Jan. 15, 2023     Kickoff to 2023 edition of our Spirited Tour!


After a wonderful Christmas and New Year rounding out 2022, Lisa and Kelley suggested kicking off the 2023 Spirited Tour season with a trip to Drunken Rabbit Brewing and Tap Room in South Hadley - not too far from Leadfoot Brewing in Chicopee where we made our last stop. This turned out to be another pleasant surprise. Again, the location is in a manufacturing / warehouse district and the brewery and taproom are located in a repurposed warehouse style building. I just love adaptive reuse of under-utilized spaces. Plenty of paved parking available right next to the entrance.


That's me standing just outside the taproom entrance.

Drunken Rabbit Brewing

www.rabbit.beer

749 New Ludlow Rd.

South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075

(413) 728-2739


From their web site -

A bit about us...

At D.R.B., we don’t just brew beer. We brew wines, ciders and other fermented craft beverages. Since opening our doors in Dec. of 2017, we’ve dedicated our minds and hearts to our craft. Our Dedication coupled with, utilizing unique techniques and fine ingredients, result in a selection of extremely enjoyable, elegant and authentic craft beverages.


Our inspirations come from culinary arts, mixology and just plain fun. We’re thrilled to bring our customers the best, and continually experiment with different approaches to keep our brews exciting and unique. Hope to see you soon! 


Here and below - Photos from the Drunken Rabbit Kickstarter page showing the same exterior and part of the interior before repurposing.







Upon entering we were acknowledged with a nod from an elderly gentleman sitting at the end of the bar. The bartender had stepped away for a moment, but the friendly fellow made it clear that we could sit anywhere and that there was table service. There were a large number of high and low tables available, and we chose one along the exterior wall with a good view of the taproom and brewery. There were a moderate number of folks at the bar and seated at tables. The ample size room could easily accommodate a rather large number of patrons. In a matter of seconds, the bartender came around and greeted us and provided us with drink and food menus. The atmosphere was friendly with a nice mix of age groups present with some folks engaged in watching football playoffs on the three or four TV screens situated strategically throughout the area.


One page of the beer menu.

There were a large number of beers and other refreshments available as well as a food menu with a large number of options. I started with a pint of DRB Festbier. It was so good that I stayed with it for my second pint. Lisa had a Recreational Outrage and then (I think) a To the Core. Kelley had a Olde Smokey and then a Recreational Outrage.


DRB Festbier German Lager. 5% ABV.
A smooth, clean, pale German styled lager with a medium malty flavor and a light hop character. Balanced with flavor and drinkability.

Recreational Outrage - 
White Stout (7% ABV). This beer will mess with your perception of stout. Brewed with a touch of lactose then conditioned on dark chocolate and French vanilla coffee, finally finished with a touch of oat creamer. Roasted coffee and notes of chocolate will overtake your senses with a finish of sweet creamy goodness. This beer will have you shopping for uggs in no time!

To the Core - Fruited Ale (7.4% ABV)
Crisp Clean Ale brewed exclusively with Cascade hops then fermented with a ton of fresh apple cider. This drinks, clean and crisp with a touch of apple sweetness.

Olde Smokey - Piwo Grodziskie (5% ABV)
Brewed with just a touch of oak smoked wheat and rye. This is a light crushable beer with light pepper spice and a touch of smoke. A perfect easy beer for the cool nights sitting by an open fire. Originally brewed as a collaboration with Jute Town Brewing as a tribute to an old world Polish brew (Piwo Grodziskie), with a new world DRB touch.


When the bartender first served our beer, she graciously consented to taking a picture of us preparing for our fist Spirited Tour toast of the year.


Are we pleased or what?



After taking a few sips we ordered a pizza - one of the house specialties which really hit the spot. Forgot to take a picture but take my word that it looked and tasted great.


Here and below - Part of tap room, bar, and brewery operation.


We had a relaxing afternoon - good company - great beer - great food - wouldn't hesitate to return here.


Our default "CHEERS" picture (Jan. 2020; Brew Practitioners, Florence, MA)


Comments

  1. sookiesbirthdaysurpriseJanuary 27, 2023 at 11:35 AM

    This brewery seems to have some special features that I would want such as spacious surroundings and really diverse selection of beers. They did a great job repurposing the building and you did a great job of describing your experience. I would definitely go there based on your excellent narrative. Thank you. 🙏

    ReplyDelete

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