Brief Notes Along the Road

I am writing from Metuchen, NJ as day three dawns on my book tour. (Day four? The blurring has already begun.) After a rocky start, things are really firing on all cylinders. I managed to get to New York—and the fresh hop beers did, too!—and then took a ferry from the tip of Manhattan down past the Statue of Liberty to New Jersey. That’s where John Holl found me, scooped me up, and proceeded to Carton Brewing. Augie Carton was waiting there to ply me with seemingly every beer he had on tap. I did my best to keep up.

Beer Sherpa: Carton does a lot of things, and a lot of things well. Their lagers are great, and Augie chastised me for not including Boat, his 4.2% flagship hoppy ale, in the book. He argued this was an inexcusable oversight give that Boat was “the best beer in the world.” (Pro tip: if you find a brewer who doesn’t believe their favorite beer is the best in the world, head out the door.) But what really shocked me was the beer engine next to the row of regular handles. I hadn’t heard Carton does cask, and it’s certainly not what they’re known for. Yet it isn’t just for show—Augie poured me a mug after I spied it. A mug of brown ale. Browns are somehow becoming a minor theme of my life right now, so it seemed appropriate. In any case, it was exceptional. I don’t know that I’d say it was better than Boat, but it was certainly more unexpected and therefore stands out in my memory. Kudos to Carton for keeping the cask flame burning.

On day two, John and I went on an expedition to Pennsylvania, stopping at venerable institution Weyerbacher along the way. There we met now-whisky-writer Lew Bryson for a pint and had a fantastic time. Weyerbacher is one of those old breweries that shows its age, but possibly, now, in a good way. The taproom is dank and a bit grimy—just an open space in the vast warehouse building that houses the brewery. New breweries are often bright and sterile-looking in generic, forgettable ways. Weyerbacher wore its decades like scars. The beer was good, too, and they’re putting a lot of attention into their lagers. I quite enjoyed the tmavy they had, and of course John was obligated to try the rauch-fest. (He nodded approvingly.)

Our final destination was Bethlehem, PA, an absolutely remarkable post-industrial city where the hulking bones of the former steel works stand in various states of decomposition. The giant blast furnaces look like a cross between modern art and a sci-fi dystopia movie set, while nearby buildings have crumbling roofs or none at all. It’s been almost twenty years since Bethlehem Steel turned off the furnaces, and the city is wisely preserving some of the monuments. Their size is impressive on their own, but the way they communicate history is striking.

My event was at Bonn Place, a wonderful little brewery with wood-jacketed vessels where I was handed a pint of one of the best cask bitters I’ve ever had on these shores. The place was so obviously a local hangout that I felt instantly at home. Owners Sam and Gina Masottto are kind and welcoming and if you’re ever near the Lehigh Valley, stop in for a pint.

Beer Sherpa: That bitter is called Mooey and it’s something. You may recall me writing about the trends in British bitters a couple years ago. They’ve borrowed from the American playbook to add a lightly juicy character, all the while keeping the balance in place so the yeast and malt can shine through. Mooey’s journey apparently traveled the opposite path, but arrived in the same place. Sam told me how he guided people into traditional cask by initially putting gaudy, strong beers on cask and then slowly making them more traditional. By the time he put their dark mild on one time, people had come around and it was the quickest-selling cask they’d ever had. Mooey is a classic bitter made with American hops—Cascade, Centennial, and one other if memory serves (and it may not). In any case the result is a totally English-tasting pint with an especially bright (but not intense) citrus top note. Sam also noted Mooey’s absence in the Beer Bible, but if I get a third edition, all bets are off. Mooey is a gem.

Tonight I’ll be joining John at an event here in town that I believe is already sold out. More reports in a few days.

I’ll leave you with a few pics.