Polite maple sap scent, rich burgundy palate, brown-sugared cocoa chalking, oncoming prune sourness, and roasted barley thickness consume savory lactose-aided deep brown-hued sipping stout. Some addictive characteristics reminiscent of Watney’s Red Barrel persist: blood-thickened mouthfeel; exquisite hop bouquet; and lusty caramel malts. Sweet milk chocolate creaminess soothes rather than dominates for an exceptional stout so heavily yeast-fermented and viscously full-bodied only the keg version could beat.
WASATCH SPECIAL RESERVE PALE ALE
Wintry pine-spruce pliancy, spicy fruited hops, and biscuit-y tease engage subtle grain foundation, but indistinct finish lowers score.
WASATCH POLYGAMY PORTER
Funny Mormon jab on label and deep ruby translucence are finest assets of light-bodied polygamist. Day-old iced coffee souring, murky raisin dessication, dry walnut tease and minor wheat husk stalled by sulfuric astringency barren mocha finish can’t redeem.
WASATCH HEFEWEIZEN
Sketchy clove opening and muted fruit frailty muffle mucky wheat husk, allowing desolate dry finish to quickly dissolve.
WARSTEINER PREMIUM VERUM
Soapy, sweet yeast-injected, clear-bodied German pilsener runs out of steam by bland burnt toast finish. Peppy hop bitterness creeps through soft caramel creaminess but pungent sour malting lacks detailed interior of similarly-styled Beck’s Light Lager.
WARSTEINER PREMIUM ORANGE
Trite clear-bottled 2.9% alcohol malt beverage saturates sticky Orange Krush-like soda theme with artificially sugared corn malting. Cereal-grained spine lacks strength to hold back sodium astringency.
WARSTEINER PREMIUM LAGER
Pale complexion, soft white head, and watery texture bring light-bodied appeal to sedate German lager. Sourdough aromatics and honeyed malts counter bitter hop spicing. Aimed at novices looking for German version of Coors Light.
WARSTEINER PILSENER
In 5-liter keg, frothy white-headed golden pilsener lacks true grit. Initial creamy wheat spunk, crisp water tide, and soft barley rise above mediocrity, but ethereal floral-citric hops blunt bland finish.
(WARMINSKO-MAZURSKIE) JURAND EXTRA MOCNE
Despicably stale grassy-hopped sweet-corned malt liquor-y medium body with dismal carbolic intake suffers from abysmal alcohol harshness and putrid vegetal blurb.
(WARMINSKO-MAZURSKIE) DUBLIN IRISH STYLE DARK LAGER
Strange, a dark beer with an Irish moniker in a green bottle from Poland. Fleeting sour fig-prune acridity expelled by coarse nuttiness. Walnut, cola nut, and hazelnut bring bittersweet bite to dry hop-charred grain-roasted chocolate malts. Slight molasses refuge deepens resinous ash backslide.
(WARMINSKO-MAZURSKIE) JURAND DRI BEER RASPBERRY
Rare Eastern Euro fruited beer with equally unexpected clear pink body retains dank raspberry sweetness and tart wine cooler slack. Cloying soda fizz prickles tongue and dubious vegetal waft lowers appeal. Beer defunct: 2008.
WARKA VIENNA MARZEN
Translucently straw-hued, musty-scented, amber-grained middleweight offers bread-y cardboard frontage, candied apple register, and impending muted caramel sweetness to contrast lively sharp-hopped lemon tang, but cloy corn syrupy alcohol slurp inundating dank diacetyl finish overrides initial promise.