Slowly pour sunny-hazed pearly-headed blonde to avoid over-carbonation. Bark-dried orange peel and grapefruit rind bittering reaches tart hard candied center, enlivening white peach, pineapple, and quince fruiting. Herbaceous twang lingers through ascending peppery-hopped lemon seed souring.

Pour slowly unfiltered alcohol-tinged malt liquor-like pale lager. Peachy orange-tangerine tang overtaken by pine-barked grapefruit peel bittering. Wavering floral bouquet enhances tropical pineapple passage, mild blueberry souring, and soft currant lacquering. Ultimately, stylistically expansive as an adjunct lager.

Alcohol-soaked amber retains superb head, bitterly hopped mineral grain authority, and firm full-bodied caramel finish. Cracked wheat, toasted barley, and cereal grain sweetness trumps sugared cocoa-butterscotch illusions. Definitely for strong ale lovers.

Strong cognac-inspired ‘unfiltered wheat beer’ (with loads of viscous yeast resin) boasts bruised orange, fig juice, and prune-dried banana-clove resonation. Closer to a midrange barleywine or a less potent sherry.

Luxurious milk-sweetened chocolate-espresso theme runs through whiskey-creamed oak-barreled full body. Roasted hazelnut coffee slumber picks up cedar-burnt cherry bruise and raisin-pureed anise caress above rich oatmeal spine hiding vanilla bean reticence. Brewery defunct: 2010.

Robust for its style, well-balanced wide-ranging hazy golden hefeweizen wields white wine waft into sunny citric souring, dark floral potpourri, and herbaceous nuances. Orange-peeled banana-coriander-clove sensation gathers momentum over honey-sugared banana bread, cooked apple, and vanilla cake illusions. Though minor phenolic acidity looms, fully realized brew retains endless expression.

Captivating Toronto-based singer-guitarist Chris Eaton brings a refreshingly spontaneous literary perspective to Old World Anglo-folk. As Rock Plaza Central’s principal songwriter, Eaton approaches each full-length studio album as if it’s a bittersweet novel. His evolving lineup, extended beyond its formatively minimal cello-banjo mode, helps celebrate each sad homecoming and broken hero with similarly sullen nautical retreats.

At particular intervals, Eaton’s crackled nasal baritone squeal brings to mind warped folk-blues dilettante, Michael Hurley, or hauntingly bedeviled lost soul, Syd Barrett. A…

 Branching out beyond reflective folk-based singer-songwriter to artful Jazz-affected rhapsodist, multi-talented acoustic guitarist-pianist Joe Henry’s a roving chameleon who has become entrusted producer for several veteran singers. Fact is, the unrivaled Los Angeles transplant refined and redefined his widening artistic profile over the course of a dozen evolving albums while commendably reintroducing respectful aged-in-the-wool vocalists who’d been unfairly neglected in recent years.

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Sampled from breweries in Ireland and Holland without finding severe disparity (though Heineken’s version exudes firmer body), thin eggshell-headed malt-scented blue collar fodder retains overly familiar dry barley inefficiency and barest wood tones leading to mildly soured citric finish. Needs bitterer hop spice.

Pungent grain bitterness and rich pale malt sweetness combine for distinct full-bodied pilsner. Judicious fruited-hop tang and raunchy yeast souring punctuate musty grain grit. By peculiar tart cocoa finish, a mellow creaminess creeps through.

COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK

It’s worth visiting Baseball’s Hall Of Fame just to stop by peerless Belgian-styled OMMEGANG BREWERY. Not a brewpub per se, but a fully detailed operational brewery with available samples of exquisite ales. Ommegang’s full product line could be found in Beer Index. In November ’98, while vacationing with extended family, I also found a few previously unbeknownst Saranac’s and Woodstock brews that I’d get familiar with over the years to come.

www.ommegang.com

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

Directly after visiting French Broad Brewery, August ’08, had lunch at JACK OF THE WOOD PUBLIC HOUSE, a downtown hotspot serving Green Man Ales (crafted a few streets away and kegged for local distribution).

Alongside galleries, bars, and small shops, the red-bricked mid-size space had front patio, tawny alcove at dark blue entrance, central wood bar, old cement floors, small stage, sided dining, sun god motifs, agrarian artwork, and upstairs space. Menu offered English-styled dishes such as…