On tap, hardy crystal-malted dry-hopped golden-tanned lager packs quite a wallop, retaining rich wheat graining and loud citric-peeled bitterness contrasting soft clean-watered crisping. Caramelized Munich malt toasting, lemony orange-dried tangerine tang, and minor floral eccentricity create well-balanced flurry. “A sessionable year round Oktoberfest,” indeed. ’14 re-tasting: dewy Vienna malts anchored musty ESB-like peat moss and fig-dried orange compote.
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
RAMSTEIN REVELATION GOLDEN LAGER
On tap, robust Dortmunder-styled Bavarian lager with billowy white-headed yellow-bellied dry body reveals earthen peat fungi soiling not unlike a proper English Extra Special Bitter. Wheat-cracked barley-corned graining comforts moderate wood-dried grassy-hopped bittering and teasing citric twang to toasted bread base.
SIXPOINT BROWNSTONE
Interestingly gruff American brown ale maintains caramel-sugared cocoa-dusted brown chocolate malting overriding dry-roasted walnut, cashew, Brazil nut, cola nut, nutmeat, and coffee nut coarseness. Fizzy wood-spiced hop char contrasts syrupy molasses richness and soda-like sassafras splash. Tertiary peat, tobacco, cigar ash, pine comb, and dark floral illusions spread across back of the tongue. Ample alcohol afterburner adds anodyne astringency.
SPEAKEASY PAYBACK PORTER
Dry ink black mocha porter overcomes slick nature. Lactic dark-malted cocoa-dusted Blackstrap molasses, black chocolate, burnt coffee, crème brulee, and creamy fudge nudge muted hop-oiled astringency. Black cherry, purple grape, raisin, prune, anise, and fennel notes skewer ashen peat-smoked backend. Iodine-like aftertaste may be off-putting. A bit thin compared to heartier porters, but not unlike a simple mocha-chalked schwarzbier or less roasted Black IPA .
NEW HOLLAND FULL CIRCLE KOLSCH
Sufficing updated, relabeled, yellow-hazed, German-styled Kolsch (circa 2011) betters previous Single Malt Lager version. Musty grassy-hopped lemon-rotted vegetal astringency upends dry wheat-husked pilsner malting, toasted white breading and slightest wood pining. Dirty earthiness consumes oncoming diacetyl spicing, awkward herbal trifle and latent metallic whim.
LEINENKUGEL’S FIRESIDE NUT BROWN
Midlevel copper-toned dark lager coarsens roasted almond-pecan-praline sweetness and caramelized maple malting with phenol hop spicing as well as increasing diacetyl astringency. Subsidiary hazelnut, pine nut, and walnut whims undone by oxidized oiliness a tad.
J.W. DUNDEE’S PALE BOCK LAGER
Seemingly updated, but definitely relabeled Helles bock with better flavor profile not half-bad as midrange post-winter warmer. Tart orange souring and bittersweet raisin-fig harshness cushion caramelized butterscotch-toffee sweetness to baguette-like bottom of opaque gold moderation.
(SCHELDE) HOP-RUITER BLOND HOPPY BEER
Elaborate ‘strong golden ale’ doubles as nifty Abbey tripel. Assertive dry-hopped bittering opposes funky candi-sugared Belgian yeast for rustic blonde-hazed medium-full body. Herbaceous white-peppered grapefruit, pineapple, mango, kiwi, and passion fruit seep into sourly lemon-pitted tartness. Peculiar eucalyptus, menthol, and sage illusions nudge adventurous concoction. Not strictly for adventurous drinkers looking for cool aperitif changeup.
BALLAST POINT COFFEE VANILLA IMPERIAL PORTER
Cherished coffee-styled vanilla-creamed porter perfect as slow-sipped nightcap. Prominent roasted coffee bitterness spreads across thick black chocolate, crème brulee, café latte, latte macchiato, molasses, and espresso creaminess. Vanilla frosting cakes tertiary hazelnut-walnut char. Sugary milked coffee finish is delightful. Highly impressive, well-balanced dessert.
RODENBACH GRAND CRU
Superior stylistic selection (33% young ale well-integrated with 67% ale matured in oak vats) captivates sour ale fans of many stripes. Dried-fruited yeast funk gives off eye-squinting sourness, picking up leathery oaken cherry pucker, mildly vinous grape-skinned esters and musty cellar slunk. At the midst, sharp white-wined cider rasp saddles raspberry-sweetened Granny Smith apple tartness, light cranberry wisps and dessicated fig snips to black peppered hop bittering. Vinous red, purple and green grape nuances line woody earthen bottom. A busy French wine alternative best served after dinner on a winter’s eve.
SOUTHAMPTON ABBOT 12 ABBEY STYLE DARK ALE
Lofty Abbey-styled quadrupel (with 9.9% alcohol reticence) brings authentic candi-sugared Belgian yeast musk to creamy brown-sugared molasses malting and black-peppered sour fruiting. Rum-spiced raisin, plum, prune, and black cherry saturate orange-bruised red wine bluster before approaching brandy, burgundy, cognac, courvoisier, and sherry illusions come into focus (draping lactic base). Chocolate nibs, cola nut, and praline spotted at deep recess.
HARPOON BELGIAN STYLE PALE ALE
Vacillating amber-golden moderate body doesn’t necessarily promote Belgian-styled peculiarities well, but its strong bite will please less discriminating hop-heads. Expectant candi-sugared yeast musk lacks distinction and metallic alcohol-burnt twinge proves dismissive, but lemon-seeded pineapple, orange, cherry, and banana illusions delicately nudge rosy floral-wafted honeyed herbal dalliance, neatly contrasting sullen black-peppered juniper-like bittering.