Light amber-hued white fluffy-headed wheat brew with watery up-front flow gains momentum mid-palate when subtle barley, unspecific spices, and aromatic floral hops settle in. Yet it’s too polite to be a serious contender.
All posts by John Fortunato
EDELWEISS DUNKEL WEISSBIER
Sturdy chartreuse-bronzed dark wheat beer allows sour yeast and subtle grains to impede soft hop-fizzed citric-soured banana-clove surface. Delicate barley-roasted burnt caramel pleasantry daubs dried prune overtures and soft floral undertones, reaching buttery sourdough finish. Enjoyable, but not essential.
EDDIE MC STIFF’S ROCK AMBER ALE
Heavily carbonated musty-fruited amber explodes out of the bottle with carbolic hop bitterness and dry orange-apricot-tangerine tartness. But ill-defined sour malts lack appeal.
EDDIE MC STIFF’S MOAB RASPBERRY WHEAT BEER
Cloudy pale yellow dry beer lacks expected wheat sustenance, but boasts wonderful light-bodied raspberry spritz and aroma. Easy flowing apricot, blueberry, lemon, and unripe peach hints decorate the corners.
(ZYWIEC) EB PREMIUM PILS
Lightweight fluffy white-headed pale-cleared German-styled pilsner counters wheat-cracked sweet corn entry with mild yeast souring to salty bottom. Faint hop-spiced finish fails to overtake flat fizz banality, though watery flow and thawed grain subtlety will captivate Eastern European beer fans.
DUVEL GREEN
Straw-hued frothy-headed top-fermented Belgian draught with “devilish” moniker, eloquent white burgundy palate, musty alcohol-laden flow, and fizzy hop spritz. Pour slowly to allow sour yeast sediment to settle properly. Wheat wine illusions overwhelm spicy adjuncts to grainy finish for a healthy slow sipping treat similar to German wheat ales – but without all that nose tingling carbonation. However, thin aftertaste lost in a sea of anonymity.
DUVEL ALE
Ambitious white-foamed pale-toned double-fermented dessert fodder. Lively champagne effervescence, ample cider tartness, tingly cherry mint julep motif, acetous fruity wine graze, clove-hopped spicing and floral dusting integrated perfectly. Concentrated yeast immediacy adds spunk to turbidly dry quince finish. Mellow crystal malting lightens the mood.
(DURHAM) C’EST WHAT? HEMP ALE
Stoners will be disappointed by bland soapy fizz water. Lightest hemp twinge confronted by obscuring sweet malt indifference, yellow-fruited spell, and smoked wood hint. Tamped down hop bitterness underscores caraway seed back end.
DUPONT SAISON FARMHOUSE ALE
Tersely alcoholic bottle-conditioned summer-fruited treasure with cork setup flaunts heavy carbonation, champagne head, cloudy pale body, aromatic floral hops, and rustic barley-oats base. Billowy fizz overtaken by soured tangerine-quince-peach rhapsody, deepening orange rind influx and leathery horsehide snip. Honeysuckle-tinged burgundy finish remains dry, silky, and elegant. Distinguished drinkers will find it nice for sipping after dinner.
(DUPONT) MOINETTE BRUNE
Strong up-front alcohol presence stimulates intricate brown ale. Candi-sugared yeast distillation animates floral hop eloquence, hazelnut-chestnut addendum and fig-date-quince whisk, countering less attractive musty herbaceous nature. Dank barnyard funk swindles earthen pinot grape souring and dwindled clove spicing.
(DUPONT) MOINETTE BLONDE
In 1-pint 9-ounce wine bottle, bubbly white-headed, cloudy pale-glazed, highly carbolic Saison-like moderation clenches dry grape esters, surging barnyard pungency, and slight coriander slip. Playful on the tongue, becoming more enjoyably tart with each sip. Like silken white wine, it’s better after given time to breathe.
DUPONT FORET SAISON ALE
“Organically produced” bottle conditioned ale with cloudy yellow hue, puffy beige head, bubbly champagne flow, and white wine sweetness. Lively deep-grained hop bitterness counteracts tart fruit twist and champagne pop as well as flowery spices.