Sharp 9% alcohol flow saturates spoiled orange sourness overwhelming peppery herbal spicing, zesty grapefruit-apricot-tangerine tartness, and mild off-dry ginger-snapped green apple bittering to candied yeast bottom, duping more intricately detailed Belgian-styled ales.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
(T’IJ) COLUMBUS
Viscous rust penny-hued ale (dotted by heavy yeast sediment) retains bittersweet orange-peeled lemon bruising above green apple, boysenberry, raspberry and peach tartness. Dry-hopped white peppering increases ancillary currant sharpness. Musty earthen herbal nuance and fresh cut grass leathering linger to mildly creamed fruitful finish.
T’IJ BOCKBIER
Unfiltered unpasteurized copper bock boasts initial plum-prune prominence, bright orange-tangerine tang, and red cherry punctuation well served by barleywine luster. Third passing offers cinnamon-spiced caramel richness underscoring unassuming 6.5% alcohol flow.
TIGER GOLD MEDAL LAGER
Cloy corn sugar must, pithy wheat grass strand, and phenol metallic hop acridity augment buttered popcorn stridency of soapy clear straw mediocrity. Mildly bitter lemon complacency lowers barren straw wheat finish by half.
THURN UND TAXIS ROGGEN
Agile ruddy-clouded dry-bodied rye ale juxtaposes barley-roasted caramel-butterscotch notch and banana-breaded vanilla sweetness against prune-soured clove spicing. Citric hop spritz enlivens earthen rye-breaded finish nicely.
(MOUNT SHIVALIK) THUNDERBOLT LAGER
Wood burnt grain fervor overpowers dry Scotch malting to toasted biscuit bottom of strong pale lager. But dull cardboard finish nulls any mild sugary sweetness or cocoa bittering, lowering its potency.
(NORTHERN) THUNDER BAY LAGER
Effervescent light-bodied pale-toned lager with airy carbolic fizz, crisp cereal graining, and delicate citric sweetness needs better distinction and firmer finish. Brewery defunct: 2008.
(SAINT SYLVESTRE’S) 3 MONTS GRANDE RESERVE SPECIAL ALE
Truly divine moderate-bodied Biere De Garde posing as mild yellow-hazed amber ale counters its sharp alcohol bite with earthen herbal-spiced fruitiness and lightly prickled champagne-like effervescence. White-peppered grassy hops bring leathery hay dryness to floral-perfumed lemon zest, herbal green tea bittering, and musty Belgian-like yeast fungi. Sweet clover-honeyed candi-sugared tropical fruiting, creamy banana-vanilla-butterscotch tandem, and lithe coriander-cinnamon spicing counter green apple tartness, white grape esters, and unripe plum souring as well as tertiary basil-thyme-sage hints at the midst. Serve to honey-wined mead fans as a sweeter alternative.
(SAINT SYLVESTRE’S) 3 MONTS FLANDERS GOLDEN ALE
Light texture hides barleymalt consistency, yeast sinew, and apprehensive floral bouquet of soft hop-spiced moderation. Earthen grassy-hopped straw-hay leathering adds barnyard funk to green apple, peach and pear undertones. A gentler, sweeter, bubbly golden.
3 HORSES LAGER
Pungent sourdough yeast-wafted, puffy white-headed, clear-bellied, medium-bodied lager maintains fizzy salted-hop bitterness to desolate watered down creamed corn finish. Mild pale malt sweetness belies stiffly astringent sour malt profundity.
THREE FLOYDS ROBERT THE BRUCE SCOTTISH STYLE ALE
Strong malted barley flow given butterscotch influence backed by fruity notes. Fizzy hops soften maple creaminess and distant prune-date-fig tones for appealing well-rounded finish. Will appease wide range of drinkers.
THREE FLOYDS PRIDE & JOY MILD ALE
Toasted barleymalt stint, piney grapefruit glint, and spiced butterscotch hint provide sedate bed for mildly nutty oats-dried ascension. Buttery succulence tantalizes understated medium-bodied champion.