Big Choice Brewing (Broomfield, CO)

Drinkability with uncompromising flavor. That’s what you’ll find at Big Choice Brewing in Broomfield, Colo. Eight taps line the downstairs taproom, ranging from a light wheat beer to a big, bold American amber. In addition to your typical taproom with a few tables and stools at the bar, Big Choice has a second level, complete with vintage pinball and arcade games that compliment the ’90s punk vibe.

The best deal is a sampler of all eight offerings for $10. The Disconnected Red is their biggest seller, however there is a beer for everyone, from the dark beer lover to the biggest hop head. Ollie-Weizen is a German Hefeweizen, light in body, with the characteristic banana and clove flavor derivatives of the yeast, but not overwhelmingly so.

Another yeast-forward beer, 10,000 Summers Saison, is a farmhouse ale with a mild, spicy character and dry finish, which makes it a good choice as a summer beer with complex flavors.

Big Choice offers plenty of hoppy varieties, including the extremely approachable Rail Side Extra Pale Ale, with its high level of mellow, citrusy hops and low alcohol. Two other heftier, hoppy brews include the Type III IPA, an American Style IPA, and Disconnected Red, an American Amber Ale.

Type III has a medium level of bitterness, combined with the resiny qualities typical of many West Coast IPAs, balanced with a malty backbone. Disconnected Red has notes of toast and caramel, balanced with spicey, citrusy hops. For those looking for a big, creamy body, Big Choice brews Hemlock Double IPA, clocking in at 9.5% abv, and100+ IBUs, compliments of several varieties of American hops.

The welcoming surprise of the bunch is bar far the #42 Poblano Stout. Without the burn of most chili beers, the poblanos add an additional note of roastiness to this very drinkable oatmeal stout. There is a noticeable hint of smoke on the nose, and like a well-made stout, finishes thirst-quenchingly dry.

Big Choice embodies everything you look for in a local microbrewery: well-made, approachable, and unique beers, a convivial vibe for locals and travelers alike, and a personality all its own.

Surly Brewing Co. (Brooklyn Center, MN)

Much like many nano and microbreweries, Surly is located amid a small industrial complex, with a portion of the brewery devoted to a taproom and gift shop. Do not let the spartan exterior fool you though, there are some seriously creative beers being made here. Once you pull around the back of the complex and park, and then walk up to the metal facade, the feeling of a faceless building that sits next to a screw manufacturer quickly evaporates as you see groups of smiling faces with full pints in their hands.

Despite having an in-your-face brand that is bent on exuding an attitude of “shut up, and drink a full pint of beer”, there are no employees here with pretentious airs. Although I was a bit disappointed that they only do full 8-16oz pours of their eight available beers in the taproom, I do have to say, Surly might be one of the few breweries in the country where you can enjoy a full glass of 10% abv beer, as well as several wild and sour ales for only $5.

After explaining to the bartender that I had never visited before, he quickly grabbed a glass and poured me a Furious, one of Surly’s American India Pale Ales, and said, “you have to have the Furious then to start with.” Furious uses mostly West Coast, high alpha hops, however isn’t as big as I expected, and is highly hopped beer that won’t put you on your ass. It is also available in cans, and is one of their year-round options.

My second pour was Misanthrope, a Belgian saison aged in white wine barrels inoculated with brettanomyces (wild yeast). It is extremely tart and fruity, and true to a saison, quite dry and finishes very crisp. The beer paired well with the ahi fish tacos I purchased from the outside food truck, a rotating fixture available each evening while the taproom is open.

Several other brett options were available, from another Belgian aged in red wine barrels, to a Brett IPA collaboration with 3 Floyds of Indiana. I expect big things, and big beers, to come of Surly, and absolutely recommend it as a place to explore new beers, as well as kick back for a casual beer or light dinner after work.

Zero Gravity Craft Brewery at American Flatbread and The Vermont Pub and Brewery (Burlington, VT)

Burlington, VT is home to four breweries, three within about four blocks of each other. I was fortunate enough to check out two of them on my recent pass-through of this area. The city of Burlington has an eclectic, artsy air about it, which supplies fertile ground for creative types, including brewers.

I started at Zero Gravity Craft Brewery, which is located within American Flatbread. In addition to a nice offering of multiple classic ales including several pales, a California common and a porter, Zero Gravity was also pouring some more experimental brews. The first, and by far one of the more rare offerings you’ll find, was a gruit. Gruit is essentially a beer made using several herbs and spices as opposed to hops, as was the custom prior to the 16th century (and earlier in some areas such as Germany… you should read about it, and you can actually thank political and religious oppression for the use of sweet sweet hops!). Zero’s Summer Gruit Ale contains some of the more traditional herbs you’d likely find in a medieval-style, including sweet gale, yarrow, mugwort and even tea. It really is the perfect summer ale on a hot, balmy day, as was the case on this 80% humidity day in July. There is hint of fruitiness, with a light body, and little to no bitterness despite the clear presence of herbs.

Zero’s Organic Saison was another great summer offering. It was not as dry as you might typically find among saisons, but still crisp and refreshing. My last sample was Hopscotch, a Peated India Pale Ale. This brew was not as smokey as I was anticipating, but definitely still had a moderate to high level of roast and bitterness.

After devouring one the phenomenal pizzas (ahem… flatbreads) at American Flatbread, I headed up the street to Vermont’s oldest brewpub, the aptly named Vermont Pub and Brewery. The restaurant and pub definitely have more of a neighborhood vibe than the bohemian, hipster feel of Zero Gravity, and offers a pretty wide range of beers as well as pub fare. I had a sampler of too many beers to review, but the highlights were definitely of the German and Belgian variety. Beetlejuice is a sour-mashed weissebier. It has your typical big yeasty flavors with the expected banana and clove, but with a nice added twist of a sharp acidic bite at the end. I’m assuming this comes with the sour mashing, which is likely pretty short as it is by no means tart. This beer definitely inspired me to try and recreate a beer that has quite honestly come to be a mainstay at craft brewpubs, with a pretty low amount of imagination. Most brewers seem to rely exclusively on the yeast to provide a majority of this style’s character, so it was nice to try a spin on a very classic beer. The other must try in my opinion is the Spuyten Duyvil, a Belgian sour red ale. This sour red had a little less tartness than is typical of say a Rodenbach Gran Cru, but had an added flavor of ‘barnyard’ (yes, I promise that is a common beer descriptor) from brettanomyces yeast. There is still the lactic acidity you would typically expect, but the brett quality really shines through for a complex and really tasty brew.

The city of Burlington itself is well worth the visit outside of the several breweries (also in Burlington is the brewpub 3 Needs, which I’m told has an extensive draft and bottle list of other sought after craft beers from Vermont, as well as the production brewery Switchback). A meadery and cidery are also within driving distance, and if you have the time (and have yet to begin your tour of imbibing) definitely check out some of the myriad hiking trails. Below is a snapshot I took while hiking halfway up Vermont’s highest peak, Mount Mansfield:

 

Hill Farmstead Brewery (Greensboro, VT)

Beautifully crafted beers surrounded by beautiful country. Hill Farmstead brews out of an old family barn and is set up more like a winery than a brewery. Samples are handed out on a small pavilion, and when you’re ready, bottles are sold from a counter in the barn. There really isn’t much else to say about Hill Farmstead as it’s beauty lies within its simplicity. You won’t find too many wild concoctions here, just good, well-crafted ales.

This simplicity is highlighted in their single hop series, consisting mainly of popular fruity, resiny American varieties such as Citra and Amarillo, and the very much en vogue hops of New Zealand.

The brewery sits on what was head brewer Shaun Hill’s grandfather’s property, and acts as an inspiration for many of the brews, as a majority of the beers are named after ancestors including both Hill’s grandfather (their flagship Edward) and great-father, Abner. The farm property does more than enhance the bucolic atmosphere, but produces several key ingredients. Some of the ‘wild’ ales are aged in barrels inoculated with the local microflora and Hill attributes the soft flavors of his beers to well water sourced directly from the farmstead.

Hill Farmstead has created several collaboration beers with some of the best breweries and brewers on the planet, including Cigar City of Tampa, FL, and famed Danish gypsy brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø of Mikkeller.

I was able to try several of the more hoppy beers available, including a session pale ale, and several imperial and double IPAs. What stood out among all of them was their consistent clean flavors and balance. The flavor components are recognizable and none of the ingredients overwhelm each other. This seams to be Hill’s goal, as recognizing and being able to bring out the best qualities from a few select ingredients oftentimes results in the best examples of craft.

Flying Goose Brew Pub and Grille (New London, NH)

First off, this place is quite small, yet they have no less than seventeen taps! That’s insane for a brewpub of this size. Seeing as there is literally something for everyone, including kids (they have their own root beer), I was a bit distracted by the horse’s arse that ordered a Bud Light…  But I digress. The varied assortment of beers includes a few intriguing tastes outside of your typical lagers and pale ales, and since I only had the fortitude to try a few since I was on the road, I had to go for the unique.

Ed’s Honey Basil Ale is truly a head scratcher. It is quite enjoyable, but I’m not sure if it was the basil or the malts, but it had a pretty prominent roasty character. The honey balances out the roast with a nice, sweet finish. I haven’t had many successfully brewed beers with basil, so this was a nice surprise.

The one other beer I tried was Brimley’s Best Oatmeal Pale Ale. Yes, that’s not a typo, “Pale Ale”, not “Stout”. I was expecting this to be a heavy-bodied brew, but it was nice and crisp, with super fruity and floral hop aroma and flavor. Flying Goose brews this with 100% Simcoe hops in both the boil and dry-hopping. Great all-around pale ale for hop heads.

The brewpub itself is a quaint building on the side of a mountain, with a chalet-like interior, complete with hundreds of personalized mugs for the locals. View ain’t bad either:

White Birch Brewing (Hooksett, NH)

Only a few words are necessary to describe White Birch Brewing: zero pretension, flavorful beer. As one pulls up to the brewery/tasting room, you could easily mistaken it for a medical supply company or some other innocuous establishment with about as much inventive facade as a stucco garage. If you asked founder and brewmaster Bill Herlicka though, I’m guessing he’d say he hadn’t put too much thought into it as he was busy making amazing beers. In speaking with him during a tasting it’s easy to see why his beers are so complex and varied. When working on a recipe he says he likes to try a bunch of other commercial examples of similar style, then brew to his own taste. His berliner weisse is a perfect example. Even though I didn’t get a chance to sample it, I saw that it was several percentages higher than what is ‘standard’ for that style. When I asked him about this he simply replied, “it tastes better”. He went on to explain that the flavors of this style are often lost by making it too sessionable, as many are typically flavored with artificial syrups.  To showcase it’s full flavor potential he makes it about twice the strength as outlined by ‘beer judges’.

Don’t try and pry Bill on what goes into his recipes, as he’s staying hush hush. Acknowledging that I was an aspiring homebrewer, he suggested, “just try a bunch of different things and brew what you like.” This philosophy has served him well, as within his first year of production in 2009 White Birch quadrupled, going from brewing a half barrel a day to two. Today, they brew on a seven barrel system according to their website.

A majority of White Birch’s brews are made using Belgian yeast strains. The complexity of Belgian yeast is evident in most, if not all of their offerings. For the geekiest of beer geeks, White Birch also offers several ‘wild’ brews, aged in wine barrels and using brettanomyces yeast. Bill is obviously a fan of big beers as well, with wheat and barleywines also available in the portfolio.

The building may not be pretty, but damn, the beers sure are, and well worth a visit. And in case you still can’t get over the spartan digs, buy a couple of White Birch ales and head ten minutes down the road to Lake Massabesic:

DuClaw Brewing Co. (Hanover, MD)

Typically when I hear the words “sports bar” and “mega mall” the last thing that comes to mind is “craft beer”. DuClaw Brewing is probably aware of this, and definitely doesn’t care, especially since their motto is, “Craft Be Cherished. Rules Be Damned.” I’ll be honest when I say I was originally skeptical as I pulled up to one of DuClaw’s three restaurant locations, situated between a Medieval Times themed restaurant and a large cineplex. That skepticism gave way though as I tried a flight of six beers among their eleven taps, including a nitro.

Euforia, a toffee, nut-brown, is just what it says. A quaffable, malty brown with lots of toffee and caramel, and notes of chocolate. It’s a bit effervescent and has some alcohol warmth, but is quite drinkable and one of the more flavorful and complex beers they offer.

Venom is DuClaw’s staple American Pale Ale, and was being served on their nitro draft. It starts with a citrus nose and is flavored with floral and fruity hops, then finishes off with a nice balance of earthiness and bitterness. The nitro adds a lot of additional creaminess and body to an already big flavored brew.

One of the seasonal taps was Snake Oil, a self-described Imperial Pilsner. Although it does clock in at 7% abv and can thus be described as “imperial”, that’s about all it resembles as far as the name goes. I was expecting a bit more of a carbonic bite as is standard with pilsners, but it never really became evident. It will definitely appeal to the typical sports bar swill served and you could easily knock back more than one, but the high alcohol will definitely catch up with you.

If you want a giant beer with noticeable alcohol that you can pretty much chew on, go for the Misery Wheat Wine. A wheat-based ale similar to a barleywine, but less dark and hoppy, this guy is big and bold. Let it warm a bit so the full flavor of the wheat can come out.

Using similar hops as Venom but with the addition of the ever-popular Amarillo, the Serum Double IPA is another big offering from DuClaw. Big body, herbal hops, drinkable, dangerous.

Sweet Baby Jesus!, a Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, is probably what several customers have exclaimed when they first tasted (or even heard of) this ale. Inspired by a former winner of their annual H.E.R.O. (Honest, Excellent, Robust, Original) homebrew contest, and originally made with real peanuts (now made with extract), Sweet Baby Jesus is a pretty damn delicious beer. Peanuts are prominent in both the aroma and flavor, and linger in the glass after it quickly disappears. Not a big-bodied porter, but this allows for the chocolate and peanut flavors to be much more expressed.

Although not my vibe for a quintessential craft beer bar, I’m glad places like DuClaw exist and are making good beer. While sitting at the bar on a Wednesday at 3pm, this place was full. And although the customers weren’t your typical craft crew, it was clearly a locally driven clientelle that craved something different. I had a conversation with a gentlemen who compared DuClaw to the unique styles of Dogfish Head, and although their portfolios are quite different, the spirit of adventurous beers is very much shared.

Not everyone finds craft beer the same way, so the microbreweries that begin in hidden nooks with exposed brick walls and crawling with ivy will oftentimes stay just that, hidden. Most often though, beer drinkers need an in-your-face advertising program that delivers unapologetic beers, and that’s exactly what DuClaw does; as you’ll notice the most used adjective in this post is “big”. Beer snobs need not apply…  but they will be missing out.

 

Franklin’s Brewery (Hyattsville, MD)

Consistently eclectic is how I can best describe Franklin’s Restaurant & Brewery (oh… and General Store). At my visit, there were no less than eleven taps, all pouring Franklin’s own brew. There is literally something for everyone, from their lighter Blonde Bombshell and Dubbel Vision, to A Modest ProposALE (an Irish-style stout) and even a sour offering, the Purgatoire.

I started out with Tripel Bliss, a light golden brew, made with yeast from a Trappist monastery in Belgium. Although it checks in at 9% abv this ale is quite drinkable. The typical spices and fruity esters of a tripel are evident, but not overwhelming. It went well with the ham, avocado, asparagus and alfalfa sandwich I had, another eclectically adventurous, yet simple menu item.

The Mama Said Hop You Out double IPA will satisfy the most greedy of hop heads, but will likely been enjoyed by the lupulin-challenged as well. It starts with a big, grassy nose, but drinks without much bitterness and is quite smooth. The smoothness comes from low carbonation and a balanced body that lends well to the big, herbal hop flavor. 

Rubber Chicken Red is a complex ale, with flavors ranging from mild roast and toastiness, to a hint of caramel and sweet, burnt sugar and nuts. Like the other beers on top, it too is smooth and drinkable. Although not quite a session ale at 5% abv, it is Franklin’s lowest alcohol offering outside of their blonde ale, and a couple pints are sure to disappear fairly easily.

Lastly, I tried Purgatoire, an American sour ale with lots of body. The sourness is very evident, and the beer itself has a thick, syrupy quality to it. A bit darker than an amber, flavors such as molasses and a hint of chocolate envelop the palate. It has some similarities to a port wine, and would lend itself well to some barrel aging to balance out the heavier flavors and allow for more of the tartness to take center stage. 

Franklin’s lends itself well to being a neighborly bar, as I saw first hand on this Monday afternoon as four locals who were on a first-name basis emerged at the bar at what was seemingly a regular affair. The beers themselves cater to a wide audience, but not at the expense of sacrificing flavor. This is clearly evident as not one “American Lite Ale” is available on their beer menu. Each beer, although representing their classic styles in flavor and characteristics, could be enjoyed by both newcomers to craft beer as well as the most style-obsessed beer geek and seeker of radical brews. 

These characteristics are carried over into Franklin’s adjoining General Store that has everything from robot-shaped tea infusers to no less than about fifty different hot sauces. A plentiful selection of craft beers in both cold six-packs and large format bombers is located in the back of the store, sure to reek havoc on the wallet of beer connoisseurs (this one included).