On tap, crossbred Belgian tripel/ West Coast IPA retains funky farmhouse ale fungi earthiness countering ripened tropical fruiting and creamy caramel malting. Peppery bark-dried lemon-dropped Chinook hop bittering reinforces tangy peach-cherry-nectarine protrusion and teasing floral accents. Pastry-like vanilla wafer sweetness heightens busy backdrop.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: NEBRASKA BREW. CO., PAPILLION, NE.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: CLIPPER CITY BREW. CO., BALTIMORE, MD.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Strong Belgian-styled tripel (with funky yeast sediment floating through dense amber-hazed full body) maintains candi-sugared fruit zest. Banana, bruised orange and green apple illusions counter subordinate pepper-spiced hop bittering. At finish, cotton-candied honey malt sweetness receives amiable butterscotch twist.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: RED HOOK BREWERY, PORTSMOUTH, N.H.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Ambitious golden-hazed ’09 tripel with boozy 10.2% alcohol whir piles creamy vanilla malts atop banana leaf-flavored apple-pear-pineapple ripeness and peppery-hopped orange-bruised Cognac spell. Wavering cinnamon-spiced banana-clove sweetness fends off sharp alcohol burn before busy tropical finish allows funky Belgian-like farmhouse yeast strain to prod tropical Caribbean fruiting.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: BOULEVARD BREW. CO., KANSAS CITY, MO.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Luxuriously spectral Grateful Dead-inspired Belgian-styled tripel counters candi-sugared fructose sweetness and coriander-clove spicing with dusky fungi-like earthiness in uniquely balanced bottle-conditioned fashion. Thick yeast sediment creates heavy viscosity as luscious white ale confections such as gin-like juniper, buttery Chardonnay, and red-purple-black grape illusions settle above herbal white-peppered green tea sash. Apple blossom, pink grapefruit, and overripe peach regalia welcome luscious tropical cornucopia (pineapple-mango-cantaloupe-banana) to juxtapose oncoming cider-y sourness until grassy horsehide-rawhide dryness presents farmhouse barnyard funk to the mix. Beware:…
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: LEFT COAST BREW. CO., SAN CLEMENTE, CA.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Woozy 11% alcohol whir provides medicinal strength to peach lacquered caramel apple fruiting and sweet-spiced butterscotch malting overriding peppery hop splotch. Tertiary orange marmalade, tangerine, and pineapple illusions enliven mint-y evergreen freshness but thin wheat spine fractures due to candi-sugared Belgian yeast density.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: SLY FOX BREWERY, PHOENIXVILLE, PA.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Interesting bottle-conditioned yellowed amber Abbey-styled triple wraps butterscotch sweetness around daintily-hopped orange-soured peach-pineapple-kiwi tang. Recessive pear illusions fade into funky herbal spell at mild fruited finish.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: THE BRUERY, PLACENTIA, CA.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Elegant beige-headed bronze-hazed bottle-conditioned Belgian-styled tripel drifts in and out of stylistic deluges with mostly positive results. Thai basil and rice provide lightly spiced Southeast Asian appeal to creamy full body. Polite white-peppered orange peel bittering counters sharp prune-fig souring, chewy banana liqueur illusion, and fleeting clove-coriander-allspice wisp at busy midst. Tertiary honeysuckle, peppercorn, and lemongrass influence intertwines tangy tangerine-peach-pear sweetness. Slight alcohol-burnt finish allows cinnamon cider, burgundy, and white wine illusions to seep in softly.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: DEFIANT BREWERY, PEARL RIVER, N.Y.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Hazy chartreuse witbier not far removed from Ommegang’s impressive Abbey ales matches herbaceous farmhouse nature to yellow-fruited souring, dark-spiced sweetness, and earthen mineral graining. Sour lemony banana blitz receives candi-sugared apricot glaze and clove-spearmint-green tea tingle reinforced by mild white-peppered hop bittering.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: FLYING FISH BREW. CO., CHERRY HILL, N.J.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Wavering Belgian-styled amber-hazed tripel remains indecisive, yet strong, to herbal gin-soaked currant-like finish. Initial vanilla-extracted banana liqueur tease and meager red-fruited nosing abruptly tail off as acidic white-peppered caraway-seeded clove-coriander-spicing tingles scruffy apple tartness and green banana triviality pungently disrupted by musty wild yeast fungi and nasty alcohol-burnt harshness.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: ISSAQUAH BREWERY, ISSAQUAH, WA.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Appealing sunny-hazed tripel in green 26-ounce wine bottle maintains lightly embittered white ale fruitiness. Prominent citric hop zest brings pink lemonade, red grapefruit, and pineapple tang to candi-sugared vanilla wafer midst. Cork-scented Muscat grape, Granny Smith apple, and brown pear nuances recline towards buttered Chardonnay finish.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE, ERTVELDE, BELGIUM
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
Subtly expressive blanched golden Abbey ale segues crisp pineapple-pear-mango tang into mild bubblegum-tinged banana-clove midst. Reservedly bitter floral-hopped honey-glazed lemony orange finish enhances coriander-cinnamon-rosebud illusions, revealing solvent-like 9% alcohol piquancy.
- Author: John Fortunato
- Brewery: GREEN FLASH BREW. CO., SAN DIEGO, CA.
- Category: Beers A-Z
- Comments: None
