Rye malts, spicy hops, and heavy yeast sediment inform bottle conditioned limited edition (batch #23 and #44) 1-quart 18-ounce wine-bottled champion honoring beer historian Fred Eckhardt. Peach ambrosia mouthfeel and sweet Scotch insistence usurp honeyed cognac warmth. Chewy molasses undertow, creamy malt elegance, and cookie dough ‘heaviosity’ similar to highly praised Ipswich IPA. Arguably the best and most complex golden ale available.
All posts by John Fortunato
HAIR OF THE DOG DOGGIE CLAWS BARLEYWINE ALE
Pour slowly puffy beige-laced amber-toned bottle-conditioned barleywine or risk carbolic explosion. Perfumed herbal hop bittering buttresses candi-sugared orange-soured tartness and grapefruit-peeled nectarine-apricot-pineapple-mango fruiting. Heartwarming juniper-spiced alcohol finish relaxes nerves.
HAIR OF THE DOG ADAM OLD WORLD ALE
Mellow smooth 8% alcohol dark ale relies on medicinal nectar-juniper theme, roasted barley assurance, massive mineral grain sediment, and earthy peat discretion. Corresponding mocha malt aroma and rich coffee overtones blend well with French wheat wine twist, finishing with muted chocolate snap. A tad less thick than heartier double bocks, but nonetheless an original with character, class, and tangled sweet peculiarities promising plenty and then delivering.
(HEATHER) GROZET LAGERED CELTIC ALE
Eccentric “light pink ale with champagne” elegance contrasts lingering burnt wood prominence with deep agave influence. Dry earthiness fortifies unexpected chicory backdrop.
GRITTY MC DUFF’S BLACK FLY STOUT
Roasted coffee dryness, sweet chocolate creaminess, and powdered cocoa bitterness sufficiently supplement smoked mocha-malt assertion to mineral-grained finish. But thick-bodied stout needs deeper black tar density supplementing moist dewy earthiness for true distinction.
GRITTY MC DUFF’S BITTER ALE
Crisp copper-toned medium body retains persistent floral hop bittering to rich mineral-grained finish. Thin yeast sinew forms at the head as crystal malt sugaring serenades pleasing piney maple and sweet vanilla undertones.
GRITTY MC DUFF’S BEST BROWN ALE
Butterscotch-laden dark brown ale burrows friskily hopped mocha dryness and roasted barleymalts into earthy sediment finish. But tinny metallic thrust infringes impending mild toasted nut bitterness.
GRIMBERGEN TRIPLE AMBER ABBEY ALE
Beware: heavy carbonation from any pouring angle. Apple cider aromatics fade into dried apricot-raisin-plum scrum, spiced banana-vanilla ascension and buttery peach wine sedation. Musty yeast sinew and honeyed butterscotch creaminess fortify unique pale-bodied digestif.
GRIMBERGEN DOUBLE BELGIAN SPECIAL DARK ABBEY ALE
Peculiar burgundy-hued Belgian (originally brewed in Middle Ages by Nobertine monks) uses carefully guarded recipe, but may have lost some luster over the centuries. Mellow barleywine presence merges roasted mocha malt zeal with sweet floral dirge and sour prune-fig-date adjuncts to creamy toffee finish. Tertiary orange-bruised red cherry fruiting lacks zest. Too diluted to compete with Belgium’s best.
(MCAUSLAN) GRIFFON EXTRA PALE ALE
Easy drinking hop-fueled pale ale with crisp water flow and casual barley-oats finish tastes more like strong premium pilsner, remaining weightier than lesser-grained Coors.
(MCAUSLAN) GRIFFON BROWN ALE
Dank mocha aroma surrounds brown-sugared chocolate-caramel malting, rustic mineral graining and nutty wisp of mahogany medium body. Sticky resinous hops add bitterness but depth lacks.
(MCAUSLAN) GRIFFON BLONDE ALE
Abysmal ‘tempered full bodied’ (try moderate, if that) Extra Pale Ale goes amiss with corny blandness and invisible citric blurb. Ho-hum. On tap, peppery-spiced tingle enlivens husked wheat-hay bed and subtle grapefruit souring.