Musty-scented, fizzy, flat, and watery, but less predictable than chemically processed ‘light’ crap. Meager lime-y citrus notes perk up otherwise glum finish.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
SARANAC ADIRONDACK AMBER
Easy drinkin’ ale lacks distinction. Light grain-roasted pale malting receives minor hop spiced fruiting. Unexpected holiday ale seasoning persists.
SARAH HUGHES DARK RUBY ALE
Mild maroon-hued bitter with unique dry red wine essence. Purple grape esters recede to bittersweet black cherry tartness lightened by sour chocolate wisp, crystalline watering, and flat carbonation. Mild dirt-grained grid is only so-so.
SAPPORO STOUT DRAFT
Premium draft from island of Hokkaido brewed with malted barley. Typical Far East pleasantries such as sweet yeast penetration, mild grain influx, and simple hop bitterness lighten its appeal so don’t buy this if you’re expecting a heavily rich stout, ’cause it ain’t one.
SAPPORO RESERVE MALT LIQUOR
Stolid pale body brings wearisome malt-soured rancidity, glutinous rice-wheat murk, corn-oiled ethanol flow and moldy green grape esters to moderated blunt hop bitterness. Dry rice-sugared lemon spritz stays distant and mild whiskeyed barley roast get pasty at the finish. Beware: Canadian version really stinks up the joint.
SAPPORO PREMIUM LAGER
Japan’s oldest brand (now also brewed in Canada) proffers sweet cereal-malted corn sugar contingency deteriorated by inappropriate sharp-hopped metallic pang, gluey honeyed rice pasting and sour Scotch snip. Harsh enzymes mire dilapidated finish of slick golden-cleared lager.
SAPPORO DRAFT LAGER
Light, straw-hued, ceramic cold-filtered pilsner with sharp hopped carbonation, malted grain embellishment, and lemony lick lacks consistency and dense texture of Sapporo Reserve.
SAPPORO BLACK STOUT DRAFT
Odd. An imported Asian dark beer in sturdy 22-ounce gold and black can effectively re-creating Euro draughts. While coffee-espresso bittering and kiln-smoked caramel malting stand out, it’s not particularly thick, rich, or creamy. Still, despite being ultra-smooth, it’s hardy to the bittersweet mocha-oiled finish.
SANTIAGO CERVEZA DE ORO
Palest skunk-scented dry pilsner maintains meager corn-sugared barley toasting and faded caramel malt dash depleted by phenol hop fizz. Soapy lemon dishwater aftertaste sucks worse.
SANTA FE WHEAT ALE
After swigging this astringent orange rind-embittered off-dry ‘wheat,’ you’d swear it was a mislabeled pale ale. Interfering bland tartness and sour acidity lead to its demise, losing candied honey undercurrent in the shuffle.
SANTA FE PALE ALE
Pale ale, my butt! More like half-ass cotton candy-sweetened, sour yeast-embittered German wheat knockoff. To add insult, bittersweet lemony grapefruit summer ale likeness gets lost in fizzy carbolic dissention.
SANTA FE OLD POJOAQUE PORTER
Waterlogged moderate-bodied porter conveys subdued roasted malt insistence to bolster soft-coated mocha creaminess. Pleasantly milder than most in its class.