Bottled version of Reading brewpub’s affable dry-hopped red ale tethers congenial floral spicing to toasted barley-wheat base, absorbing bittersweet peach-tangerine-grapefruit tang. Latent metallic swagger depletes tertiary honeyed nut, fruitcake, and pear-apple illusions.
All posts by John Fortunato
LEGACY EUPHORIA ALE
Modest Belgian-styled tripel laces white ale nuances, such as herbal-hopped black-peppered coriander-clove-allspice spicing, with honeyed orange blossom sweetness. Subsidiary apple, pear, peach, strawberry, and cherry fruiting receives refreshing menthol-eucalyptus jaunt, but soapy finish weakens not-so-strong pale ale.
LEFT HAND WIDDERSHINS BARLEYWINE-STYLE ALE
Turbid butterscotch-hued oak-barrel aged barleywine may lack stylistic strength and attributes, but floral grapefruit peel bittering and piney earthen depth enrich lively departure. Beneath subsidiary tannic peach-grape tartness lies lemony lavender-violet tease and oaken vanilla nuance.
LEFT HAND WARRIOR I.P.A.
Aggressively bitter woodsy hop bite confirms bitterer pine resin-y orange-grapefruit peel depth, almost overwhelming beautiful hard-candied apple-ripened kiwi-mango-pineapple tang and perfumed floral bouquet. Phenol chemical acidity warded off by bright tropical fruited plane.
LEFT HAND TWIN SISTERS DOUBLE I.P.A.
Peculiar ecru-hazed medium body differs greatly from usual wood-tinged dry-fruited IPA’s. French breaded rye-toasted pale-malted opening gives way to piney hop-embittered honey-spiced lemon-orange tartness. Blunt bruised citric finish narrows its range.
LEFT HAND SNOW BOUND WINTER ALE
Majestic Christmas-styled winter warmer with wafting gingerbread opulence illuminated by definitive honey-soaked brown-sugared cinnamon-clove-allspice-cardamom spicing and lickety-split licorice lollipop lob. Swooning alcohol buzz felt as tertiary orange-bruised banana snip thickens residual sugared medicinal warmth.
LEFT HAND SMOKED GOOSINATOR DOPPELBOCK LAGER
Beechwood-smoked malts distinctively affect singed India Pale Ale-like bittering and affluent Band-Aid mouthfeel of 2007 vintage German-styled tawny-bodied dark lager. Perky hop fizz reinforces burnt toast sear countering diffuse caramel malting.
LEFT HAND SMOKE JUMPER IMPERIAL PORTER
Exemplary black-bodied salami-wafted rauchbier-like baltic porter integrates bourbon-casked whiskey whir with frothy mocha tendencies. Chewy milk chocolate creaminess invades lactic frontage. Ancillary powdered cocoa, Blackstrap molasses and caramelized vanilla illusions seep into char-hopped hazelnut-macadamia-cashew clout as earthen moss bottom forms. Freshly crushed cherries absorb ‘several hardwood’ notions of cedar, hickory and oak. Anise hints deepen its backend bitterness. A triumphant lactose-laden slow sipper.
LEFT HAND SAWTOOTH ALE
Consistent spruced citrus sweetness pleasantly overlays equally absorbing barley-roasted oatmeal-flaked assertion. Tangy peach vibrancy and pungent berry souring gain prominence above mild chocolate undertones mid-palate, adding smooth effervescence to organic-grained mineral-watered enticement.
LEFT HAND RYE BOCK LAGER
Well integrated rye-toasted pumpernickel theme extends through dirty earthen graining, torrid vegetal souring, and dried cherry dirge. Though cumbersome phenol fizz gets in the way and sour mash waft may be off-putting, its chocolate-cocoa malting adds abstruse depth.
LEFT HAND POLESTAR PILSNER
Off-putting dry-bodied straw-cleared German-styled pilsner becomes metallic in a flash. Cardboard-y salted cracker astringency, petered-out pale malt dankness, and washed-out bruised lemon souring confront weirdly skewed herbal-floral nuance.
LEFT HAND MILK STOUT
Luxuriously creamy milk chocolate theme sturdily fortifies rigid coffee souring, unrefined cocoa bitterness, and brown sugar caress of deep garnet gem. Though not as robust as regional Oasis Zoser Stout, mellow cocoa buttering, casual cola flow and seared wood nuance further enrich mocha-rich lactose thickness. On nitro, creamier coffee capaciousness envelops milk chocolate center and hop-roasted cola nuttiness for soft-tongued effervescence.