This is almost embarrassing to admit, but I made my first-ever trip to Bray’s Brew Pub in Naples last week.
I had heard great things about the pub and its beer, but being an hour away, I had never made the effort to make a special trip. And on the many times I’ve driven by, it was either too early or too late in the day, or I was in too much of a rush.
But after tasting nine of their beers (sampler sizes, and I didn’t finish all of them), I can guarantee it won’t be long before I stop in again.
Mike Bray opened the pub in 1995 just east of the Naples Causeway where Route 35 meets Route 302, and was the original brewer. Rob Prindall became brew master about 12 years ago.
“We make about 30 different beers a year,” Prindall said. “We run a four-barrel system and have about 10 standards that we rotate in and out — a wheat blonde ale, IPAs, stouts and stuff — and about 20 beers that we pull out seasonally.”
Prindall said most of the beers at Bray’s contain 4.5 perent to 7 percent alcohol, although he does make a Scottish Ale that goes up to about 9 percent. They are all ales, and they vary from British style to West Coast style.
The beers on tap when I dropped by were Brandy Pond Blonde, Orien Oatmeal Pale Ale, Old Church Pale Ale, Mount Olympus Special Ale, Muddy River Brown Ale, Quaker Ridge Oatmeal Stout and Hoppy Cock cask-conditioned ale.
The Brandy Pond Blond is a cloudy white ale that was very mild and easy to drink.
“This is a beer,” Bray explained, “that I can give to Budweiser drinkers, and they will say, ‘Hey, this doesn’t suck.’ “
Bray isn’t sure how many of those Bud drinkers he has converted to his own beers, but he admits he still sells a lot of Budweiser.
The Orien is the first oatmeal pale ale I have ever tasted, and I absolutely loved it. It was the first beer that Prindall created for Bray’s. He said it was something he wanted to try just because everone puts oatmeal in stouts but not in lighter beers.
The oatmeal added a creaminess to the pale ale. The malt and oat flavors were well balanced, and there was just a bit of sweetness and not much hops.
The Old Church Pale Ale, named for a building on the Bray’s site 160 years ago, was a beer Bray created as a home brewer. All of his friends told him it was so good, he should go in the business.
“In 1995, this was considered a hop monster,” Prindall said. Now the hops is evident, but it has nowhere near the hops of the current West Coast beers. It actually is fairly sweet, what you would get by mixing a British mild and bitter together.
Bray and Al Diamon — who, before he became a media critic and freelance columnist, had an afternoon radio talk show that included a beer segment — created the recipe for Mount Olympus while drinking a few beers at Free Street Taverna. Prindall later adjusted the recipe. It is hopped like an IPA, but has darker malts and is quite good.
The Quaker Ridge Oatmeal Stout is put in the keg along with nitrogen, to give the beer smaller bubbles and a creamier texture, similar to Guinness. Whenever you have canned beer with a device called a widget, it is a nitro beer. The Quaker Ridge is smooth, creamy and flavorful.
The Hoppy Cock cask-conditioned ale is a West Coast ale, with a lot of hop aroma and flavor. As a cask ale, it was served a bit warmer than the others, and had less carbonation and a good, strong flavor.
The Muddy River Brown Ale somehow got lost. I know I tasted it. I know I didn’t dislike it, because I liked everything I tasted. So I assume it tasted like a typical brown ale, with no real surprises.
While I was tasting what was on tap, Prindall brought out a bottle of Yamityville Horror Sweet Potato Ale. Neither of us like much fruit or spice in our beer — although there are exceptions, and he thought I should try this. This was a beer with a fairly heavy body, smooth texture, slight carbonation and an earthy flavor.
The final beer was a mead that included a lot of mulled cider, and was closer to a wine than a beer.
Bray’s will be bringing Hoppy Cock (in a regular keg rather than a cask), Quaker Ridge Oatmeal Stout, the Brandy Pond Blond and maybe another beer when it comes to the Great Lost Bear on Forest Avenue in Portland tonight.
Other special events during the year include beer dinners on the Thursdays closest to equinoxes and solstices, and the One Night Stand (Aug. 13), when all of the beers offered during the year will be available.
Tom Atwell can be contacted at 791-6362 or at
tatwell@pressherald.com
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