default-output-block.skip-mainThrough the north doors of the cavernous brewery/warehouse/meeting room that is the Green Dragon, you will find a patio. There you will find a Quonset hut. And in front of this Quonset hut, you will find a row of taps belonging to Buckman Brewery. (Also variably known as "Buckman Brewing," "Buckman Village Brewing" and "Buckman Botanical Brewery.") Opened in 2010 by John Couchot, a distiller for Rogue Ales, Buckman is now helmed by Florida native Todd Beach and makes use of the labyrinth of shared equipment—other users of the space include Integrity and Sub Rosa spirits—on view behind the Green Dragon taps. The gimmick is hoplessness, as in leaving out hops, the typical bittering agent in beers, and replacing them with other plants. On our visit, all the Buckman brews ($4.75) were indeed of a botanical bent—ginger, "chamomellow," dark hemp and a black saison, with a jasmine green-tea mead for $5. The dark hemp was pleasantly toasty with a hint of porterlike malt, and the ginger struck just the right notes of crisp, sweet and zingy. Bring a growler to your next party and you might just forget it's November.
- Order this: Green Dragonâs $3 happy-hour snacks. (Try the cone of Belgian-style fries.)
WWeek 2015