Thin barrel-aged Redfish Red Ale hybrid (with unassuming 9% ABV) seems awkwardly designed as mild Jose Cuervo tequila adjunct and rummy mojito wisp drop off alongside citric mist to acrid alkaline astringency at barren oaken vanilla finish. Somewhere in the mix, limey agave briskness sweetened only slightly by sugary pecan-almond conflux, ginger-spiced grapefruit-pineapple-orange fruiting and high fructose corn syruping.
Monthly Archives: October 2015
SEBAGO SIMMER DOWN SUMMER SESSION ALE
Summery moderation with IPA-fruited leanings brings lemony grapefruit zest plus tangy mandarin orange, mango, peach and passionfruit tropicalia to light piney hop bittering. Restrained orange blossom herbage, delicate floral tea nip and distant oats-flaked mineral graining embrace casual citric-sugared finish.
WHALER’S GINGER WHEAT
Softly creamed ginger-sugared Graham Cracker sweetness picks up zesty orange peel briskness and mild lemon-pitted bittering over dry pale malting. Citric-spiced finish gains minty snip.
BROTHERS FAIRGROUNDS FALL ALE
Enthusiastically colorful autumnal moderation loads maple-sugared honey nut sweetness inside pumpkin pie-spiced piquancy. Caramelized cinnamon, candied ginger, nutmeg and allspice season the leafy hop respite.
BROTHERS THE ADMIRAL
Perfectly centrist moderate-medium body stays lighter and less assertive than Brothers Hoptimization (despite heightened Imperial IPA tag). Evenly dispersed orange-grapefruit-pineapple-peach tang and subtle piney hop bittering ride above toasted caramel malts.
3 BROTHERS GREAT OUTDOORS
Coming across like a Brit-styled Extra Special Bitter with its raw-grained rye dryness, mild lemon tea sugaring and biscuit-y malt base, sly moderate-bodied pale ale retains lightly pungent minerality. Herb-tinged grassy hops provide soft bittering as fennel, pumpernickel and wheatgrass illusions fill the gaps.
3 BROTHERS HOPTIMIZATION
Refreshingly clean dry-bodied India Pale Ale (with brewers’ name shortened to Brothers circa 2015) enjoins bitter pine-needled hop pungency with aggressive tropical fruiting and sugary pale malting. Ripe pineapple, grapefruit, navel orange, tangerine, peach and mango tang picks up honeyed floral sweetness. Zesty citrus finish retains brisk Cascade-Chinook hop crisping.
THREE FLOYDS PEAR BEAR AMERICAN WILD ALE
Resplendent pear-juiced sour ale reaches eye-squinting green grape vinegaring as lemon-juiced mouth pucker sedates mild pear adjunct. Dissipating unripe pear tartness picks up leathery barnyard acridity, cider-soured Granny Smith apple piquancy and raspberry vinaigrette lilt as well. Initial pear sweetness swallowed up quickly by bitter bacterial acidity. Perfect for sour heads.
THREE FLOYDS BROO DOO HARVEST ALE
Exalted autumnal IPA brings dewy wet-hopped resilience to affluent tropical fruiting and glistening sugared spices. Lively citrus zest brightens above caramelized nut glaze and floral pine lacquering near the crowded midst. Lemony orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple, peach, tangerine, mango, cherry, pear and passionfruit illusions persistently subsume dank mineral graining at the grassy bottom of thoroughly enticing medium body.
LOST RHINO FACE PLANT
Indifferent moderate-bodied IPA never truly catches fire as soft citrus-pined hop bittering gets murky above sugar-spiced caramel malting and dank herbal uprising. Zesty orange-peeled lemon tang and dark floral nuances evaporate, allowing aspirin-like astringency to disrupt easygoing nature.
TWO ROADS BERGAMONSTER
On tap at Doherty’s, whimsically original limited edition (2015) Imperial Wheat Ale brings sunny Bergamont orange peel essence to white-peppered herbal spicing and honeyed lemon meringue tartness atop fragile raw wheat spine. Ephemeral plastique grouting never undermines lemony orange tea barrage.
STONY CREEK LITTLE CRANKY SESSION IPA
Middling sessionable moderation gathers pine-needled lemondrop hops to lightly contrast desolate Valencia orange spicing. Grassy vegetal niche downgrades floral citric finish. Generic, but not necessarily unappealing to mainstream pale alers.