Brewed for New York’s Matt Brewery, orange-amber dry ale regales softest barleywine subtlety with sweet chocolate malting, cereal grain sugaring, and astringet cocoa buttering. But bland candied wheat timidity restrains promise. Brewery defunct: 1999.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
RHEINGOLD EXTRA DRY LAGER
Once mainstream blue collar fodder sold at Mets baseball games, this traditional dry lager lives on in its better updated version boasting brighter orange-yellow body and minor turbidity. Pleasant fruited hop aroma and toasted barley-wheat backbone add new dimension to prominent sour malt frontage (which remains similar to original recipe). But sharp bitterness is gone by short-changed aftertaste.
(RELYEA) TOWPATH DOUBLE LOCK LAGER
(RELYEA) JORDAN OLD STYLE BROWN ALE
Floral hops, dry prune, and chalky mocha regale meager barleywine essence, but foamy carbolic explosion overflows. Brewery defunct: 2001.
REISSDORF KOLSCH ALE
Murky fruit-wafted sourdough pungency overrides delicate sweet-spiced fizziness and floral-herbed restiveness softening easygoing pale-bodied moderation. Lemony apricot and banana trifle receives phenol hop restitution. Not far removed from a summer ale with its perky citrus spritz and passive wheat backdrop. Fine all-purpose brew for light-bodied thirsts.
REGIA EXTRA SMOOTH LAGER
Fizzy minute-headed whitish-bodied pale-hazed Salvadorian with dank mineral grain entry fronting buttery cereal malt sweetness and mild lemony bittering. Nutmeg detected amongst soft water silkiness but tepid doughy finish dissolves up-front essence.
(REGENBOOG) WOSTYNTJE MUSTARD ALE
Thin bronze-hazed spice ale contrasts candi-sugared balm against mild mustard seed bitterness. Lively lemon-bruised souring seeps into fresh cut-grassed barnyard hay earthiness. Vinous mouth-puckering grape tartness curtails coriander seasoning. A bit watery for unique dry-bodied offshoot.
(REGENBOOG) ‘T SMISJE KERST
Strong nickel-hazed rocky-headed yeast-speckled winter ale brings coriander and ‘grains of paradise’ to honeyed malt sinew. Peppery thyme-seasoned lemon-bruised souring and vinous grape tannins mingle with bittersweet orange-peach-cherry tartness, flaunting rum-soaked raisin thwack by gin-soaked 11% alcohol-whirred finish.
(REGENBOOG) ‘T SMISJE CUVEE 10TH ANNIVERSARY ALE
Soothing copper-hazed cask-conditioned alcohol-licked strong ale celebrates 2005 with oak-dried grassy-bottomed citric moderation. Waning butterscotch intro accrues residual floral bouquet, toned down herbal spicing, and tertiary apricot-tangerine tinge. Musty fungus smell doesn’t negatively affect sour yeast retrenchment.
(REGENBOOG) ‘T SMISJE CALVA RESERVA
Don’t let vinegary whiff preclude interest in elegant wood cask-aged ruby-bronzed ale. Candied medicinal moderation enhances soothing buttery warmth, tannic grape dryness, and soured prune-fig-quince register, fading to alcohol-tinged barleywine lilt.
(REGENBOOG) ‘T SMISJE BLONDE
Don’t let off-putting citrus-rotted cat urine waft prohibit imbibing pudgy brown-bottled rust-clouded moderate body. Dryly acetous mandarin orange, lemongrass, and green apple sourness swerves past honeyed sucrose malts and white peppered grassy hop pep. Medicinal backdrop underscores club soda flow.
REGENBOOG GUIDO ALE
Well-rounded strong ale in stumpy brown bottle retains thick tan head, ruddily murky body, stewed prune waft, and raw honeyed dried fruiting. Initial mouth-puckering tannic grape tartness recedes as pronounced sour raisin theme flourishes above dehydrated fig, hard cider, and bruised cherry nuances. Candi-sugared yeast develops mildewed basement funk as floral-spiced herbs neutralize any backend acidity. At finish, port and bourbon illusions appear alongside unripe green raisin motif, adding to its great profile depth.