Smoother, less fruity, and less wood-embittered than most American-styled IPA’s, but quite rewarding as a simpler moderate-bodied changeup. Resinous earthen hop bittering comes to the fore, then fades abruptly as tangy orange-candied apricot-apple-pineapple mildness upends lemony grapefruit zest to toasted bread spine. Chewy honeyed malts underscore thin fruiting. Serve as crossover to lighter ale thirsts who’ll appreciate its understated nature.
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
(WILLIAMS BROTHERS) SCOTTISH MIDNIGHT SUN DARK PORTER
Peculiar peat-mossy root-gingered herbal earthiness funks up oats-charred cola nuttiness to ashen smoked malt bottom. Sour soy saucing, curried cayenne peppering and black grape tannins increase herbal porter’s unconventionality. Rosemary, sage and thyme make background cameos. It’s all too much. Sake drinkers may enjoy alongside blackened steak grill.
(MUM) OLD HARBOUR SELECT PILSNER
MISSION I.P.A.
Bringing back memories of riding pure blue-watered Mission Street waves in San Diego, fresh-fruited caramel-malted medium-to-full body renders fine West Coast IPA styling. Pine-spruced forest waft reinforces hop-charred grapefruit rind bittering above brisk apricot-tangerine-orange tang and tropical pineapple-mango-papaya sweetness. Granny Smith apple souring provides extra dimension.
SAMUEL ADAMS HARVEST PUMPKIN ALE
Engaging 2010 autumnal treat amasses brown-sugared cinnamon-spiced pumpkin pie incisiveness above crystal-malted vanilla-extracted nutmeg-allspice tingle. Muscat grape and sun-dried fig illusions coerce white-wined cider-sharp souring that may be off-putting to less creative drinkers. Fuzzy carbolic fizz washes away some flavoring. 2012 version: dryer gourd astringency suffocates musty pumpkin pie spicing, sweet-spiced berry fruiting, lickety-split lemon souring and beckoning sourdough yeastiness.
SAMUEL ADAMS DUNKELWEIZEN
Peculiar sour tropical fruiting invades unfiltered dark wheat ale. Traditional Bavarian yeast mired by crowded flavoring and mild brettanomyces astringency. Tart banana-peeled cherry-dried clove-spiced entry picks up pungent fig-dried date thrust above white grape esters and cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice seasoning. Dry white wine illusion drifts by sour-candied banana bread finish.
LAKE PLACID HONEY RYE
Astringent one-dimensional medium body needs deeper honey sweetness to counteract dour white-peppered grape-stemmed lemon-peeled bittering penetrating sour pumpernickel-breaded rye-dried affluence. Dirty earthen fungi nuance plummets to nasty veggie tail.
(CLIPPER CITY) HEAVY SEAS HANG TEN 2010 WEIZEN DOPPELBOCK
Cascading prune-hued bubbles rise to frothy flesh-toned head of soft-tongued alcohol-whirred burgundy-like doppelbock. Chewy raisin-plum overtones, ripe purple grape illusions and viscous anise ascension penetrate dirty earthen graining. Red-wined Reisling-dried Merlot warmth reaches fruition at grape-jellied finish.
21ST AMENDMENT BACK IN BLACK I.P.A.
An ominous aberration away from usual pine-fruited India Pale Ale. Black-canned peat-smoked nut-soured full body relies on porter-stout mocha tendencies instead. “Brewed with rich dark malts,” its dried-fruited fig-spiced date-nut gambit, tart cider spell, and peanut-shelled walnut haste could never be mistaken for typecast West Coast styling. On tap, soft-toned hop-charred coffee-burnt black cherry souring counters wood-seared peat malting.
SIERRA NEVADA TUMBLER AUTUMN BROWN ALE
Blunt medium-bodied amber-grained autumnal brings fresh-roasted kiln malting and wet-leafed hop bittering to dreary brown-sugared chocolate-smoked coffee nuttiness. Diminished peanut-shelled hazelnut-pecan-walnut simmer drops off to earthen peat herbage. On tap, dry Brazil nut bittering counters distant maple-sapped hazelnut chocolate sweetness as interceptive dirty-grained hop-roasted astringency beckons.
(COLD SPRING) JOHN HENRY 3 LICK SPIKER ALE
Elaborate brown-bodied tan-headed (9.1% alcohol) strong ale just a tad too mellowed out for perfection. Brown-sugared molasses-sapped vanilla bourbon entry picks up oak-chipped port-wined Merlot warmth, dried-fruited raisin-plum-fig subsidy and minor coffee roast above earthen peat malting. Serve to experimental porter-stout aficionados or fruitier barleywine lovers.
ELLICOTTVILLE BLUEBERRY WHEAT
Exacting blueberry-flavored soda-fizzed clear-yellowed fruit ale bottled for nearby Ellicottville Brewery by praiseworthy Southern Tier. Pronounced sweet-sour blueberry theme lacquers corn-breaded wheat-cracked backbone. Minor soapiness seeps into sugared malt slip.
