the usual ones in beer.” has so far tried brewing with more than a dozen
Brazil’s forests also represent brewing po- species of wild yeast. Three excite him: One makes
tential in the form of wood (the country itself is a low-alcohol, saisonlike beer; another produces
named for the Brazil tree, which was used to make an extremely dry and astringent beer with hints of
HIGH FIVE
a red dye and was the first natural resource felled cashew fruit; and a third makes a sour beer. Two are
Antônio Salimen, founder of
by the Portuguese). Way Beer, near the city of previously known to science but haven’t been used Locals Only, a specialty beer bar
Curitiba, has pioneered this in commercial brewing; an- in Porto Alegre, Brazil, shares
aspect of Brazilian brewing other is an entirely new spe- tasting notes and pairings for
with its Amburana Lager, “If a South cies (because the research five distinctively Brazilian beers.
aged in barrels made from American yeast isn’t published yet, Caon de-
Amazon Beer Stout Açaí
Amburana wood. The pro- clined to identify it.)
cess adds color, aroma and a had already “I’m going crazy to Brewed with the acai fruit, this 7.2% stout gives
off an intense aroma of roasted coffee and dark
distinctive flavor to the beer, revolutionized bring these beers to the pub-
red fruit before a dry finish. The acai discreetly
leading many to regard it as a lic,” he says. accompanies the beer’s toasty flavors.
great example of an ale that’s beer once That’s on hold for now, Pair with: lamb; red fruit cheesecake
purely “Brazilian.” before, what though, thanks to Brazilian
A third approach—one laws regulating commercial Cervejaria Dogma Cafuza
long pursued by American else might be use of its biodiversity. Caon’s Imperial India Black Ale
The intermingling of black and indigenous
brewers—is the fusion of lurking out applications to begin brew-
Brazilians during the colonial era inspired the
styles. When a young brew- ing with the yeasts he’s found
er from São Paulo named there?” have been stuck in a bureau- name of this beer, a perfect combination of
an imperial stout and an IPA. Cafuza pairs a
Bruno Moreno first heard of cratic logjam for years. While
powerful, citrusy hop aroma with coffee and
a black IPA, the word cafuza popped into his head. his research continues, Caon isn’t sure if or when chocolate flavors, a medium body and the
One of many terms used to describe skin color and AN2 will be able to release new, distinctively Brazilian sweetness necessary to round out its 8.5% ABV.


heritage in Brazil’s extremely diverse society, cafuza beers with the yeasts gleaned from the woods. Pair with: red meats like southern Brazilian
refers to a person of African and indigenous de- 12-hour roast beef; a traditional Brazilian
scent. With that idea mind, Moreno used American Despite the bureaucracy, despite the simple eco- feijoada served with collards, fried cassava
hops and dark malts to brew an imperial India black nomic challenges of staying afloat—particularly flour and oranges
ale reflecting his country’s diversity. with Brazil mired in deep recession—the scene is
Cervejaria Colorado Appia Weiss
Cafuza started some years ago as a homebrew buzzing now. The future is wide open. Who knows
With a golden yellow color and medium-sized
that Moreno distributed among friends. After it gen- what will happen?
head, Appia has a strong, sweet aroma of
erated considerable buzz among Brazilian beer fans, “We’re at the beginning of a process,” says honey. This highly drinkable wheat ale is
Moreno gave it wider commercial release through Micael Eckert, founder of Coruja, another well- perfect for Brazil’s tropical climate.
Cervejaria Dogma, a brewery he co-founded. established and respected brewery in Porto Alegre. Pair with: poultry and seafood
“Beer doesn’t just have to be about the reci- “There’s no Niemeyer of Brazilian beer.”
pe,” says Moreno. “The [Cafuza] recipe is a typical He’s referring to Oscar Niemeyer, a trailblazing Way Beer Amburana Lager
American one, but everything behind that beer giant of 20th-century architecture whose iconic de- Named for the wood barrels in which it is
is Brazilian. The name, the concept, it’s all very signs include the striking government buildings in aged, Amburana Lager has an attractive dark
ruby color and an intense aroma of wood,


Brazilian.” Brasília. Of course, Niemeyer himself was also once
cachaca liquor, dark fruits and vanilla. Its
at the fledgling stage.
complexity and high alcohol content make this
Given that Brazil has a population of more than And so, in Brazil, a massive country with an a beer best enjoyed slowly.
200 million and a land area larger than the contigu- exploding taste for craft beer, ideas are fermenting. Pair with: ham hocks (Einsbein) prepared in
ous U.S., it may be impossible to talk about any one Brewers are playing with fruits and woods you’ve the classic German-South American style
Brazilian style. And not all Brazilian craft brewers never heard of. They’re mashing up styles in ways
who concern themselves with the matter agree on that reflect society around them. They’re combing Cerveja Coruja Strix India Pale Lager
the means to their end. Caon, for example, dismisses the woods for yet-unknown, microscopic fungi This almond-colored beer exhibits a sub-
brewing with little-known Brazilian fruits or aging in that might put an entirely new spin on beer as we stantial head and has a hoppy, lightly smoky
aroma. Strix IPL combines the smoothness
exotic woods as variations on well-established tech- now know it.
of a Vienna lager with the personality of an
niques from abroad. “We almost have a responsibility to offer some-
IPA—a good example of a Brazilian-brewed
In his mind, grounding his brewery and beers thing to Europe and the U.S.,” says Genehr, sitting in beer with both local personality and clear
like Maria Degolada in Brazilian narratives is a small his quiet tasting room before a Friday evening crowd North American influence.
first step; not enough to constitute a stand-alone wanders in. “Maybe someday these styles will be Pair with: pork chops and smoked sausages;
Brazilian identity. To truly make a mark on the global brewed up in the Northern Hemisphere.” • mature cheeses

58 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


AMERICA’S 100 BEST
BEER BARS X In 2016, most bars have good beer, and a lot of bars have a lot of good beer; but it’s a special
few that can tell you why. In creating this annual list, we looked for bars with purpose, ones
that have a reason for serving what they do, and with a well-trained staff that can tell you
all about what you’re enjoying in your glass. These top 100 beer bars come in all shapes and
sizes: They’re lightless holes in the wall and sleek architectural alehouses; they’re nooks
perfect for a first date and raucous bars where you’d watch the big game with your buddies.
But the one thing they share: a commitment to making sure whatever’s in your glass is
fresh, delicious and of-the-moment. Visit any of them and you’ll surely drink something
PAUL BODY

memorable, but more than that, you’ll never forget where you drank it.

JULY / AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 61


BEST BEER BARS

NORTHEAST
K

Covenhoven
Brooklyn, New York
covenhovennyc.com
X Truly a mom-and-pop shop—its husband and wife
owners live above the storefront—the two-plus-year-
old bottle shop and bar is part neighborhood gathering
spot, part beer destination. Sixteen drafts pour mostly
New York brews from buzzy breweries Other Half,
Greenpoint and Transmitter, while more than 150
cans and bottles cast a wider geographic net. Order a
draft or open your bottle on site, then make a beeline
for the grassy backyard (lawns being such a rarity in
NYC that on weekends, the 30-seat yard often fills up
15 minutes after the bar’s opening).
Armsby Abbey
Worcester, Massachusetts
armsbyabbey.com
XIt’s the only place in The Bay State
to score Hill Farmstead, but the
classic wood-and-brick pub has also
recently added more local favorites
to its draft list. Get ready to tick
Honest Weight and Medusa brews
in addition to Trillium and Oxbow
drafts. Feeling peckish? Pair those
drafts with an impressive roster of
New England farmhouse cheeses.

Beer Street WHYM Craft Beer Café


Brooklyn, New York Portsmouth, New Hampshire, whymportsmouth.com
beerstreetny.com S When Alex Aviles and his wife set out to open WHYM more than three years ago, he wanted to learn from the
X A focus on rare and exotic beers best. A stint at Lovell, Maine stalwart Ebenezer’s Pub and sister bar The Lion’s Pride in Brunswick, Maine provided
from around the world has, over him that training, which Aviles puts to use in curating a tight, 10-draft list that ensures super-fresh pours of both
time, expanded to more selections Granite State locals and global brews. A snug, TV-free bar and outside-the-box events set the tavern apart.
from NYC and the rest of the state
as the area’s beer scene has grown.
That translates to regular appear-
ances from Other Half, Threes and Want to know what’s new on Fountain Porter Lord Hobo
Barrier to supplement ultraspecial draft? Check the shop’s website for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Cambridge, Massachusetts
arrivals from far-flung locales. No conversational and entertaining fountainporter.com lordhobo.com
time to sit down for a pint? Bottles descriptions of new brews. XOff East Passyunk Ave.—ground XLast year’s launch of Lord
are also available to go. zero for cool restaurants in Hobo Brewing Co. created some
Churchkey South Philly—the 3-year-old confusion around the six-year-old
Blind Tiger Ale House Washington, D.C. neighborhood bar has quietly beer bar from the same owners
New York, New York churchkeydc.com distinguished itself among locals (no, you can’t fill growlers at the
blindtigeralehouse.com X The capital’s beer scene can with a draft-only, 20-tap beer bar; no, it’s not in the same town
XWhether you’re a local or a tour- really trace itself to one man: Greg lineup and a killer $5 burger. It’s as the brewery), but this six-
ist making a pilgrimage to this Engert. At six-year-old Churchkey quality and freshness first when it and-a-half-year-old institution
pioneering beer bar, here’s a tip: near Logan Circle, his stellar eye comes to both: Kegs of Maine Mo, retains its autonomy. You can find
Avoid the evening crowds that pack for spotting the best of what’s Hill Farmstead pale ales and Jolly coveted Lord Hobo one-off casks
this place and stop by for lunch, now—and more importantly, Pumpkin sours rotate quickly, and and drafts such as the in-your-
which features table service. You what’s going to be happening next that scrumptious burger is made face Boom Sauce double IPA,
can take your time examining the in beer—is on display via five casks with beef picked up daily from but the rest of the 44 draft lines
ever-changing, always fresh draft and 50 draft lines, which are always Philly’s Italian Market. Plentiful and three casks cover beers from
choices, which include notable meticulously cleaned, even during bar rails and low-key table seating New England and points farther,
sours and IPAs from top breweries tap takeovers that might require all keep the vibe casual, as do the like jewels from Maine Beer Co.,
as well as sessionable lagers and 50 to change over twice in 24 hours. wallet-friendly $3 pints of Philly Grimm, Fiddlehead, Wormtown,
ciders. Because of its killer firkin Staff members are smart but not Brewing Kenzinger. Ballast Point and, recently, Artifact
program, Blind Tiger also snags pretentious, and a new chef means Cider. Enjoy local art on display as
super-interesting one-offs on cask. more global flavors that complete Khyber Pass you sip.
this seminal D.C. beer pilgrimage. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Brouwerij Lane khyberpasspub.com Max’s Taphouse
Brooklyn, New York Deep Ellum XThere’s a timeless, cavelike Baltimore, Maryland
brouwerijlane.com Allston, Massachusetts sensibility to Khyber Pass: The maxs.com
X The stone- and brick-dressed sis- deepellum-boston.com bar dates to at least 1850 and was XFive casks, 105 draft lines and a
ter spot to Greenpoint Beer and Ale X Devotees of historic European known for live rock shows from the 1,200-deep bottle menu will make
(formerly Dirck the Norseman) is a beers will find their temple at this 1970s through 2010s; now its focus beer geeks salivate, but the Fell’s
one-stop shop for both take-home 65-seat spot: Unfiltered German is beer. Twenty draft lines plus two Point bar isn’t a hushed library;
and drink-in beers; it recently lagers, funky Belgian styles and beer engines pour a thoughtful TVs line the walls, sports fans cheer
began accepting credit cards, so classically made British milds and mix of locals (the bar was one of with abandon and no one’s going
that’s extra temptation to peruse porters, properly pressurized and the first to offer Yards and Victory) to shame your friend for order-
the 10 taps and glowing fridges full carbonated, share space among as well as eye-catching national ing wine if that’s his preference. A
of choice bottles. Draft beers can the 28 tap handles and one cask. A stuff, all alongside a menu of Cajun, steady stream of events, including
be obscure, especially in the case recent facelift has polished some of Creole and Southern bar fare with Tuesday night beer socials and
of international picks, so make use the cosmetic details at the 10-year- plenty of vegetarian options. It’s annual shindigs Belgian Fest and
of the straightforward chalkboard old tavern, which has also stepped no surprise that this place serves as HopFest, introduce drinkers to new
descriptions (“cloudy, malty, clo- up its menu of European small a training ground for many of the breweries both local (Burley Oak,
vey German hefe,” for example). plates and housemade charcuterie. city’s best bartenders. Manor Hill and RaR) and global.

JULY / AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 63


this come-one, come-all Boston-
area bar don’t sacrifice quality
for local pride, or vice versa. With
space for both venerable pioneers
(Dupont, Petrus) and worthy area
newcomers, it’s possible to sip a
world-class Belgian kriek followed
by a stellar Trillium delicacy. Pair
that with decadent, gooey mac ‘n’
cheese, and beer bars don’t get
much more comforting.

Three Penny Taproom


Montpelier, Vermont
threepennytaproom.com
X Most beercationers to Vermont
come seeking Hill Farmstead
and Lawson’s, and yes, you can
certainly find those among Three
Penny’s 24 drafts served in a nar-
row, low-key, chalkboard-menu-
lined room. But the staff here also
likes to champion world-class local
breweries you may not have tried,
such as Zero Gravity and Upper
Pass. Education continues further
on the bar’s wacky, whimsical blog,
Standard Tap updated weekly with beer- and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, standardtap.com non-beer musings from operator
SPhilly residents revere this Northern Liberties bar for championing the area’s scene before local was the buzzword Kevin Kerner.
it is today. When it opened in 1999, in fact, the idea of all-local drafts was novel; now the menu of 20 draft-only beers
is one of the smartest in town. It’s expanded to include breweries from within a 100-mile radius, snagging choice Top Hops Beer Shop
beers from Jersey’s Flying Fish, Delaware’s Dogfish Head and Ardmore, Pennsylvania’s Tired Hands. New York, New York
tophops.com
XThis clean and amicable Lower
East Side bar and bottle shop con-
Memphis Taproom like Einbecker Pils and Kulmbacher Grey Lodge Pub tinues its tradition of unpretentious
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monchshof Schwarzbier, plus Philadelphia, Pennsylvania service and has expanded its roster of
memphistaproom.com Belgian darlings and “best of” greylodge.com classes on topics from sour beers to
X The 20 taps here reflect co-owner Maine breweries. You could also go XEvents are what set this two-story hops to Trappist breweries to gruits.
Brendan Hartranft’s personality for the 500-deep bottle list, or the bar apart—that and its somewhat Local breweries continue to be an
and relationships with top brewer- seasonal proprietary beer brewed out-of-the-way location in Northeast active focus; look for choice pours
ies, which translate to awesome by Liquid Riot (served in its own Philly. (The distance from downtown from Grimm, Other Half and Barrier.
local finds from Yards, 2SP and St. glassware, naturally). has a silver lining, though, as it keeps
Benjamin alongside well-chosen this bar full of regulars.) One of the TØRST
Belgians and classic American- Proletariat most beloved days at Grey Lodge Brooklyn, New York
brewed standbys such as Allagash New York, New York comes each Friday the 13th, or Friday torstnyc.com
White and Sierra Nevada Porter. proletariatny.com the Firkinteeth, when a day and an X Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso of Evil Twin
The motto? “Quality over quantity,” X A sign out front beckons with evening session each see a dozen- consults on the beer list, push-
which we can totally get behind. “Rare, New & Unusual beer,” and plus special casks tapped, with requi- ing the boundaries at this sleek
A narrow but convivial alley-style, the 12 draft lines pour just that, site photo-worthy flying foam. Beer Greenpoint stunner attached to
warm-weather beer garden is just from the likes of The Bruery, Hill Olympics and warm-weather “Front Michelin-starred Luksus restaurant.
icing on the cake. Farmstead, Maine Beer Co., Grimm Stoop Lounging” events during Stemmed glassware and a mirrored
and international breweries. Philly Beer Week are also a draw. menu present the day’s draft offer-
Monk’s Cafe The interior is just as we like our ings, which likely represent every
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hideaways, dim and well-suited to The Jeffrey of-the-moment brewery you need
monkscafe.com contemplation over a beer or two. New York, New York to know: Westbrook, Logsdon, Hill
X Responsible for bringing incred- The staff, likewise, is as one would thejeffreynyc.com Farmstead. Meanwhile, snack on
ible Belgian beer to Americans for hope: attentive and interested in X From the same group that bar plates from Luksus chef Daniel
more than 19 years, co-founder Tom finding the right beer—be it hoppy, owns Alewife and Fools Gold, this Burns without the tasting-menu
Peters (three times nominated for a sour or something else—to suit Upper East Side beer bar isn’t price tag.
James Beard Outstanding Beverage your mood and preference. resting on its laurels: Partner
Professional award) could coast on Patrick Donagher, an electrician Tria Taproom
his reputation alone. But he doesn’t. Strangelove’s by training, constructed a new Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The bar is still ground zero for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania service bar out of repurposed sew- triaphilly.com/tria-taproom
Cantillon’s Zwanze Day in Philly strangelovesbeerbar.com ing machines and a bathtub this XThe narrow, minimalist beer and
and is the first place to look when a X The Center City bar’s devotion to spring. It adds a handful of new wine bar takes the “tap” part of its
coveted beer is said to have hit town. Keystone State breweries is evident draft lines to the thrumming beer name literally; there’s not a bottle
in collaboration brews with outfits garden, complementing the indoor to be found. Instead, 24 draft beers
Novare Res Bier Café that have included Free Will, 2SP bar’s 30 lines, which are specifically join a dozen draft wines and two
Portland, Maine and Yards. The draft list (includ- pressure-calibrated to match the ciders to offer a little something for
novareresbiercafe.com ing two casks) has drifted toward rotating selection of international all tastes, especially for seekers of
XIt’s not easy to find this tucked- nearly all-local or regional in the and local beers, usually including unusual beer. Brews are balanced
away, brick-walled basement bar past few months but stays well- some head-turning rarities. between stellar European offerings
(hint: It’s down the alley!), but the balanced, stylistically. If you show and one-offs or rarer American
reward is sweet. The 33 draft lines up with a newbie beer drinker, The Publick House offerings; a lineup might include
give diverse attention to hoppy staff will happily recommend an Brookline, Massachusetts AleSmith Speedway Stout variations
American gems from Night Shift approachable, high-quality option thepublickhousebeerbar.com next to an Australian gose next to a
and Sierra Nevada, German classics from the 16 draft beer lines. X The impeccably chosen drafts at wine barrel-aged Belgian sour ale.

64 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


BEST BEER BARS

SOUTHK

The Hay Merchant


Houston, Texas
haymerchant.com
X The Hay Merchant’s array of 80 unusual tap
handles—crafted from curios ranging from
owner Kevin Floyd’s family heirlooms to a rusty
can of Colt 45—is iconic, but it’s what’s behind
them that’s most impressive: a cooler with
temperature-regulated zones for ales and lagers
that also houses Floyd’s “library” of more than
200 vintage kegs. A program rolling out this
summer will enable customers to order bottled
beers by the glass.
does have a menu of exclusively
Lone Star State-brewed beers, a
pair of cask engines for drawing off
special one-off kegs, and the option
to get many of those 54 brews in a
20-ounce “Texas Pint” that proves
everything really is bigger in Texas.

Holy Grale
Louisville, Kentucky
holygralelouisville.com
X “It’s quality of service and the
quality of the products they sell.
They have an incredible beer list,
and to cap it all off it’s a neat place.
The proprietors were instrumental
in the maturity of the beer market
here. They were the first on the
scene to open a beer-centric place
of that caliber. Ultimately, they set
The Birch the stage for my company to open,
Norfolk, Virginia, thebirchbar.com and for this new wave of breweries
S Long known for its exquisitely curated, Eurocentric selection of 21 draft beers, The Birch recently installed five to open up.” - Sam Cruz, Against
more taps just for ciders and meads. But fear not, staunch beer fans—brews still reign supreme at the bar’s regular the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
“43 Hours Of” festivals, where a single beer style takes over the taps for an entire week. Look for goodies from beer
importer B. United in July and an assortment of sours in September. Hops + Crafts
Nashville, Tennessee
hopscrafts.com
XIf you’re from out of state, you’d
Banger’s Sausage House Busy Bee Cafe first drop of beer flows. Left your be hard-pressed to find a single
& Beer Garden Raleigh, North Carolina growler at home? Just pick one out beer you recognize among the 36
Austin, Texas busybeeraleigh.com from the on-site selection, purport- rotating handles here (ever heard
bangersaustin.com X If this buzzing (get it?) craft beer edly the largest in the world. of Little Harpeth Chicken Scratch,
XAside from the occasional cast-iron hive hadn’t already earned its way Jackalope Bearwalker or Mayday
pot or taxidermic pig head, you won’t onto this list through its innovative Craft Brewed Evil Octopus?). The industrial-style
find many frills at this picnic table- barrel program in which the bar Nashville, Tennessee stools facing the taps and the TV
decked downtown beer hall. The donates casks to local breweries craftbrewednashville.com are the place to be on Tennessee
focus is on 30 housemade sausages so they can age their beer and sell X “They have a great patio outside, Tuesdays, when all beers made in
(which include exotic links like duck, it back to the Bee exclusively, the and they’re always pouring lots the Volunteer State are half off, but
antelope, rabbit and wild boar) and Belgian-only restaurant and bar of great drafts from my brewer weekends are when you’ll want to
104 rotating drafts. Feel daring? Let a opened on the second-floor in friends. The atmosphere is just park it on the patio and scope the
bartender pluck out a random draft January, Mash & Lauter, would’ve awesome. Plus, I’m a big fan of Gulch neighborhood nightlife.
using the metal Bingo roller packed sealed the deal. Nashville hot chicken, and there’s
with 104 numbered balls. a hot chicken place right down Kickbacks Gastropub/
Closed for Business the street that makes stuff that Goozlepipe & Guttyworks
Beer Run Charleston, South Carolina they let you bring into the bar. Any Jacksonville, Florida
Charlottesville, Virginia closed4business.com time I can have craft beer and hot kickbacksgastropub.com
beerrun.com X We can’t decide which seat is chicken, that’s a good day for me.” X Who needs wallpaper? Pennies—
X Fifty percent bar, 50 percent bot- the best here: one of the well- - Brandon Jones, Yazoo Brewing Co. more than a million of them, each
tle shop and 50 percent restaurant, worn leather chairs next to the hand-adhered over a 10-month
Beer Run is the place to go when faux fireplace that draws warmth Craft Conundrum period—act as the paneling for the
you need to make a … well, you and character from the rest of the Charleston, South Carolina steampunk half of this multifaceted
know. Rarities can almost always kitschy, lodgelike interior, or the craftconundrum.com beer compound. Aboveground, 180
be found among the 700-ish bottles bathroom’s single, private porce- X You will never experience a draft different beers flow from standard
on the location’s retail side, and the lain throne, where beer-focused beer like one you’ll get at Craft draft towers and reimagined cop-
pub half’s 17 taps regularly feature articles and reviews act as wallpa- Conundrum. That’s because owner per stills; below, another 24 taps
locals like South Street, Starr Hill per. Choosing from the selection of Richard Easterby holds the patent feature exclusively Belgian brews
and Blue Mountain. If the small 42 Carolina-leaning drafts—almost on the mad-genius draft system he while thousands of bottles and kegs
spot’s full (it usually is), head two all of which can be purchased in developed seven years ago, which slumber in temperature-controlled
miles down the road to Kardinal 10-ounce, 16-ounce and 1-liter matches the pressure of each of the catacombs. Nearly 200 lockers,
Hall, a 200-seat beer garden Beer pours—is a much simpler prospect. 100-plus available kegs and shoots rentable for merely $1 a day, allow
Run’s owners opened inside an old hot water through the draft lines at beer fans to add their own bottles
Coca-Cola plant last October. Craft and Growler the completion of every pour. Every to the collection.
Dallas, Texas glass you enjoy while you sink into
Brick Store Pub craftandgrowler.com the bar’s cushy leather couches and Mahogany Bar
Decatur, Georgia X Most bars allow you the option eye the hundreds of bottles lining Hattiesburg, Mississippi
brickstorepub.com of filling a growler for take-home its grocery storelike shelves is like mahoganybar.net
X Bring a pair of reading glasses to drinking; none are as committed the first pull off a fresh keg through X “The Hog” could refer to this
this nearly two-decade-old Decatur to beer-to-go as this filling station. a just-cleaned line. place’s nickname among locals
institution; the bar’s Bible-sized Founded in November 2012 by just as easily as it could reference
bottle list requires intense study. a pair of patent attorneys, C&G Craft Pride the massive boar’s head that hangs
You could, of course, simply select features 42 draft lines, every single Austin, Texas above the doors. It keeps a watch-
from one of the upstairs bar’s eight one of which is equipped with a craftprideaustin.com ful eye on the bar’s squadron of
Belgian-only taps or the 21 mostly specially designed beer gun (the X With 54 taps, Craft Pride doesn’t Cicerone Certified Beer Servers
American drafts available at floor same device used for packaging at have the largest selection of draft as they move about the dimly lit,
level, but wouldn’t you rather find many breweries) that injects growl- beer in the city (thanks to the 100 mahogany-laden space to dole
out what kinds of special-release ers of Deep Ellum Numb Comfort faucets at Banger’s down the road, out pints of Chandeleur, Slow
rarities are aging in the under- or Dogfish Head Choc Lobster full it doesn’t even have the largest Boat, Lazy Magnolia and Southern
ground bank vault? of flavor-saving CO2 before the selection on Rainey Street). But it Prohibition from 45 stellar taps.

66 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


Mr. Beery’s Redlight Redlight kind of people who would want to
Sarasota, Florida Orlando, Florida come? Anyone who enjoys trea-
mrbeeryssrq.com redlightredlightbeerparlour.com sure-hunting through 40 drafts and
X Yeah, its name is like something XTake a massive, airy warehouse more than 1,700 bottles.
you’d get if you tried to crowd- and plop a badass beer bar right
source the title of a beer bar on in the middle of it: That’s Redlight Strangeways
Twitter. But that’s sort of the Redlight. Now more than a decade Dallas, Texas
point—with mismatched couches old, the Orlando beer geek haven strangewaysdallas.com
for seating, skeeball and the option keeps intriguing brews flowing from XThe assortment of cartoonish
to bring in any outside food you
want, this is a place that doesn’t
take itself too seriously. Drop by
24 seriously considered taps, two
beer engines and more than 300
bottles. A new 50-liter brewhouse
figurines posed on shelves above
Strangeways’ giant cement bartop
(“art pieces” collected by owner Eric
CHAINS
often to see what new concoc- in the back churns out befuddling Sanchez) are as eclectic as the crowd Bangers & Lace
tions are flowing through the bar’s brews like the dry-hopped sour that fills the brick-laden space each bangersandlacebar.com
two flavor infusion towers, the Space Oddity and Black Orange Sun, night. You’re as likely to mingle with Now with three locations across
Hopinator and the Infusinator. a dark saison, but you can be sure the the suit-and-tie crowd here as with Chicago and Evanston, Illinois,
staff will do a good job of describing the ear-gauged and inked types, this sausage-and-beer-bar feels
Oak & Ore them—they’re all at least Cicerone especially during special events like different in each iteration; rarely
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Certified Beer Servers. October’s weeklong Sour Fest, when do beers repeat. Rotation is fre-
oakandore.com tart and wild ales take over all 40 of quent, bringing in the new and
X When owner Micah Andrews Salud the bar’s rotating taps. unfamiliar, plus standbys worth
discovered that most bar draft Charlotte, North Carolina revisiting.
systems are designed mainly for saludbeershop.com The Avenue Pub
mass-market lagers and not the X Tees worn by some of the New Orleans, Louisiana HopCat
nuanced brews he wanted to sell, employees here read: “Sour Beer. theavenuepub.com hopcat.com
he decided to call in some experts Old-School Hip Hop. Nintendo. XWhere else in the Big Easy can you Each of this Midwest chain’s 10
and build a better one. The result: a Wafflewiches. Salud.” You pretty sip on Pappy Van Winkle while lob- locations has ingrained itself into
36-tap setup that enables Andrews much get all of the above at this bing Mardi Gras beads at passersby the local fabric of its city, mostly
and his staff of Cicerone Certified bottle shop/taproom, whose walls from a second-floor balcony, then through excellent buyers who
Beer Servers to dispense a world- are crammed with shelves and head downstairs for a burger with find the best of what’s brewing in
spanning variety of kegs at different coolers of lustworthy cans and goat cheese and candied bacon town. The Crack Fries probably
temperatures and regulate the flow bottles from around the world, plus paired with 12 ounces of Drie have something to do with its
rate of each faucet, ensuring a per- some Charlotte Hornets posters Fonteinen Oude Geuze? Where else charm, too.
fect pour with every glass. from the ‘90s. Area brewers regu- in the country can you do that?
larly stop in to see what fun beers World of Beer
Petrol Station flow through the dozen taps, snack The J. Clyde worldofbeer.com
Houston, Texas on delicious waffle sandwiches and Birmingham, Alabama With nearly 80 locations, WOB is
facebook.com/petrolstation chat with the in-the-know staff. jclyde.com like the Starbucks of good beer:
X Beer and Star Wars geeks alike are X With its cobblestone walls and ubiquitous and reliable. Plus, the
welcome at this converted gas sta- Sergio’s World Beers three beer engines (the only ones chain’s loyalty program lets you
tion tucked inside a quiet Houston Louisville, Kentucky you’ll find in the city), a more rack up points and prizes no mat-
neighborhood: The 35-tap draft sergiosworldbeers.com authentic pub would be hard to ter where you go.
menu of the best beer available in X Sergio’s is easy to miss if you find in England, let alone Alabama.
Texas is separated into “Youngling,” don’t know where you’re going— But J. Clyde has everything we look Toronado
“Padawan” and “Jedi” categories by the windows are blacked out for in a modern beer bar: 60-plus toronado.com
ABV and intensity. There’s always with flags and there’s not even a taps, split between a U.S.-focused The nearly 30-year-old San
something new and exciting to try sign. But this, says owner Sergio front bar and all-’bama back; a staff Francisco location of this varied
out on tap, but it’s the killer burgers Ribenboim, is the point: “Not of Cicerone Certified Beer Servers; group was a beer geek bastion
and huge patio that make this the having a sign helps keep away the and housemade offerings from long before such things were
best place in the city to fill up your kind of people who wouldn’t want Five Points Brewing, opening later fashionable; spots in San Diego
tank, so to speak. to come to a place like this.” The this year. and Seattle present beer lists and
legendary events that live up to
its celebrated name.

The Porter Beer Bar Ginger Man


Atlanta, Georgia, theporterbeerbar.com thegingerman.com
T Don’t be afraid to rub up on your neighbor at this brick-lined, boisterous bar with the feel of an old-city alley- What started in 1985 in Houston
way; the space is as narrow as its 50-draft, 800-plus-bottle beer menu is long. You can always rent out the secluded has expanded to seven Texas
wood-and-brick beer cellar if you want to get away from the crowds—and closer to those vintage brews. locations, all of which have a
laid-back neighborhood vibe
and top-notch beer lists. East
Coasters shouldn’t feel left out:
There are two more Ginger Man
outposts in Connecticut and one
in New York City.

Flying Saucer
beerknurd.com
There are a lot of stellar beer
bars in the south, but from North
Carolina to Texas, Flying Saucer
has set the standard since 1995.
There are now 16 locations and
one big reason to keep coming
back: Drinkers can swipe their
U.F.O. club cards to track what
they’ve tried, and if they get to
200 beers their names go on the
wall’s Ring of Honor.

DRAFTMAG.COM 67
BEST BEER BARS

MIDWEST
K
The Koelschip
Indianapolis, Indiana
(317) 414-9539
W The team behind Indy’s Central State Brewing noticed a lot of great bars
in town serving standard beer styles, but felt the city lacked a bar dedicated
to interesting imports and “weirder” domestic beers. So this winter they
opened Koelschip, a 12-tap, minimalist bar with permanent handles for
four Central State beers and Ritterguts gose, plus seven rotating options
that span hoppy, malty, dark and funky brews from the likes of Jolly
Pumpkin and 18th Street. Pint glasses are only for water; all other beers
are served in 16-, 12- or 10-ounce tulips.

7 Monks Clubhouse BFD


Traverse City, Michigan Rochester Hills, Michigan
7monkstap.com clubhousebfd.com
X With a name referencing the X It’s not easy choosing among 51
number of Trappist breweries taps that cover local (tons of Griffin
worldwide (as of the bar’s open- Claw, plus multiple offerings from
ing in 2011), you’d be forgiven for Petoskey and Wolverine State),
mistaking this 46-draft taproom as national and international brews,
a Belgian-only bar. Yes, you might so it’s a good thing all the servers
see Delirium and Brasserie Dupont are Cicerone Certified Beer Servers
on tap, but the bar also pours fun and go through regular refreshers.
Michigan- and Midwest-brewed Keep a special eye out for cellared
beers from Short’s, Brewery Vivant gems drawn from the bar’s cooler
and Prairie. Staff is friendly and as well as the occasional awesome
more than willing to make recom- vertical. When Griffin Claw Brewing
mendations, which should also expands into the space next door
include a tip about how great the sometime this year, this little corner
food is. The bar plans to open a of Michigan will get even beerier.
Boyne City, Michigan, location
mid-June and a 57-tap Grand Crescent Moon
Rapids location in October. Omaha, Nebraska
beercornerusa.com/
Bridge crescentmoon
St. Louis, Missouri X For 20 years, the alehouse has
thebridgestl.com pioneered great draft beer through Sheffield’s
X Special indeed is the beer bar its 37 tap offerings, and it continues Chicago, Illinois
where you could take a date for to champion both local brewer- sheffieldschicago.com
dinner and consider donning an ies and new-to-the-area regional S This iconic, 50-tap Lakeview bar is back on our list this year thanks to a
ironed shirt. The chandelier-lit bar, players like Avery, Surly, Bell’s and reinvigorated beer and events program that’s recently included a launch
backedropped by shelves of bottles Firestone Walker. A new crowler party for Short’s Brewing’s Illinois arrival, a Founders KBS release and a
and a wooden library ladder, pours machine has been a hit in the Chicago Craft Beer Week event that included pours of Surly Darkness,
55 drafts with a couple hundred adjacent bottle shop, Beertopia, Goose Island Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout and barrel-aged
more in bottles; it’s especially rich which stocks a dizzying 650-ish Ballast Point goodies. As always, picnic tables in the beer garden are some
with Missouri breweries includ- bottles and six drafts. Along with of the best summertime spots in town.
ing Civil Life, Crane, Mark Twain Max & Joe’s (the next-door Belgian-
and Perennial. Willow, a recently focused bar), the bars and bottle
opened events space next door, shop form Beer Corner USA, a
hosts weddings and private parties moniker they’ve certainly earned. lately, the venerable beer and theme (see: a dragon-festooned
as well as beer events that, in the whiskey bar (with one of the great- stone fireplace). Taps carry more
past, have welcomed Founders and El Bait Shop est rooftops in Chicago) is back local beer than ever (3 Floyds, 18th
New Belgium. Des Moines, Iowa on sure footing. Gems from the Street) as the Indiana brewing
elbaitshop.com extensive beer cellar as well as one- scene continues to bloom, rounded
Burnhearts XThe great thing about offering 185 offs from visiting breweries surface out by one-offs from larger
Milwaukee, Wisconsin draft beers—aside from the awe- for Friday events, and the rooftop Midwest breweries.
burnheartsbar.com some selection, of course—is that bar has picked up fun brews from
X When owner B.J. Seidel opened you become the beer bar in Iowa, hometown favorites Spiteful and Hopleaf
his Bay View corner bar nine snagging one-off kegs that may not Pipeworks. The new chef, Sean Chicago, Illinois
years ago, he was only beginning reach anywhere else in the state. (In Sanders, is a five-time recipient hopleafbar.com
his journey into craft beer. As his its 10 years in business, this stalwart of Michelin’s Bib Gourmand X A much-needed expansion
interest grew, so did the bar’s beer has reached 50,000 Untappd check- designation. into the storefront adjoining the
focus, which now finds expression ins.) Owners might add even more original bar area hasn’t changed
through 24 draft lines, two cask taps in the coming months, which Heorot the soul of this Belgian haven; a
offerings and a deep bottle list of sounds crazy, but as partner Jeff Muncie, Indiana remarkable list of Belgian and
quirky cellar gems. The bar retains Bruning puts it, “We’ll stop when theheorotpub.com American craft drafts and bottles
its comfortable Midwest sensibility people stop coming in to drink with X This venerable 21-year-old bar’s served in proper glassware, plus
even as its popularity among local us.” Likely, that’s not any time soon. finally come of legal drinking age, charming vintage European beer
beer geeks grows; both sides are on and owners celebrated with four advertisements that line the walls.
display each winter when the bar Fountainhead more draft lines that bring its Though it’s earned a world-class
hosts its annual Mitten Fest, tap- Chicago, Illinois total to 71 options. The bar’s been reputation, the bar still ingratiates
ping an exclusive Central Waters fountainheadchicago.com remodeled as well, opening up the itself to locals with literature read-
beer that’s aged in barrels that once X Though it’s gone through some front area for more seating that’s ings, new-to-town beer launches
held brandy Old Fashioneds. kitchen- and bar-side shuffles still within the medieval, Beowulf-y and charity events.

JULY / AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 69


airport, Republic plans to open a
location there this summer.

Romans’ Pub
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
romanspub.com
XYou’ll still find Mike Romans
behind the bar of his tavern, 38
years after he purchased it. (When
Romans decided to kick the home-
town brewery off his tap handles,
he was told he’d never make it in
Milwaukee without Miller. That
was 20 years ago.) The payoff of
such longevity: vintage barrels
from the bar’s cellar, which date
back to 2009 and occasionally show
up on the 33 draft lines. Grab a cigar
from the bar’s humidor, if that’s
your thing, and retire to the rear
beer garden.

Sugar Maple
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
mysugarmaple.com
Bier Station XA great bar has a lived-in vibe
Kansas City, Missouri, bierstation.com that’s well beyond its years. Sugar
S The three-and-a-half-year-old bar and retail shop was already a go-to spot for beer in K.C. (a real-time list show- Maple offers not only a “best of”
ing what’s on the 28 drafts might inspire an impulsive lunch-hour beer run), but it has upped its game further lineup of Midwest and national
this summer. Having recently purchased its building, Bier Station added a front patio, complete with retractable breweries on its 60-deep draft list,
canopy and dog-friendly leash ties. It’s also one of the first bars to debut the Maegan app, which means guests who but a friendly, been-here-forever
download it can order from their tables instead of fighting their way to the often-busy bar. presence that belies its mere eight
years in the Bay View neighbor-
hood. Eclectic events include
everything from live music to
Krug Park Map Room off and barrel-aged rarities. (We’re monthly Sunday-night Brewery
Omaha, Nebraska Chicago, Illinois also smitten by the draft cocktails Series classes.
krugpark.com maproom.com and fernet on tap.)
XA mounted, impressively XIt has a travelers’ theme, but The Happy Gnome
antlered caribou head and Edison the corner bar’s stools are full of Palm Tavern St. Paul, Minnesota
bulbs set the mood at the Benson regulars. They come not in search Milwaukee, Wisconsin thehappygnome.com
neighborhood bar. An eclectic of food (nothing but pretzel rods (414) 744-0393 XYou’ll know you’ve arrived at
crowd decides among more here, but you can order in) or XTwenty-five well-priced drafts the venerable neighborhood bar
than 60 draft beers, which often flashy decor (book shelves and and 100-plus bottles are made even when you glance around its wood-
includes rare drafts from Nebraska flags are the only adornments), sweeter by the intimate environs. decked walls and notice a trove
and farther-flung breweries. The but for the 26 drafts and one cask Here, beer fans actually discuss what of gnome figurines. That, and the
bar’s Beer Society—a $20 one- that span venerable classics like they’re drinking and share recom- extensive (while still thoughtful)
time fee that snags members Allagash White and St. Bernardus mendations, though you could draft list, helpfully divided into
10 percent off draft beer and 12 12 to well-chosen pours from hardly find a dud on the lineup if you broad categories like sessionable
percent off bottled beer for life—is Central State Brewing, Three tried. A bonus for spirits fans, the bar brews, sour and funky, and “double
a compelling incentive for return Floyds and Surly. Locals also know also has an extensive selection of hoppy” that represent a mix of local
visits (as are the 13 Bloody Mary it’s an under-the-radar spot to interesting bottles, and hosts regular and national breweries. Choose
choices). grab a cup of Intelligentsia coffee classes on topics ranging from herbal from the 89 drafts, which your
beginning at 6:30 a.m. liqueurs to cask-strength bourbons. server can help you pair with dishes
Local Option from the seasonal, beer-friendly
Chicago, Illinois Maria’s Packaged Goods Republic food menu.
localoptionbier.com & Community Bar Minneapolis, Minnesota
X Its skull logo and punk aesthetic Chicago, Illinois republicmn.com The Mitten Bar
(“Employees must carve Slayer into community-bar.com XThroughout its five years in busi- Ludington, Michigan
forearms before returning to work” XThe concept of a packaged beer ness, Republic has consistently mittenbar.com
reads a sticker in the bathroom) store that’s also a bar finds its proven itself ahead of the curve. XIf you want to know what’s new
are a bit out of step with its yuppie best expression at Maria’s, which One hundred taps feature the latest and best in Michigan beer, you
Lincoln Park ‘hood, but that’s just has operated in the Bridgeport national breweries to hit the area check out The Mitten Bar. The five-
another quirk to love about this neighborhood since 1986. (recently, Cascade, Funkwerks and year-old bar’s all-in-state beer line-
serious beer bar (another is the Matriarch and namesake Maria Crooked Stave) and pour their choice up champions both the big players
solid Cajun-leaning food menu). handed the bar and bottle shop to of what’s best in the local market (Bells, Founders) as well as the best
Thirty-one drafts pour about a half her sons in 2010, who then upped (Steel Toe, for one, and literally of the new guard (Pigeon Hill, Austin
dozen of Local Option’s own beers, its quality beer focus and made it the only keg that non-distributing Brothers, Starving Artist) across the
but other breweries’ lust-worthy a destination for beer seekers in Modist Brewing let off their prem- dozen taps. Live music and tap take-
one-offs and specialties land here the know. This summer, Maria’s ises, for the bar’s anniversary party). overs with up-and-coming brewer-
with stunning regularity. The bar’s added a second bar, doubling its Sixteen dedicated cider lines are well ies are popular events, and some
annual events read like a rare beer draft beer lines to 41; more Belgian curated and change often, too. In a of the best ways to find out who’s
hunter’s Christmas list. offerings now round out the one- boon to travelers at Minneapolis’ going to be next on the scene.

70 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


WESTK
BEST
BEER
BARS

N.W.I.P.A.
Portland, Oregon
nwipa.beer
X On any given night, 66 percent
of the draft lines at this FoPo focal
point will be pouring IPAs. That
may seem less impressive when
you learn that the place has just
six taps, but consider this: To earn
a spot on so-limited a list—in
Portland—a hop-forward beer
has to be one of the best in the
whole damn country. Not a fan of
IBU bombs? Rarely seen barrel-
aged stouts and wild ales make
regular appearances on the other
two taps, and the spread of 250-
ish refrigerated bottles includes
one of the better cider selections
in the city.
and roar regularly; stay for the Blind Lady Ale House
Belgian-leaning food (we like the San Diego, California
Stoofvlees, a beer-soaked beef stew blindlady.blogspot.com
served over fries) and reliably excel- X The locals may call it BLAH, but
lent 17-draft, 40-bottle beer list that this 7-year-old spot is the oppo-
features Belgian classics alongside site of boring; communal tables
beloved locals like Pelican, Upright fill quickly with cheerful folks
and Double Mountain. eager to sip on one of 26 drafts,
several of which are made on-site
Beer Bar by Automatic Brewing Co. The
Salt Lake City, Utah bar recently cut its weekday lunch
beerbarslc.com hours so it could open Mondays,
X The younger brother to next- giving patrons the chance to
door, cocktail-focused Bar X, Beer admire the vintage beer can and
Bar is as cool as its name is succinct. bottle collection seven days a week.
The 30 beers on draft adhere to
the Beehive State’s strict 4.2% ABV Brouwer’s Cafe
limit, but those looking for some- Seattle, Washington
thing more substantial will find the brouwerscafe.blogspot.com
100-plus bottle list—peppered with X A bar that takes beer quality seri-
rarities and high-gravity options ously will clean out its draft lines
from locals Epic and Squatters as every couple of weeks to remove
well as farther-flung breweries like any dirt or bacterial buildup. This
Hopworks Urban Brewery and Jolly dungeonlike beer hall from the
Pumpkin—plenty intoxicating. owners of renowned beer shop
Bottleworks ups the ante, replacing
Beer Revolution each of its 64 incredible draft lines
Oakland, California with a brand-spanking-new one
beer-revolution.com every time a keg is tapped.
XYou say you want a revolution?
Well, you know this low-key beer Churchill’s Pub & Grille
bar/bottle shop is the place to start San Marcos, California
The Trappist one. With 50 taps constantly rotating churchillspub.us
Oakland, California, thetrappist.com between Cali classics and sought- X Hunters of rare beer descend on
S Twenty-first-century Oakland, meet 19th-century Belgium. Housed in a after specialties on one side of the this authentic British public house
100-year-old Victorian, The Trappist recreates the classic pubs of Belgium bar, a flotilla of fridges stocked with for its annual Renaissance festival
with a quaint, brick-laden interior and 25 eclectic drafts that combine 100-plus take-home bottles on the held each March to sip on bottles
European classics with celebrated domestic newbies, 10 of which are in other, oak barrel tables in between of Churchill’s Finest hour—an 11%
a back bar reminiscent of a Brussels biercafe. Enjoy the back patio picnic and sustenance available at The barrel-aged imperial stout crafted
tables, then head a few miles north to the tavern’s Provisions, its well- Annex burger bar next door, all the for the pub by Port Brewing Co.—
stocked sister bottle shop that also offers 12 more taps. tools of beer-soaked rebellion are at and 50 special drafts. Winston
your disposal. would approve.

Belmont Station City Beer Store


Aces and Ales - Tenaya featuring cans, bottles and merch Portland, Oregon San Francisco, California
Las Vegas, Nevada exclusively from Oregon breweries. belmont-station.com citybeerstore.com
acesandales.com No time? Order Crowlers of draft XOnce upon a time, when the world X “City Beer Store is the original.
X Far from the shining lights and beer online and Bailey’s bartenders made sense, Belmont Station was Before there was a craft beer bar in
broken dreams of the Strip, this will have them ready for pickup in actually located on Belmont Street, the city, there was City Beer. The
low-key spot offers a different kind about an hour. serving as the bottle shop side of owners, Craig and Beth, care about
of jackpot. Sample from the menu the legendary Horse Brass Pub. The their customers and carry world-
of 50 drafts on which Stone always Barrel Republic Station has done just fine for itself class examples of pretty much
has a strong showing (owner and San Diego, California since striking off on its own in 2007, every style. Brewers know that
former Alice Cooper guitarist Keri barrelrepublic.com luring beer fanatics with rotating they really take care of the beer, so
Kelli collaborated with the brewery X Behold the extreme beer geek’s drafts (20 beers, two ciders and a they’re willing to send their best.”
on last year’s Collective Distortion dream bar: After a quick check- cask), a retail side stocked with more - Philip Emerson, Almanac Beer Co.
IPA), peruse the vintage bottle list in with the “bartender” on duty, than 1,300 bottles, and annual events
with sample-sized servings of Sam you’re given a futuristic bracelet like PuckerFest, a celebration of sour Falling Rock Tap House
Adams Utopias and other cellar that grants access to the large selec- and wild ales that’ll be held for the Denver, Colorado
gems going back to 2004, and hang tion of taps (45 at the Pacific Beach 10th consecutive year July 19 to 25. fallingrocktaphouse.com
out gambling on the bar’s built- location; 48 in Oceanside) labeled X Proprietor Chris Black is one of
in poker machines until the sun with electronic screens that detail Beveridge Place Pub America’s pioneering bar owners,
comes up—this is Vegas, after all. each brew’s ABV, ingredients and Seattle, Washington having opened this institution in
flavor. Select a flute, mug, tulip or beveridgeplacepub.com 1997. It’s since expanded to 92 taps
Bailey’s Taproom otherwise from the racks of glass- X Touches like a reclaimed and from its original 69, and while the
Portland, Oregon ware, raise your nifty wristband resurfaced 100-year-old Brunswick number of beers in the market has
baileystaproom.com to a sensor to activate the faucet, back bar, antique furniture and a exploded in that time, the bar’s
X There are many ways to enjoy this then get to pouring and drinking— bartop constructed from an old commitment to high-quality,
venerable downtown Portland pub: because you pay by the ounce, you bowling alley lane give this warm balanced and fairly priced beers
at the brick-and-timber main bar, could tick the bar’s entire lineup in West Seattle den a cozy, care- remains the same. The vintage
which features 24 taps and a cask a night, if you felt so inclined. free feel, but its laser-sharp craft bottles and breweriana knicknacks
engine; at the speakeasy-esque beer focus emerges daily on the stuffed into every corner of the
Upper Lip, whose six drafts are Bazi Bierbrasserie 36-tap draft list; weekly at Thirsty room are a visual example of how
only accessible around the corner Portland, Oregon Thursday brewer spotlights, much brew knowledge has passed
and up a clandestine flight of stairs bazipdx.com blind tasting and bottle releases; through its four walls. When in
marked with a beer bottle; and at X Come for the 114-inch HD screen, and annually at events like Cask- Denver for Great American Beer
Brewed Oregon, the across-the- around which rabid fans of the O-Rama, Hoptoberfest and the Festival, a pilgrimage here is practi-
street retail space opened this year Portland Timbers MLS squad gather Barleywine Bacchanal. cally required.

72 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


GRAND RAPIDS,
MICHIGAN

America’s Best Beer Scene USA Today, 2016

come a Beer City Brewsader!


etails at ExperienceGR.com/Brewsader

ExperienceGR.com
uncommon finds. A newly reno-
vated, hop bine-trimmed patio
provides the best venue to drink
such wonders in all of Choice City.

The Pine Box


Seattle, Washington
pineboxbar.com
X“Pine Box is one of the best pure
craft bars in the Northwest. It’s
located inside a former mortuary,
and they have relationships with
a wide range of breweries. They’re
going to be the bar that gets that
one-off nitro sixth-barrel of coco-
nut beer that only three kegs of
were shipped to the state. It’s that
great spot where you want to go
The Mayor of Old Town just to focus on craft beer.” - Matt
Fort Collins, Colorado, themayorofoldtown.com Lincecum, Fremont Brewing
S Plan your trip to FoCo now: This 100-tap stalwart celebrates its five-year anniversary on July 15.
Take a few minutes to peruse the auto-updated taplist projected above the clean, white-tiled bar when The Surly Goat
you go, but don’t take too long—the weather on the just-opened back patio will be too perfect to miss. West Hollywood, California
surlygoat.com
X The Surly Goat’s a loud, dimly lit
haunt that doesn’t even drop its own
Freshcraft Mohawk Bend zero advertising. The bar just is name on its facade, choosing instead
Denver, Colorado Los Angeles, California exactly what it is. It’s been an inspi- to draw drinkers in with an image of
freshcraft.com mohawk.la ration to the Seattle beer scene as the same glowering Capricorn that
X That amazing, super-rare keg you X Beer baron Tony Yanow (former a whole in the quiet way they stay hangs over the bar’s 27 taps. Sign up
can’t find anywhere else in the Mile owner of Golden Road Brewing and true to themselves.” - Mike Murphy, for the beer passport, which entitles
High City? Somehow it always seems still the head of bar-slash-your- Holy Mountain Brewing Co. drinkers who collect enough stamps
to show up at Freshcraft, appear- cool-uncle’s-den Tony’s Darts to special discounts and release party
ing on the bar’s constantly updated Away) opened this large, superhip Tap & Bottle invites (Pliny the Younger, anyone?)
electronic roster of taps. The killer spot inside a 100-year old vaudeville Tucson, Arizona and can also be used at The Goat’s
food menu—and the fact that the bar theater in 2011, giving East-siders thetapandbottle.com sister bars Verdugo, Little Bear and
is mere blocks away from the down- 72 taps of California-brewed beer XRare is the bar more sincere in Blind Donkey.
town tasting rooms of Wynkoop and within walking distance of Dodger its love of beer than this 3-year-
Great Divide—is just a plus. Stadium. old located a few blocks from the Tiger!Tiger!
University of Arizona. Chalkboard North Park, California
Hamilton’s Tavern Saraveza Bottle Shop & menus, exposed beams and tigertigertavern.blogspot.com
San Diego, California Pasty Tavern raw brick walls lead the eye to XBeer and doughnuts are a
hamiltonstavern.com Portland, Oregon text—Yay Beer!—marking the combination we’ll never get tired
X You could plan out an entire saraveza.com 650-bottle-strong cooler section, of, and this dark, kitschy hipster
month of drinking around the X Wisconsin transplants rejoice while above the 21-tap lineup a hangout’s housemade, coconut-
events at this neighborhood- at the Midwest-inspired fare (the handwritten message announces glazed versions are a worthy
focused South Park pub: brewery summer sausage with cheese curds the date of the last thorough line match for any of the 23 carefully
tap takeovers go down every sec- is a must) and Packers viewing par- cleaning (it’s always recent). Stop selected brews on draft. On
ond Saturday, the third Wednesday ties hosted at this homey corner in during one of T&B’s many spe- Fridays and Saturdays, hopheads
Drinkabout connects pub crawlers bar run by former Hair of the Dog cial events and you’ll probably find can skip the main bar’s often-long
to seven other beer bars via free intern, Lompoc Brewery cellar- owner Rebecca Safford singing the wait entirely by heading to the
buses, and specialty casks are woman and cheesehead Sarah praises of the newest release from eight-tap IPA Bar out back.
smacked open on Firkin Fridays. Pederson; beer geeks celebrate the Dragoon Brewing Co. or Arizona
spot for its selection of 10 diverse Wilderness with her daughter Baby Victory Bar
Mikkeller Bar rotating taps and more than 250 Bjorned to her chest. Portland, Oregon
San Francisco, California bottles (many of them vintage and thevictorybar.com
mikkellerbar.com oh-so-rare). Head in every second Tap and Handle X “Victory is my favorite bar to
XRun, don’t walk, to Mikkeller Monday for Free Bacon Night, Fort Collins, Colorado go hang out at. It’s just a cool
Bar. It’ll be good practice for which is exactly what it sounds like. tapandhandle.com place. They have an interesting
the polished pub’s monthly X You want your beer bar to come tap selection—not too expansive,
Mikkeller Running Club meeting, Stumbling Monk with a good pedigree? Okay—this but cool stuff that trends toward
which follows a 5K or 10K route Seattle, Washington one was founded in 2012 by Jeff Belgian. The owner, Yoni, and
back to the “clubhouse” for free (206) 860-0916 Willis, formerly of Austin’s The his wife treat the bar like their
beer. You’ll also need to burn X “It’s a very Belgian-inspired bar: Ginger Man, and was bought art project; they’ve designed
off some calories after the bar’s no frills, very little decoration. They earlier this year by the folks who everything in there. There’s
third-anniversary celebration keep 12 beers on tap, half of which run beer magazine Craft Beer & custom-made wallpaper that’s
in August, which will feature are traditional Belgians and half Brewing. That industry expertise kind of anticapitalist, and candle-
crazy-rare beers from across the of which are interesting American is apparent in Tap & Handle’s 74 holders that have Chairman Mao
world—including several made brews; they do cask tappings once a rotating drafts, where uber-rare and Stalin. It’s just something
at Mikkeller’s San Diego brewery, week and they have a really insane brews like Perennial Abraxas and you’ve got to see.” - Ben Love,
which opened in April. bottle list. But there’s zero website, Hill Farmstead Dorothy are not- Gigantic Brewing Co.

74 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


Quench your thirst
The Original Independent
Family-Owned Cidery.

for character.
Produced in Sonoma County
Since 1993.

Head south to the city that calls Pike’s Peak home –

Nothing Beats an Ace! Colorado Springs – where Bristol Brewing Company hangs
their ski or trucker hat (depending on the time of year) and
brews flavorful, one-of-a-kind ales for visitors and locals
alike. And if you happen to stop by our new location in a
renovated elementary school, be sure to say hi. Our 360-
degree bar overlooks the brewhouse and fermentation
room, and we have a killer patio to soak
up the beautiful Colorado weather.

California Cider Company, Inc. | acecider.com /BristolBrewing Drink Beer With Character.
Willkommen
in Beerlin
What’s your poison?
The Hauptstadt accommodates all.
BY JOE STANGE
THE PERFECT GROWLER
& PERSONAL KEG

drinktanks.com I @drinktanks I #drinktanks


July 16 Grand Rapids, MI
July 16 Poughkeepsie, NY
July 30 Corpus Christi, TX
August 13 Delaware
September 16 Beacon, NY
September 24 Danbury, CT
OCTOBER 1 UTICA, NY
OCTOBER 1 SAN ANGELO, TX
use code DRAFT for
$10 off your ticket
REVIEWS SESSION IPA • SAISON • FRUIT GOSE

ROYAL OIL
Specialty Wood-Aged Beer TOP SCORERS
V
ABV: 12.5% IBU: 23
The Bold &
After slumbering in oak
whiskey barrels for at least 18
the Beautiful
months, this dignified English Summertime
barleywine awakens with an needn’t be only
aroma that begs for a cigar about wheat
to harmonize with its quiet beers and
tobacco and fruity raisin; black
currant and maraschino cherry
shandies. There
overtones enrich the scent. A
are still plenty of
melange of sherry and maple big flavors and
syrup caresses the tongue serious ABVs that
before transforming into deserve attention
marshmallow, graham cracker no matter what
and toast. Brilliantly hidden
alcohol seals this special-
time of year.
release brew’s superiority; it
simply glows warmly in
the chest.

Bull & Bush Brewery


DISCOVERY SCOTCH ALE Glendale, Colorado 95-100 DRAFT Classic
Wee Heavy bullandbush.com 90-94 Exceptional
ABV: 6.9% IBU: 25 85-89 Very Good
RATING 80-84 Good
This beer’s hefty malt showcase
combines rich flavors with
surprising drinkability. Bready
99 75-79 Recommended
0-74 No Recommendation

aromas bloom off the pour,


knitting brioche bread crust with
sweet and spicy rum, raisins,
toffee and caramel. More raisin
bread echos in the flavor before FOCAL BANGER
sticky vanilla bean surfaces in the American IPA
center; both are well supported ABV: 7.0% IBU: UNKNOWN
by a pillowy, doughy base. A silky,
medium-full body carries the You know this brewery for Heady Topper, but its other American IPA is equally
toasty sip to a pleasantly balanced worthy of celebration. Malt backs off completely, allowing cannabis-scented hops to
conclusion that leaves the faintest rule the aroma, edged by freshly mown grass, pine resin and faint catbox. The same
wisp of smoke on the tongue. dank hops take charge of the tongue early, flashing some orange skin and roasted
garlic at midsip. The ultraclean swallow concludes with black tealike hop bitterness
O’Connor Brewing Co. that’s impeccably firm but not at all harsh.
Norfolk, Virginia
oconnorbrewing.com The Alchemist
Waterbury, Vermont
RATING alchemistbeer.com

97 RATING

96
JULY / AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 87
REVIEWS

SESSION IPA

O ccupying the nebulous


space between pale
ale and IPA, this newly
recognized style has become
a favorite among hopheads
for packing IPA-like levels of
bitterness and hop flavor in
a more manageable format.
They can exhibit the same
kaleidoscope of grassy, citrusy,
piney, floral and tropical notes as
do other hop-forward ales, and
can vary in color from pale gold to
deep copper. The only hard and
fast rule: They shouldn’t creep
much over 5% ABV.
PSA HASH SESSION OVERDUB

K
Session IPA Session IPA Session IPA
ABV: 4.5% IBU: 30 ABV: 4.2% IBU: 55 ABV: 4.5% IBU: UNKNOWN

To smell this Simcoe-, Citra- and When hop producers crush and Restrained, biscuity malts allow
Mosaic-hopped brew is to take a grind their harvest into pellets, hop aromas to pop off the pour:
stroll through a forest of wet pine, a small amount of waxy but first wet pine, then some grungy
tangerine and Walla Walla onion. powerfully aromatic residue is onion in a supporting role.
On the tongue, the sip is even- left behind; that hop “hash” gives Flavors are similarly expressive,
keeled; saltines and bread crust this ale a nose like a basket full of leading with robust pine needles
deftly balance pungent pine, tangerines and orange blossoms. and sweet onion; malts step
onion and lime zest. The body, Vibrant carbonation puffs up the out of the way, translating to a
almost too heavy for a session ale, brew’s light body and enhances relatively thin body and a hop
is nonetheless extremely soft in its bitterness, allowing dank, flavor showcase. Bitterness drags
the finish, which concludes with citrusy hop flavors and oyster its feet on the swallow, sticking
pillowy, doughy malts. cracker malts to linger for only around for a few beats.
moments before they’re wiped
away in a superclean finish.

MadTree Brewing Co. SweetWater Brewing Co. Fort George Brewery


Cincinnati, Ohio Atlanta, Georgia Astoria, Oregon
madtreebrewing.com sweetwaterbrew.com fortgeorgebrewery.com

RATING RATING RATING

96 95 93

88 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


REVIEWS

HOPPY BIRTHDAY PACE CAR RACER SUNSHINE DAYDREAM KICKER


Session IPA Session IPA Session IPA Session IPA
ABV: 5.3% IBU: 69 ABV: 4.0% IBU: 55 ABV: 4.9% IBU: 60 ABV: 4.5% IBU: 45

Six different hops link to excite Earthy, wet forest floor and Dank, resinous hop aroma Dandelion flower scents
the nose with varying aromas pine needle scents dominate barrels over a current of sweet, contribute earthy nuance to
of dank cannabis, pine needles, the aroma, with a dash of dried white onion and light funk in the an aroma dominated by fresh,
mint and freshly picked oregano. orange peel and a whisper of nose. The sip is balanced; lightly piney hops. The body is a touch
On the sip, simple, slightly husky white onion slithering through. piney and sprucy hop flavors thin, but the hop character
grains provides a blank canvas Fresh-sliced onion becomes unfurl across a simple crackerlike shines nonetheless: Grassy lawn
for even more herbal hop notes. more prominent on the tongue, malt base. Zippy carbonation clippings dance with clover
The IBU level is high for the style, hanging evenly with crushed and reserved bitterness keep this flower and osmanthus green
but misleading—though packed pine needle flavors; a zingy chive straight-forward brew crushable. tea flavors over a husky grain
with hop flavor, this beer doesn’t note arrives midsip. Bitterness base. Barely-there bitterness
really bite you back, but instead is pronounced for a session, but contributes to this beer’s
has well-paced bitterness. dry, bready malts swing in toward drinkability; it’s a lawn mower
the beer’s close to cushion the beer for hop fans.
finish.

Alpine Beer Co. Bear Republic Brewing Co. Fat Head’s Brewery Alaskan Brewing Co.
Alpine, California Cloverdale, California Middleburg Heights, Ohio Juneau, Alaska
alpinebeerco.wordpress.com bearrepublic.com fatheadsbeer.com alaskanbeer.com

RATING RATING RATING RATING

92 90 88 86

JULY / AUGUST 2016 DRAFTMAG.COM 89


REVIEWS

SAISON

B orn in the farmhouses


of Wallonia, the French-
speaking region of
Belgium, these rustic ales were
originally brewed for—and,
often, by—seasonal laborers
working the fields. Accordingly,
they’re usually kept refreshingly
dry and effervescent, with
alcohol levels that are noticeable
but not debilitating. Expressive
Belgian yeast strains tend to give
these beers a fruity, peppery
character, though many brewers
also achieve this by incorporating
herbs and spices, which are
acceptable as long as they STANDARD DAILY GRIND GENTLEMAN FARMER
don’t overpower the base saison
Saison Saison Saison
character.
ABV: 6.5% IBU: 25 ABV: 6.2% IBU: 30 ABV: 6.5% IBU: 45

K
Dry-hopped with New Zealand- Sweet and spicy aromatics The rocky white cap atop this
grown Motueka hops, Standard build layers of pink peppercorn, gently hazed, golden-hued ale
tells the story of saison from a cardamom and sweet ginger gives off a clean fragrance with
floral, grassy viewpoint. Pear and across each other. Those same an edge of pithy lemon and pear
ginger lift above crackery malts peppercorn flavors arrive early skin. On the tongue, melonlike
in the aroma; crisp bitterness on the tongue, then fade into hops accent honey and sliced
quickly yields to white pepper clean hay. Wheat adds a soft, pear notes; crackery malts are
and cardamom in the sip. While breadlike flavor as well as a firm, while earthy bitterness
certainly not a traditional take on pleasing, rounded body; the emerges at the dry finish. A
the style, the brew has a gentle wheat doughiness pleasantly touch of tartness embraces the
finish that fades slowly off the lingers a bit after the swallow. tongue a few beats after the
palate, making it as quaffable as conclusion.
any of the classics.

Prairie Artisan Ales Starr Hill Brewery Henniker Brewing Co.


Tulsa, Oklahoma Crozet, Virginia Henniker, New Hampshire
prairieales.com starrhill.com hennikerbrewing.com

RATING RATING RATING

91 91 90

90 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


REVIEWS

ONE EAR SONGBIRD CLASSIC SAISON J MARIE


Saison Saison Saison Saison
ABV: 6.5% IBU: 35 ABV: 4.8% IBU: 16 ABV: 6.0% IBU: 31 ABV: 8.1% IBU: 23

This naked (meaning unspiced) Harmonious chirps of lemon, A whiff of juicy orange and A dynamic nose offers
saison is nevertheless zesty; an mint and basil serenade the nose lemon pith introduces this up Belgian yeast notes of
assertive hop profile plugs pow- alongside more delicate floral farmhouse ale before more bubblegum and candied
erful lemony aromas between notes in this dry-hopped saison. traditional white pepper and oranges, flanked by lower levels
yeast-derived notes of pear and The sip beguiles with swirling graham crackerlike malt aromas of peppercorn, clove and herbal
Juicy Fruit gum. Barley, oats and rose water and clove before a arrive. Its carbonation is a little sage. The sip begins with big,
rye weave dry, husky graininess midpalate boost of doughy malts. overenthusiastic, so give it a few earthy notes of pepper and sage,
into the flavor to provide a base Rose hip astringency grips the swirls before sipping; then, enjoy transitioning to zesty lemon and
for gentle earthiness and a hay- sides of the tongue post-swallow, the brew’s biscuity malt base, a sweet orange toward the finish.
like, barnyard funk that hearkens but the flavor still seems to be pleasant foundation from which After the swallow, plenty of citrus
to the style’s roots. But a woody, a muted version of the aroma’s sugary lemon candy and black sweetness sticks to the lips while
minty hop finish and long-linger- bright song. peppercorns blossom. an amped-up ABV warms the
ing lemon pith place this saison throat.
firmly among the family of more
citrusy, Americanized versions.

Trinity Brewing Co. Tallgrass Brewing Co. Blackberry Farm Brewery River North Brewery
Colorado Springs, Colorado Manhattan, Kansas Walland, Tennessee Denver, Colorado
trinitybrew.com tallgrassbeer.com blackberryfarm.com/brewery rivernorthbrewery.com

RATING RATING RATING RATING

89 84 82 82

92 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


REVIEWS

FRUIT GOSE

A merican brewers have


taken the traditional,
salt-spiked German gose
and run with it, transforming
the subtle style through kettle-
souring techniques and bacteria
additions that, at extremes,
accord it tongue-puckering
tartness and funk. Doses of
citrus, berries, stone fruits and
even melons may make their
way into these sessional beers,
but while fruit might add a
colorful tinge to the beer’s cloudy
appearance, it should never
completely obscure the base
style’s quiet salinity. PEACH DODO BRINEY MELON ZENITH
Fruit Beer Fruit Beer Fruit Beer

K
ABV: 4.2% IBU: 12 ABV: 4.2% IBU: ~12 ABV: 4.5% IBU: 10

Definitely pour this peach- Many people swear by salt- This grapefruit-flavored gose
infused ale into a glass—it’s a speckled watermelon slices for is a good example of what the
pretty, brilliantly clear example summer snacking; in what better style has become in the hands
of the style. An aromatic swirl of beer to recreate those flavors of many American brewers:
sugary peach, sourdough bread than a sea salt-flavored gose? This big and bold. Funky notes of
and wet, just-shampooed hair brew’s rindlike aroma hints at the Greek yogurt and sulfur lead
rises pleasantly from the glass. fruit flavor within, though notes the aroma, while in the flavor,
On the tongue, salt and peach of coriander and nutty grain piquant grapefruit adds its
pits arrive in equal measure temper the sweetness. The sip natural tartness and bitter bite
before a concluding bite of delivers on the promise of salt- to the beer’s prominent salinity
cilantro and coriander. A fruity, accented fruit sugars, coating and extreme sourness. Be
semisweet finish tempers the the tongue with syrupy melon prepared—the fruit-tart combo
brew’s acidity. sweetness before a refreshing, is a lot for the tongue to handle.
cucumberlike finish.

Rhinegeist Brewery Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Ecliptic Brewing


Cincinnati, Ohio Boonville, California Portland, Oregon
rhinegeist.com avbc.com eclipticbrewing.com

RATING RATING RATING

95 86 81

94 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


Over 2,500 Different Beers
From More Than 250 Breweries
Plus Many Local Favorites.
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Washington, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, North
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and Virginia.

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Not all beers shown are available in all stores. Visit your nearest store for their complete selection.
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A one-of-a-kind craft beer weekend & the largest
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#draftgram
Your best beer shots.
For us, Instagram is about checking out
the awesome beer that people around
the world are drinking. Bottle shots,
proper glassware, gorgeous pours—that’s
what catches our eyes as we’re
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@beerfriends @jerryfatora3
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@jjcjager @lupulist @msw_brewing


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@ohbrewer @okbeerdick @jay_reicks


John Hull, Dublin, Ohio Jake Wright, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Jay Reicks, Petersburg, Nebraska

@johndplatt @joshotography @withno_c


John Platt Jr., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Josh Brown, Las Vegas, Nevada Spenser Kern, Cincinnati, Ohio

96 DRAFTMAG.COM JULY / AUGUST 2016


We partnered with our friends at Hof Ten Dormaal in Belgium to craft this
summertime golden ale that playfully blends Old World ingredients with
modern flavors. Malted sunflower seeds, wild carrot herbs swell for a nutty
profile, while Saaz and Mosaic hops lend spicy, tropical accents to this
delightfully unexpected ale. Perfect for toasting those long summer days,
and nights.

Find the beer and learn more at NewBelgium.com


E N JOY N E W B E LG IU M R ES P O NS IBLY ©2016 NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO.

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