Tangy tangerine sweetness and red licorice respite contrast wood-hopped grapefruit bittering of unassuming 9.7% alcohol-burnt medium body. Ruddy ‘old ale’ remains buttery as whiskey-tinged caramel malts coat fig, date and green raisin illusions plus candied apple subsidy and medicinal cherry coughdrop tease.
All posts by John Fortunato
EEL RIVER RAVEN’S EYE IMPERIAL STOUT
Ruinous ethanol-like 9.5% toxicity and murky chocolate malting drag down suspect ebony-hued Russian stout. Slick hop oils severely taint parched cocoa, molasses, and prune astringency as well as tertiary licorice, espresso, cola, and hazelnut illusions. On bettered second passing, bittersweet black chocolate stead picked up maple-sapped wood-burnt bourbon vanilla soothe, black cherry flash, and anise hint, increasing its rating a whole point.
EEL RIVER I.P.A.
Lackluster copper-hazed Enlgish-styled India Pale Ale gets soapy. Modest hop spicing and mild grapefruit-melon-pear fruitiness develop an unappealing off dry astringency its raw-honeyed barley-wheat spine can’t hide.
EEL RIVER EXTRA PALE ALE
Droll puffy white-headed pale body must be poured slowly since high carbonation overwhelms. Inconsequential phenolic warble squanders lemony hop spritz lost amongst dim banana-pineapple conflux bedecking slick wheat backbone.
EEL RIVER CERTIFIED ORGANIC PORTER
Effusive brown-bodied ruby-tinged porter benefits greatly from hop-charred French coffee roast that overrides lactic mocha-chalked maple sapping and wood-kilned charcoal nuttiness. Frothy cocoa-powdered black chocolate subsidy and sugared vanilla wisp creep through ashen peanut-shelled walnut-chestnut-hazelnut conflux. Clean spring-watered crispness rises above slight astringency. At sturdy finish, burnt coffee souring and lingered anise bittering counter chocolate milkshake-like sweetness. An approachable crossover for dark lager fans.
EEL RIVER CALIFORNIA BLONDE ALE (CERTIFIED ORGANIC)
Floral dandelion-lavender-sunflower waft descends to musty earthen lemongrass dankness, bringing mildewed distraction to perfume-y citric-hopped rigidity. Weary barley-oats graining becomes diacetyl.
EEL RIVER AMBER ALE (CERTIFIED ORGANIC)
Damn! The entire ‘organic’ revolution has thus far been plagued by hop acridity and malt blandness. Moderate metallic astringency undermines faint orange-tangerine tartness and barren barley-toasted caramel center of dull drear.
(EDENTON) UNCLE NUT’S NUT BROWN ALE
Sweet mocha-cocoa-tobacco confluence dampened by phenol fizz, compromising nuttiness as sugary malts get soapy. Brewery defunct: 2006.
(EDENTON) KING DAVID’S RED ALE
Lively rust-copper Irish-styled ale contrasts spicy hop bitterness with cracked wheat, caramel malts, and honeyed cornmeal for medium-bodied joyance. Brewery defunct: 2006.
(EDENTON) HORNIBLOW’S TAVERN AMERICAN ALE
Coppery ale retains bittersweet malting, sour citric tartness, and grassy hop drynesss to rye finish as unexpected charcoal illusion thickens. Brewery defunct: 2006.
(EDENTON) HELLES ANGEL PALE GOLDEN LAGER
Butterscotch-glowed Munich-styled lager hides biscuit-y wheat nuance and orange-mango fruitiness beneath high carbonation. Sharp hop bitterness encounters candied medicinal mildness at moderate grain finish. Brewery defunct: 2006.
EDELWEISS KRISTALLKLAR WEIZENBIER
Sweet cocoa influence consumes burnt caramel and smoked barleymalts of moderately creamy fluffy white-headed medium body. Delicate clove spicing counteracts ‘dark’ beer tendencies such as ripe raisin interlude and milky texture. Possibly too ambiguous for wheat beer aficionados.