Poughkeepsie Journal from Poughkeepsie, New York • Page F6

6F SUNDAY, April 12, 2015 poughkeepsiejournal.com Maple sap going from tree tap to beer tap THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Brewer Matthew Perry adds maple syrup to a tank while making maple amber beer at Chatham Brewing in Chatham, New York. Chatham Brewing among those offering seasonal syrup creations MICHAEL HILL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHATHAM, N.Y. The maple sap bubbling away in Ron Davis' upstate New York sugar house is destined for pancakes, waffles, sweets and for years now beer kegs. The local syrup adds a touch of woodsy sweetness to the maple amber beer made by nearby Chatham Brewing, one of a cadre of craft brewers nationwide bridging the gap between tree tap and bar tap. The amount of syrup destined for pint glasses from this spring's maple run is a relative trickle, but maple beers offer something for the growing numbers of local food lovers and craft beers aficionados.

"It's not sugary or something like a cider," said Will Richard, drinking a pint with friends at the brewery's bar near the Massachusetts line. "You have that almost like a hickory taste that you get from maple syrup but just not the overwhelming sweetness of it." Maple beers fit into an artisanal age that sees craft brewers extracting flavor from bananas, oysters, Sriracha sauce and, inevitably, bacon. Many maple brews are often offered seasonally to coincide with spring maple runs or autumnal leaf falls. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Hinterland sells its maple bock January through April. Chatham's maple amber is a year-round offering.

And while craft brewers will add syrup at different that aren't used to craft beer." Chatham Brewery is in a rural area popular with weekenders from New York City and distributes its beers regionally. Davis is a retiree whose Blackberry Hill Farm is close by. He has been tapping trees since the early 1970s, even using metal buckets in the early days. Maple tappers like Davis log long hours in the sugar house this time of year, when daytime temperatures creep higher amid cool nights. It took a little longer this year because of the frigid winter, but by the end of March, the plastic tubes spider-webbed from some 800 taps were flowing with clear, watery sap.

Davis boils an average of 150 gallons each spring in his sugar house in a wood-fired boiler. Most will still be bottled as syrup for local sales. About 25 to 35 gallons of syrup a year goes to the nearby brewery, an extra flow of business that Davis is happy to have. "He takes it in five-gallon containers," Davis said. "So it's a lot less points in the brewing process, Chatham head brewer Matt Perry pours it into to the maple amber after fermentation so that the syrup flavor comes through.

He favors the darker, heavier syrup from later in the run. In Vermont the woodsy heart of America's syrup-making belt brewer Sean Lawson of Lawson's Finest Liquids has become a sort of maple maestro with brews like Sticky Ale and Maple Tripple Ale, which is brewed with maple sap. "It's amazing the way the maple flavor carries through to the finished beer," Lawson said. On a recent day at Chatham Brewing, Perry slowly poured some of Davis' sticky syrup from a pitcher into a stainless steel carbonation tank, where it dissipated into the bubbling brew. Perry said the maple mixes better with a malty beer as opposed to the assertively hoppy beers popular now among craft drinkers.

"This is a really good gateway beer to craft for a lot of folks," Perry said. "It's a little bit more agreeable to the palates ess rruutcn A ilHOSPIT Health Quest affiliate 6511 Springbrook Avenue, Rhinebeck, NY 12572 (845)871-3333 healthquest.orgNDHspine AccessibilityTTY: (800) 421-1220 PK-0000200754 Eye opening information MKMG is proud to welcome Otolaryngologist Ari J. Namon, MD Dr. Namon will join the MKMG Otolaryngology Department. Dr.

Namon received his MD from UMDNJ Rutgers Medical School, and completed his internship in General Surgery at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. He completed his residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at University of Chicago Hospitals, and completed a Fellowship in Head and Neck Reconstruction and Skull Base Surgery at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Namon will be practicing in the Rhinebeck and Poughkeepsie offices.

fwF- Mm HVES I MKMG Doctors and families throughout the Hudson Valley have trusted HVES with their eyesight for over 40 years. We use the most state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to treat all of your eye care needs. From routine vision screenings to the most intricate eye surgeries, our compassionate team of specialists is committed to protecting, enhancing and preserving your vision. Mount Kisco Medical Group pc Providing the highest quality medical care for you and your family throughout Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties Hudson Valley Eye Surgeons, PC 200 Westage Business Center Drive (Suite 110) Fishkill, New York 12524 (Just off of exit 13 on 1-84) (845) 877-7518 www.hves.com EYE SURGEONS the science of sight PK-0000200172.