Well-rounded wild rice-sweetened Imperial IPA retains brisk pine-fruited essence typical of its insanely popular style. Grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering contrasts tangy mango-papaya-tangerine tropicalia over dry citra-hops and sugared crystal malts.
Perfectly stylish sweet ‘n sour banana tartness picks up clove spicing and vanilla sweetness over sugary wheat backbone. Subtle banana-breaded hazelnut buttering adds to the moderate charm.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, easygoing moderation (now brewed at Otter Creek) offers serene red-yellow-orange fruiting to mild grassy hop spicing and biscuit-y pale malting. Light piney citric fruiting much closer to an American IPA than ill-defined earthen grained British styling. Subdued yellow grapefruit peel, orange zest, tangerine and peach illusions stay soft-focus. Nice crossover for lighter thirsts.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo, bright citric tropical fruiting registers above mild juniper hop bittering and tingled floral spicing. Piney grapefruit, pineapple, peach, tangelo and orange overtones sweetened by floral-spiced Belgian candi-sugared yeast.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, ultra-dry West Coast-styled IPA (gypsy brewed at Cooperstown Brewery) loads parched wood and bark atop pungent citrus fruiting. Juniper-like hop bittering nearly overwhelms grapefruit rind, orange peel, pineapple and peach illusions.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, plain amber-hazed Kolsch-styled altbier lacks firm character. Musty grain malts speckle pungent hop-spiced slither to evaporative bread-crusted bottom. A modestly indistinct waverer.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, sessionable wheat-sugared moderation plies expectant banana bubblegum sweetness to lemon-spiced spritz. Passing clove, coriander and cardamom illusions too thrifty to bulk up wispy yellow-fruited nature. Slight metallic tinge undercuts Seltzer-fizzed banana bread finish.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, stylistically soft Scotch ale brings brown chocolate sweetness to roasted caramel malting. A hint of toffee found behind light-hopped fig-date dried fruiting of mahogany-hued medium body. Heady 9% alcohol volume well hidden behind high-gravity mocha binder.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, traditional dry-bodied farmhouse ale offers approachable sour-fruited candied citrus whimsy. Lemon-curried honeydew, melon and banana dot Belgian fungi yeast to grassy hay bottom. Salty black peppered snip perks up yellow-fruited misting.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, thin golden-cleared lager (made from pre-prohibition recipe) brings dry malted hop spicing to mild hop bittering and toasted rye spine. Buttered popcorn smidgen and soda bread snip lost by ultra dry orange-oiled finish. In the bottle, drearily unassuming dry-grained moderation suffers from slick corn-oiled astringency and passive citric sugaring.
