Microbrews of the Northeast
By Curt Riedy
Spring 2007

Everybody has to believe in something...I believe I’ll have another drink. - W.C. Fields

We think we will too, Mr. Fields. While we’re at it, were going to go ahead and try some microbrews. 

Now, don’t get us wrong. Opening up a frosty can of Miller, Coors or Budweiser is perfectly fine, but we live in a world where our options are anything but limited, a world in which choices are available where there were once no choices to be found. So, why downplay our right to choose when it comes to the glorious gift that is beer, one thing in life that truly brings us the most joy (well, besides love, children, family and all that other “important” stuff)?

Magazine BLU proudly presents our picks for the Top 10 Microbrews of the Northeast. We scoured down the East Coast (well, about half-way to be precise) to find you the best this area has to offer. Sure, they may be a little different. But, damn, they make the freedom of choice taste good!

Victory Brewing Company
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
An American microbrew with a deeply European flair, the brew masters of Victory pride themselves in a higher understanding of traditional German-style recipes, combined with a distinct (and very non-traditional) creative freedom that makes their brews so unique.

The Golden Monkey, unquestionably one of Victory’s strongest selling beverages, packs a punch both in its signature taste and alcoholic content (10%, which we’re sure has absolutely nothing to do with its popularity with college students). A livelier, spritzier beer, this Belgian-style Tripel gets its taste from its bottle-conditioned fermentation, as well as its fruiter afterthoughts of crushed coriander seeds and orange. Another notable entry is Victory’s Hopdevil, a very successful India Pale Ale with a scent characteristic of pine and orange blossom. Its candied flavor flows into a grapefruity aftertaste, providing a specific roundness that really cleanses the palette.

Bottom Line: Strong, tasty and very original.

Smuttynose Brewing Company
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
An increasingly popular microbrew, Smuttynose earns its notoriety by keeping its traditional brewing style and dedication intact, while offering the consumer a wide variety of unique flavors.

One of the more notable brews in the Smuttynose line is its classic Old Brown Dog Ale, their flagship beer. OBD offers dark, roasted malt, a chocolaty scent and a lot of body for brown ale. Another favorite is their Robust Porter, which works as a hybrid porter/stout. The Porter offers chocolaty, coffee aroma and quite a bit more hop than most. More of a sipping or dessert beer, the Porter satisfies as a very satiating brew with a rather formidable share of body.

Bottom Line: A traditional line-up with a big difference...utter satisfaction.

Barley Creek Brewing Company
Tannersville, Pennsylvania
Serving as both a brewery and mini-vacation of sorts (the establishment offers various outdoor drinking games and live music), there’s a lot to love about the Barley Creek Brewing Company. Offering a truly delicious assortment of original brews and a dining environment filled with a fun staff that truly understands good food, good beer, and (most importantly) a good time.

Highly recommended is the Old 99, a specialty-sipping brew that is aged six months with a mix of Belgian candy and brown sugar, making for a deliciously sweet experience. Their Antler Brown Ale, a bestseller, also adds a particularly sweet equation to the mix with its delicious caramel aftertaste. Notably unique, this English-style ale is a dark beer with a surprisingly light taste.

Bottom Line: Excellent brews and good times make a visit to Barley Creek well worth the trip.

Casco Bay Brewing Company
Portland, Maine
Casco Bay strives toward crafting quality American-style ale. Based out of Maine (a state commonly known for the brewing of British-style ales), Casco Bay delivers a highly drinkable beer that’s neither overly sensational or experimental...it’s just a damn good brew.

The notables consist of Casco’s widely popular Pale Ale, a brew patterned off Chico, California’s Sierra Nevada, which is a West Coast pale ale often described as the definitive American-style ale. Another example of Casco’s distinctive taste is their Hopback, an ale which takes advantage of the under-utilized (and generally expensive) hopback process. The process brings a fresh aroma to the brew without any of the associated bitterness, bringing a true essence to the hops that the drinker can truly notice.

Bottom Line: American-style done exceptionally right, which is never an easy task.

Allagash Brewing Company
Portland, Maine
With a primary focus on Belgian-style beers and an authentic bottle-conditioning method referred to as the Methode Champenose, Allagash is proud to stray away from the pack. Their recipes are an experimental hybrid of several European styles, with a yeast strain very similar to Belgian wine, beer from Germany, and the wine culture from France. Rest assured, all of it leads to a very unique drinking experience. 

The first of Allagash’s experimental Barrel Aged series, the Curieux stands as the perfect introduction to the innovation of the brewery. The Curieux is their Tripel blend, aged in Jim Bean Bourbon barrels and carrying an assortment of new flavors and aromas, such as vanilla and coconut. For those interested in the Tripel on its own, this distinctive brew is a Belgian-style wheat beer with heavy undertones of coriander and orange peel. The mix carries just enough hop to balance the sweetness of the malt, making for a long-lasting (and surprisingly smooth) finish.

Bottom Line: Both distinctive and defined.

Shipyard Brewing Company
Portland, Maine
Under the watchful eye of Englishman Alan Pugsley (who, ironically, was called the most influential brewer in North America), Shipyard offers beer lovers truly traditional English-style ales with a lot of taste and one hell of a lot of drinkability. Originating from the Ringwood Brewery in Yorkshire, Shipyard uses an authentic English system, which features directly shipped Ringwood yeast that transitioned here to the US with flawless results. 

The Export Ale, Shipyard’s flagship brew, provides a classic golden ale taste akin to the ones found in Molson’s Export. With more color and more hops, the Shipyard Export works as a bigger, lighter and much more drinkable beer than most. Another classic Shipyard brew is without a doubt their Old Thumper, an extra special bitter licensed by Ringwood itself. It is a bit sweeter upfront than other English-style beers, but provides a deep back-body that keeps you coming back for more.

Bottom Line: The next best thing to getting a passport to Merry Ol’ England. It’s that good.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Judging by motto alone, Dogfish’s credo of producing “Off-Centered Ales For Off-Centered People” is quite a big leap from the traditional home-style ales of breweries like Casco Bay and Shipyard. Producing big, exotic microbrews since its original incarnation, Dogfish prides itself in its utterly bizarre attitude, beer names and brewing methods, which range from extreme yeast regiments on their stronger beers to continual hopping methods on their Pilsners and IPAs.

The Shelter Pale Ale, their flagship brew, offers a versatile, malted beer that leaves a strong hold on your taste buds. Its nutty flavor derives from hints of walnuts and molasses, and goes great with standard on-the-go foods like burgers and pizza. For something a little darker, highly recommended is their Chicory Stout, which leaves a true assault on the senses with its bizarre blends of roast, chocolates, and hints of pepper. The unique tastes come courtesy of the Stout’s blend of chicory, coffee, licorice and other assorted flavors.

Bottom Line: Bizarre, but in the most delicious way you can imagine.

Penn Brewery
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Producing over eight different award-winning beers, Penn Brewery and its impressive lineup of authentic German-inspired brews have been referred to as “the BMW of beer.” Pioneers in the microbrewery movement, Penn was the first craft brewer in Pennsylvania and the first restaurant to open in the state to operate under a brewing license since before Prohibition. Now that’s innovation.

Especially good is their German-styled Penn Dark, a 2000 Gold Medal in the World Beer Cup (the Olympics of Beer). Often referred to as the “Best Dark Beer in the World,” its flavor derives from hints of chocolate and coffee through its burnt roast and Munich malts, in addition to a very distinctive bread-like character. Also recommended is their Penn Weizen, a wheat beer with a banana-clove aroma (otherwise known amongst brewers as “the bubble gum flavor”). Made with 50% barley malt, the Weizen is light in color and body, highly carbonated and highly refreshing. It is as close to a beer garden in Munich as you can get. 
Bottom Line: A good American brew…German-style.

Harpoon Brewing Company
Boston, Massachusetts
The largest craft brewer in the Northeast, Harpoon offers four year-round brews, in addition to four special seasonal ales. Formed to offer American drinkers the same number of choices C.E.O. Rich Doyle had previously found in Europe, the brewery strives to bring a richer beer culture to the Northeastern States.

Their best selling beer, the Harpoon IPA offers a medium body and a lot of distinct hop behind it. Its floral scent and citrusy taste fully round out the overall sensation, making for a rather unique IPA. Even better is their UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen, an addition to their UFO line, which adds a natural raspberry flavor to the unfiltered wheat beer taste. This is an excellent choice for the beer buff with a more fruit-centric taste. Ladies, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t talking to you.

Bottom Line: A rather common selection with an uncommonly distinctive taste.

Sly Fox Brewing Company
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Now in its 10th year of operation, Sly Fox offers craft brew aficionados a wide assortment of traditional beers, a full-scale brewery and two pub eateries, which bring out visitors from all over the East Coast. A great addition to the Sly Fox line is the introduction of their new 12oz can versions of the popular Phoenix Pale and Pikeland Pill brews, offering microbrew fans a unique change of pace and portability. 

The Phoenix Pale Ale, their medium-bodied and highly spiced version of the Great American Pale Ale, is a great example of an excellent mainstream craft beer. Made with British Pale and Crystal malts, and hopped with Cascades from the Pacific Northeast, the Phoenix offers microbrew drinkers a truly great beer available bottled and canned. For a slightly different drinking sensation, Sly Fox also offers their spritzy Saison Vos, a 7% alcohol Belgian-style brew (otherwise known as a Farmhouse Ale). Cork-finished, dry, and champagne-like, the Saison goes with just about any food you can think of, and is an interesting mix for beer fans and non-beer fans alike.

Bottom Line: Traditional, with a healthy dose of innovation.

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