Unexpectedly smooth, thickly viscous, amber-yellowed ‘triple’ brings sour apple waft to peach-apricot-grapefruit juiciness as medicinal warmth builds. Creamy butterscotch remnant, honeyed coriander snip and mild floral nip give way to peppery hop-fizzed bittering. Its delicate nature is its slender reward.
All posts by John Fortunato
LANG CREEK HUCKLEBERRY N’ HONEY ALE
Tangy berry-cherry-mango liveliness enhances creamy honey dipped swirl as fizzy soda pop sway brings sugary lollipop illusion to busy midst. Diminutive floral hop bouquet stays setback.
LANDMARK INDIA RED ALE
Brewed for Syracuse’s Landmark Brewery, garnet-hued red ale/ IPA hybrid garners lingering floral hop bitterness for supplemental orange-peeled grapefruit pith souring and brisk pine needle bite. Stable spruced citrus tang encounters cardboard-tea midst, cigar ash niche and vegetal tribute but acidic astringency hampers rye twinge.
LANCASTER WINTER WARMER ALE
Middling reddish maroon winter ale pits up-front maple-sugared yeast sinew against sour raisin come-on and minor nutmeg suggestion, but tinny copper ale finish lowers ancillary mocha appeal by a drop.
LANCASTER STRAWBERRY WHEAT BEER
Soapy honeyed wheat brew hides musty strawberry tartness beneath tempting sour lemon tang and fizzy carbolic astringency. Dwindling fruit fragility constricts earthen graining and tart berry revival suffers from metallic acidity. ’09 re-tasting procured vanilla strawberry ice cream sweetness and raised overall rating.
LANCASTER RARE ROOSTER RYE ALE
Lacking essence of better hop-toasted rye ales, its unspecific berry blur and acrid orange-tangerine center reach lame beechwood-like finish, revealing diacetyl snag along the way.
LANCASTER PORTER
Lingered coffee thickness and heavy mocha-chocolate confluence provide early promise, but toasted malts never overcome obtrusive fizz, lowering overall effectiveness. Musty barley dredge picks up tar-like residue, evaporating quickly to chalky powdered chocolate dryness. Just not as definitive as finest porters.
LANCASTER MILK STOUT
Frothy, beige-headed, mahogany-hued dry stout pours like creamy chocolate milk with toasted barleymalts abutting rich coffee promenade. Goes down silky smooth as chalky mocha finish efficiently maintains cappuccino-espresso-toffee lilt.
LANCASTER MAPLE CRANBERRY ALE
Unique ale blends cranberry juice with maple richness in an obtuse manner. Obtrusive cranberry souring hits initially, getting derailed by fizzy sparkle. Not nearly as well crafted as expected, but maple finish provides sufficient appeal.
LANCASTER HOP HOG INDIA PALE ALE
Very appealing heavily hopped hazy amber medium body with unassuming 7.9% alcohol depth brings citric Red Ale-like overtones, indelible floral bouquet, and evergreen freshness to wheat-husked rolled oat spine. Candied malts coat ripening apricot-tangerine-melon-grapefruit-apple sweetness underscored by pine needle terseness, herbaceous concision and vegetal nuance, finishing bitterer as crisp orange peel zest increases.
(LANCASTER) GOLD STAR PILSNER
Honeyed malt crescendo usurps subtle spiced hop bitterness and soured yeast ripple threading moderate cereal graining. Lemony herbal nuance gets dryly acidic on hazy gold medium body.
LANCASTER AMISH FOUR GRAIN PALE ALE
Grain-framed reddish copper ale gains impressive rye emphasis promptly underscored by earthy wheat chaff, toasted biscuit nuance, and dry hop fizz. Minimal tobacco leaf and citrus notes fortify sweet finish, enhancing overall distinction.