Forest & Main Brewing Co. (2021)

Energetically built with bright, mineral forecourts to those rustic entitlements. A framework that pits grainy malt to pillar woodsy hops, while bacterial yeast conceptualizes oak lactones to the crisp/farmed peach course. Yet, conscious to not overplay brett funk, as the measures on phenolic derivatives and ester embodiments compliment – rather than obstruct – that foraged framework. To that end, the method is prickly tempered to the extremity behind arid attenuation, which permits an involvedness on orb-weaved barns

…Perhaps LUKR’d in 2021

 

& new Dark Saison with their mixed culture application -

 

Looks like the new bar is opening next week! Hooray for cask beer!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CV1AOWIPKm9/?utm_medium=copy_link

Only bummer is no kitchen at the new place. I always enjoyed their food.

 

I wonder if they'll allow outside food. With El Limon a short walk across the street, I'm already aching for a cask bitter to wash down some tacos.

 

No issues with outside food

 

I will be passing through Philly next Thursday night and staying in a hotel only 15 minutes from there. Fingers crossed that it will be open then. I am so cask deprived.

 

Tuesday's assembly is strong with 3xLukr, 3xEngine, and draft list that doesn't disappoint -

 

Etiquette on point (from @breweriesinpa)...

 

After a tortuous drive through Connecticut, NYC and New Jersey we arrived at Forest & Main a half hour before closing. What a great tasting room. And the cask dark mild and bitter are spot on and I could drink a ton of the house lager. I will definitely be back since my daughter is only in her first year of college nearby.

 

Chestnut Hill?

 

My first visit to the new taproom/pub:

My wife and I visited the new Forest & Main taproom (Pub) location last evening. The bartender informed me that this new location is only a week+ old (opened Tuesday Nov. 9th). He also informed me that they will soon be opening a new brewery location on Main Street with expanded production capacity. You can read more here (an old May article):

https://www.bizjournals.com/philade...-craft-brewery-forest-and-main-to-expand.html

I did have a conversation with the bartender whether the beers served via hand-pump are indeed cask conditioned (i.e., secondary fermentation within the serving keg) and he informed me that those beers are indeed cask conditioned.

Firstly, a short report about this new location. It is a pretty cool space and it does indeed provide a pub-like feel. Below is a photo of the bar:



Last evening they had three English style ales served via cask (hand-pump delivery): Bitter, Dark Mild, and Oatmeal Stout.

They also have three Lukr side-pull taps serving two lagers (Pilsners) and a Saison.

In addition, there were seven beers served via ‘regular’ draft.

There is also beer refrigerators where a number of brands are available in the four-pack/16 ounce format (about a dozen brands) and a number of brands in large bottles.

A quite impressive diversity of brands IMO.

My first beer was a pint of the Bitter Ale:



Here is how Forest & Main discusses this beer:

“Earthen Timescales - 4.14% Bitter Brewed with Maris Otter and crystal malt, hopped with Perle and Grungeist, and fermented with our favourite old British ale yeast. It’s got notes of cherry jam on wheat toast, citrus and chicory salad, delicate caramel whispers, and a cold slice of thick apple pie.”

I enjoyed drinking this beer but for my palate this beer would be improved with some more hop flavor/aroma to provide a more balanced product.

The second beer for me was a Dimpled Mug of the Dark Mild:



“Sonic Silence - 4% Dark Mild Brewed this one with Maris Otter and a fun assortment of dark and roasted malts and hopped it with a bit of Fuggles and Polaris. It has notes of pumpernickel, dried fig, old library books, black currant jam, coffee over ice, and some homemade biscuits.”

I really enjoyed the aroma and flavor of this beer but the mouthfeel was quite thin and lacking. Overall a good – very good beer.

My primary motivation for going to Forest & Main was to drink the English Ales on cask but while there I figured I would try one of their lagers (the first time I had a Forest & Main lager I believe) so I ordered the House Lager served via the Lukr side-pull tap:



“House Lager - 4.8% Lager Brewed with German barley, hopped it with Saaz, Grungeist, and Hallertau Blanc, and fermented it slow and cold. It has notes of crispy apple strudel, dry sparkling pear cider, hale bales at the farm-chic store, nettle tisane, and a parched herb garden.”

Now, this beer was a ‘winner’ for me (my personal palate). It was quite tasty and very nicely balanced between the bready malt aroma/flavor and the hop aroma/flavors. I will most definitely revisit this beer in a subsequent visit.

My wife ordered glasses of two IPA brands and I took some sips of her beers. I thought these IPAs were very good!

Cheers to the new Forest & Main taproom/pub!!