beermelodies » strong ale

LEFEBVRE HOPUS ALE

John Fortunato — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:17:09 +0000

Arousing Belgian-styled strong ale with loud carbolic blast gains red-fruited resilience above funky farmhouse yeast fungi and brusque white-peppered herbage. Tangy cherry, apple, peach, and nectar illusions and lemon-seeded white grape souring flutter through moderate floral grassy-hopped bittering to nut-roasted bottom. Wavering buttered pecan backdrop keep mild alcohol astringency at bay. Well-defined Belgian IPA maintains robustness.

ROGUE JOHN JOHN DEAD GUY ALE

John Fortunato — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:12:42 +0000

Boundless whiskey-barreled helles bock takes popular Dead Guy Ale on an intricate journey. Rum-soaked alcohol burn spreads across lingering butterscotch, marzipan, and almondine sweetness, cinnamon-toasted nutmeg spicing, and floral-hopped juniper bittering. Whiskey-smoked Jim Beam/ Jack Daniels illusions amplify caramel-chocolate malting to oaken vanilla finish. Tertiary walnut-hazelnut snip receives latent cocoa powdering. Just a tad less creamy than expected.

STONE SUBLIME SELF-RIGHTEOUS ALE

John Fortunato — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:54:51 +0000

Earthen piney nuttiness, wood chip-burnt hop bitterness, and grain-smoked charcoal tarring nearly overwhelm dry-spiced tropical-fruited nature of coal-hued khaki-headed strong ale previously named Stone 11^th Anniversary Ale. Grapefruit, orange, peach, and pineapple illusions deepen tart black cherry-pureed creaminess to sweet sherry offing. Serve to India Pale Ale connoisseurs.

SAMUEL SMITH YORKSHIRE STINGO

John Fortunato — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:56:46 +0000

Engrossing burnished copper English strong ale, aged in oak casks and matured for over a year, retains creamy Samuel Smith-defined molasses malt trait above soothing Newcastle Brown Ale-like almond buttering. Terrific whiskey-soaked Maraschino cherry frontage gains chewy vanilla-butterscotch sweetness complementing midrange apricot, tangerine, and red grape tang. Tertiary chestnut, macadamia, and pecan nuances emboss dry-fruited rum raisin, stewed prune, and bourbon illusions.

VICTORY YAKIMA TWILIGHT ALE

John Fortunato — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:55:02 +0000

Well-attenuated strong ale celebrates West Coast IPA ‘hopping’ with luscious caramel-malted full-fruited tang. Loud wood-dried piney-hopped grapefruit rind bittering nearly overwhelms ripe peach-apple-berry conflux and vinous white grape esters. Brown leafs, green grass, and earthen minerals fill out citric-parched backdrop.

LAGUNITAS WILCO TANGO FOXTROT ALE

John Fortunato — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:58:43 +0000

Silken cola-hued ‘robust jobless recovery’ strong ale lacks expectant full-bodied assertion, but not persuasive character. Ashen piney-hopped nuttiness juxtaposes soft-watered cinnamon-spiced floral-fruited opening. Tangy grapefruit, pineapple, cherry and apricot fruitage revs up midst. Earthen red and purple grape esters bring mild bourbon-burgundy-port illusions to the surface by soft finish of limited ’10 release.

THE BRUERY MISCHIEF BELGIAN-STYLE GOLDEN ALE

John Fortunato — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:57:03 +0000

Ambitious citric-soured hop-spiced Belgian-styled strong ale flaunts mild intricacies. Up-front, black-peppered pine-needled bittering underscores splurging bruised lemon zest. At midst, barnyard-dried yeast brettanomyces skew grassy bark-horsehide earthiness and mystical herbal-floral twinge of engaging Brussels lace-strewn straw-hazed endeavor.

OAKHAM ATTILA (ENGLISH STRONG ALE)

John Fortunato — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:28:34 +0000

Subtly strong hand-drawn cask-conditioned pale golden moderation retains buttery lemon-spiced floral-hopped soft tone. Mild currant-grapefruit bittering abuts tingly caramel malting as green apple, curacao orange, and pineapple illusions float by.

UNIBROUE QUATRE CENTIEME

John Fortunato — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:44:19 +0000

Subtle candi-sugared Belgian strong ale nears creamy hefeweizen styling with its mild banana-clove theme, fuzzy butterscotch nicety, and honeyed wheat spine. Peppery hop bite ignites terse orange and lemon peel bittering as well as floral nuance. Tart green apple and white peach illusions emerge above white wine reminder.

(VAN EECKE) KAPITTEL PATER ALE

John Fortunato — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:37:43 +0000

Subtle Belgian dark ale brings dry rye, pumpernickel, and baked wheat breading to sweet marzipan midst. Grassy barnyard funk drowns out pithy apple-cherry-raisin allotment of approachable light body that’s closer to a less nutty brown ale.