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Brewologist | A Rockmill Trio

Rockmill Brewery in Lancaster produces wonderful brews

Steve Goble
USA TODAY NETWORK-Ohio

One day soon, I'd like to walk into Rockmill Brewery, sit at the bar and order a glass of Cask Aged Tripel.

My travels seldom take me to Lancaster, where Rockmill brews its beers, but good fortune brought a bit of Rockmill my way.  My favorite neighborhood beer seller keeps a shelf of new arrivals, and on a recent visit I found several of Rockmill's lovely cork-and-caged topped bottles with horses on the quite classy labels. I took three home to give them a try, and now I am making excuses to visit Lancaster.

I bought a Cask Aged Tripel, a Saison Noir and a large bottle of Rugged Expanse, billed as an American-Belgian stout.

The tripel won this horse race, in my opinion, by a couple of lengths. Belgian tripels are typically high in alcohol, thanks to recipes that load up on the grains that produce the sugars that yeast converts into booze.  Ordinarily they are bright golden, but this particular breed was darkened somewhat by its time aging in whiskey barrels procured from an Ohio distillery, Middle West Spirits. Along with a darker hue, the beer acquired a massive oak aroma and flavor, a bit of whiskey taste and attitude and a finish that seems boozier than the 10.5 percent alcohol by volume listed on the label.

Cask Aged Tripel, from Rockmill Brewery in Lancaster.

Cask Aged Tripel is an outstanding slow sipper, reminiscent of a good barrel-aged barleywine. Give me a glass of this and a plate of strong cheese, mild sausage and good crackers and I won't be anyone's problem for a half-hour or so. The brew reminded me of Hoppin' Frog Brewery's Naked Evil Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine,  which is a tad stronger at 11.3 percent ABV.  Both are delicious, and made for drinking slowly, but I think the Rockmill beer is a wee bit smoother. I probably should acquire some more Naked Evil soon, just to make sure. I want to scientific about this, you understand.

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Cask Aged Tripel is a limited edition brew, so if it sounds intriguing you should act soon.  You also should let the brewers know if you like it, in hopes they will produce more.

Rockmill's Saison Noir is another winner. Saison is a traditional Belgian style, historically brewed in the cool months and stored to be enjoyed during the hot summer. The original saisons were brewed by farmers, and being proto-home brews they tended to vary a good deal in characteristics from one farm to the next. Modern guidelines call for a saison to have a bit of a fruity character, with only a gentle hops presence. They are intended to be refreshing, lightly malty beers.

Rockmill's Saison Noir darkens the beer considerably, offering a dark brown-almost black hue instead of the more typical amber-to-gold range. It has a nice toasted bread vibe, a solid body, a complex fruity-and-malty nose and a nice rich lingering finish.  It weighs in at 8 percent alcohol by volume, a bit high for a saison, but craft beer is all about the variations and I'm not complaining.

Casks of beer sit in a room at Rockmill Brewery in Lancaster.

Saison Noir would go quite well with the same cheese and sausage plate described above, and it is more suitable to accompanying a meal than the tripel. I would drink this brew with a good burger, or a Reuben on rye, or a nice juicy roast chicken. I'd drink it with pizza, too; my one guideline would be to avoid banana peppers or hot sauce, as I think those flavors would clash with the beer, but most other good basic foods would work with this beer.

The third Rockmill beer I tried over the weekend was Rugged Expanse, a stout. I enjoyed it, but it is a milder beer compared to the others. It does not lean on the roasted barley the way a Guinness Foreign Extra Stout does, nor does it achieve the silky creaminess of Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. It has coffee and chocolate notes, but those are not huge; there is room left for a subtle vanilla bean character. The brew is jet black, forms a decent head and is very smooth. It reminded me a bit of Mean Old Tom, a stout from Maine Beer Company.

Rugged Expanse is about 8 percent ABV, and, in my opinion, best enjoyed without food so the subtle flavors are not overwhelmed.

Anyway, now you know why I want to go to Lancaster.  If you are there, Rockmill offers many other beers. If you can't get to Lancaster, check the Rockmill website to see where their beers are sold. You'll be glad.

Beer Talk 

If you'd like to suggest a beer for me to review, tell me I'm just plain wrong about your favorite brew or ask a beer question, feel free to tweet me; I'm @Brewologist. You can find Brewologist on Facebook, too.

Steve Goble is a producer for USA Today Network-Ohio. Email him at sgoble@gannett.com.