Tradition, Variety, and some well-kept secrets
Jan 30 '01 (Updated Feb 14 '01)
The Bottom Line Great regional breweries, tremendous variety of beer styles, and respect for tradition and balance exemplify brewing in the Northeast.
"What should I know about Northeast breweries?"
There is a wide-open topic I just could not resist. Who thinks this stuff up, anyway? I mean, "what should I know about Northeast restaurants, grocery stores, or car dealerships", eh?
Enough arch musing, on to the work. Because given the opportunity, there is something to be said about the breweries in PA, NY, NJ, and New England, those states north of the Mason-Dixon and east of Ohio, where the flat, boring stuff begins.
First off, Pennsylvania and New York between them are home to eight non-national pre-Prohibition breweries: Matt and Genesee (recently bought out by management, by the way, and now known as High Falls) in New York, Yuengling, Jones, Straub, Latrobe, Pittsburgh, and The Lion in Pennsylvania. Some, like Genesee, Pittsburgh, and Jones are hanging on by their fingernails; some, like Yuengling, Straub, and Latrobe are thriving. The Lion and Matt are chugging along just fine.
If you get any chance at all, you should visit one of these big old beer temples, which range from the picturesque to the downright industrial. But they are like no other breweries in this country, big, aged, plucky, and you can often get a more intimate tour than you will at the big national brewers' facilities.
Let's talk microbreweries and brewpubs. Pennsylvania is German territory, and you'll find some of the country's best lager microbrews here at Victory, Penn (PA's largest micro), and Stoudt's. You'll also find an amazing number of Bavarian-style wheat beers, hefeweizens with their bouffant head and clovey, banana-laced aromas, and a bunch of "tributes" to Belgian ales, all excellent. Variety is the key in PA; you'll find almost all styles of beer here.
There are two secrets in PA. Selin's Grove Brewing, in Selinsgrove, where you'll outstandingly good beer served with an array of creative food and acoustic music. The other is Bullfrog Brewing, in Williamsport, where the beer has come such a long way as Billtowners got hip to beer.
On to New Jersey. Small but bursting with great beer, the Garden State serves up plenty of British-style ales at great places like Long Valley (outstanding German food here), the Ship Inn, and Triumph. Flying Fish is the big production micro, making an excellent Porter and refreshing Farmhouse Ale, a light Saison-type beer.
Secrets in NJ? Heavyweight Brewing is a one-man brewery that brews beers over 7.0% ABV, only. Their current best-seller (which I helped formulate, thank you very much), Perkuno's Hammer, is an 8.5% ABV Baltic Porter. High Point is possibly America's only all-weizen microbrewery, and makes excellent examples of this quirky style.
New York ranges from the finely crafted and increasingly interesting beers at Empire in Syracuse and Rochester to the solid, delicious stuff from Brooklyn Brewing, whether contracted at Matt or brewed in their own beautiful Brooklyn facility. Every major population center in the state has breweries now, all worth visiting.
Secrets of the Empire State include the Southampton Publick House out on Long Island, where Phil Markowski's innovative and experimental beers win awards and customers. Another, not too well-kept, is Ommegang, a practically Belgian brewery just south of Cooperstown: HIGHLY recommended tour to learn about the love of beer and Belgianosity.
Wow. New England. Geary's and Shipyard anchor things in Portland, Mass Bay/Harpoon is the 400-lb. gorilla in Boston (Sam Adams is the 800-pounder that is mostly brewed elsewhere) AND Vermont now that they've bought and fired-up the former Catamount brewery in Windsor. Vermont still holds its own with the smashingly successful Long Trail brews (Double Bag is a killer) and psemi-psychedelic Magic Hat. Connecticut has the frustratingly obscure Hammer & Nail (great brown ale) and the frustratingly unsuccessful New England Brewing, New Hampshire the stunning Castle Springs/Lucknow beers and the somewhat uneven Nutfield offerings (Black 47's the best of the line), while Rhode Island has one micro (Coastal Extreme) and a handful of brewpubs (hey, it's a small state!).
New England's brewers are largely ale brewers; you'll find very few lagers here other than Sam Adams, though Buzzard Bay may change that. It's an area of very traditional beers, more balanced beers, where the role of hops hasn't been overstated.
Secrets? YES! Rock Art and Kross Brewing in Vermont: superb beer from tiny, personable breweries. Martha's Exchange in Nashua, NH: what a great porter in such a beauty of a brewpub. Allagash, not 200 yards from Geary's in Portland, and brewing a witbier that has the Belgians scared. Massachusetts hides Tremont in Boston (fierce IPA), keeps Berkshire Brewing to itself, and drinks up all the Wachusett.
All of these breweries, and many more, are worth a visit. I know, I've been there. Beer passion is different in the east, but the beer is outstanding. That's what you should know about Northeast breweries.
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Epinions.com ID:
beerfly
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Member: Lew Bryson
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 82 members
About Me:
One bourbon, one Scotch, one beer, eh? I'll take Kentucky Spirit, Scapa, and HopDevil.
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