Since first opening its doors in 1996, the Southampton Publick House has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks in part to the increasing popularity of craft beers and to the vision shared by owner Donald Sullivan and award-winning Phil Markowski. “Our goal was to create a specialty brewery that tapped into a traditional European style of beer, so we explored the British, Belgian, and German brewing methods,” Sullivan explains over a pint at the Publick House. “Few people are aware that there are over 40 styles of beer and, like wine, each type has a strong cultural identity behind it.”



The beers at the Publick House are divided into three product segments: Sessions, the XXII Reserves, and the 750 series. The Sessions, so named because the low alcohol content allows two or three beers to be drunk in a sitting, consist of year-round beers available on tap and in six-packs; they include the Altbier (formerly called Secret Ale), the Southampton Double White, and an India Pale Ale. The Altbier is a copper-colored north-Germany-style ale marked by exceptional smoothness, an unusual characteristic in an ale; the Double White is a double-gravity, twice-fermented Belgian-style white ale –a perfect summer brew with a deceptively high alcohol content; and the India Pale Ale, or IPA, is an authentic English amber ale with an assertive hoppy flavor.



The XXII Reserves, named after the 22-ounce bottles, are more seasonal brews that include the Southampton Triple, the Imperial Porter, and the popular Pumpkin Ale. The Imperial Porter is strong, dark ale with a pleasing overtone of chocolate and coffee that goes perfectly with dessert or a nice cigar, and the Pumpkin Ale, spiced with autumn flavors, is a great complement to crisp fall days.



While the above beers are exceptional in taste and quality, to my mind the most unusual offerings at the Publick House are from the sophisticated limited-production 750 Series: Saison, Grand Cru, Biere de Garde, and Abbott 12. These eclectic brews, also known as “farmhouse beers” due to their agricultural origins in the border region of France and Belgium, are cork-finished and made in small batches of 300 to 400 cases (or fewer) in a seasonal rotation. Saison is a classic summer beer. Grand Cru has a subtle orange overtone – Sullivan calls it “the Grand Marnier of beer” – and is produced only during the summer and fall. From a distinctive French tradition, the Biere de Garde is made from late winter into early spring. Abbot 12, one of the Publick House’s heartier winter beers at 12 percent alcohol, derives from brewing tradition of Trappist monks in Belgium.



As Sullivan explains, the Publick House’s mission is “to pitch the whole idea and culture of beer of producing sophisticated beers anyone can enjoy.” Stop by for a pint and we’re sure you’ll find it an agreeable (and thirst-quenching) culture indeed.