The Triumph of Beer?

Not every trip between the same two points need follow the same well-worn path. Thus, this past winter-chilled and overcast trek from Maryland back home to New York veered in a westerly arc heading inland via the little riverside towns of New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ  Steeped in history, the hamlets lay nestled side-by-side, hugging either bank of the Delaware River. It was here that George Washington and his troops made their famous icy crossing that fateful Christmas night so many years ago. Luckily, both warfare, and later wrecking balls, spared many of the older 2-story buildings that still line the streets, so beautifully crafted of locally quarried stone with each rounded cobble outlined in light-hued pointing.

Both towns offer a slew of shops and eateries, some better than others, most with a bit of a touristy feel but still worth a visit. Last time I passed through here it was with a 6 month old in my arms, said babe is now a strapping 6' 2" teenager so it was time for a visit.

As we drove north across the iron-beamed span of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and on into southern New Jersey I started reading up on area restaurants.  I tend to peruse Yelp or Chowhound for ideas and reviews. The Triumph Brewing Company in New Hope caught my eye,  located a bit north of the busiest part of town would make finding a parking space less of a hassle, and they boast locally grown organic food as well as microbrews...how could I lose? The menu is posted online, but I don't like to peek ahead too much since, to me, that spoils some of the fun of a new place. I want to settle in, gather in all the smells, sights and sounds, perhaps glance at what's already on the plates of others around me and only then take in what the menu has to offer.

Housed in what was once the storage site of massive rolls of paper for the Union Camp paper bag company, Triumph Brewing occupies an auburn brick warehouse alongside the tracks of the historic New Hope-Ivyland railroad line. Outside the window,  maroon passenger cars were pulled along a by a shiny black locomotive as it huffed and puffed billows of steam and smoke into the frosty air.

Blonde wood steps led us from a big bar downstairs, past the click-clack of pool tables and shiny brew tanks and on upstairs to an open airy dining room.

The menu is pretty standard for  the East Coast with the usual array of salads, soups, burgers and sandwiches, but also some interesting entrees like pork osso bucco and duck tacos. Sadly, I wasn't hungry enough to tackle a big plate of food, besides I had to leave room for the beer...

I usually don't engage in that much personal chit-chat with waiters, but Cory was really mild and unassuming and when he turned around there were the most amazing dread locks. 12 years in the making, he said, and since my oldest is working on a micro set of his own Cory and I discussed the care and maintenance of dreads.

So, back to the food...I settled on the blue cheese, arugula and cranberry panini which was a nice play on cheesy tang, peppery greens and the sweet-tart contrast of cranberries. The bread was crusty and warm, covered with an amalgam of little crunchy grains, cut just the right thickness for non-embarassing bites.

As for the beer...well...I will have to say I was underwhelmed.

Among this flight of six, only one is worthy of a mention. Third from the left is the Winter Bock, light on the palate but with an unexpected subtle depth of burnt wood from a smoked beechwood malt that gave it lingering smokey notes. The rest were flat and thin tasting, even the stout lacked body. So it goes.