Nondescript amber places sterile toasted malt facade atop barren wheat spine, narrow tobacco incline, and oncoming green tea bitterness as caramelized sugar recession drops off acrid aluminum-cardboard siding.
All posts by John Fortunato
(DU LIEVRE) LA MONTOISE
Fair golden-hazed medium-bodied Canadian fare. Fire-roasted barley surge depletes marginal dry-hopped spicing and latent grapefruit-pineapple fruiting reminiscent of less efficient India Pale Ale. In need of crisper bitterness.
(DU LIEVRE) LA FROUSSE
Inaugural Band-Aid mouthfeel fades as tangy orange-bruised lemon rind souring thumps spicy dry-hopped bitterness, short wheat back, and herbal coax.
(DU LIEVRE) BRUNE AU MIEL
Caramel-toasted wheat-honeyed pipe tobacco sweetness leads the way for biscuit-y brown ale, but tinny dry-hopped walnut finish dispels up-front promise to earthen grain bottom.
DUKE’S DODGER HATOR
Funky smellin’ spiced malts affect compressed chaffed wheat palate of buttery tan-headed seasonal bock. Less subdued than same brewer’s Big Ass Beer, finishing with fresh hay-parched dried orange pucker. Interestingly dry-bodied tributary to former Dodgers baseball great Duke Snyder.
DUBUQUE STAR RIVER TOWN BROWN LAGER
Fine auburn lager with up-front barley roast, caramelized yeast apex, and chocolate liqueur creaminess complementing syrupy sugared flow. Better carbonation and fuller finish would increase value. Brewery defunct: 2006.
(DUBUQUE) SILVERBACK GORILLA #9 BLACK COFFEE ALE
Distinct black coffee presence and mocha malt depth lead the way for resilient ale. Though too watery for stout class and lighter than typical porters, it carves out a perfectly convenient niche softer tastes will welcome. Brewery defunct: 2006.
(DUBUQUE) PUBLICK HOUSE PALE ALE
Made in traditional style sans preservatives, sweet-grained hazy pale ale brings burnt wood chip essence to cider-y tartness ’til moderate dry-hopped finish dissipates. Brewery defunct: 2006.
(DU BOCQ) KNIGHT’S ALE
Smoky turbidity, dry rye breading, and crystalline malting provide up-front allure to double fermented butterscotch-scented ale. Smoothly textured melange of floral citrus, sweet honey, clove, and mint adjuncts lead to prune finish buttery enough to attract American pilsner fans ready for a spicy change-up.
(DU BOCQ) BLANCHE DES MOINES WHITE ALE
Timid straw-paled white-headed witbier brightens corners with coriander-spiced lemon rind sourness, orange blossom lilt, and dry banana stint. Watery carbolic flow saps grapefruit tang, but its buoyancy rewards softer palates.
(DU BOCQ) BLANCHE DE NAMUR
Sullen light-bodied yellow-hazed white ale (with cloudy suspended yeast particles and flatulent carbonation) retains peppery-hopped lemon-soured zip over coriander-spiced banana cream pie blip and shrewd ginger-eucalyptus-chamomile snip. Lime-dried orange-skin tartness actuates tertiary floral perfumed nuances, understated licorice sweetness, teensy mandarin orange zest, and latent green apple slither vying for attention beyond scurried lemondrop promenade.
(DRIE FONTEINEN) SCHAERBEEKSE KRIEK
Ineffectually mellow bone-dry lambic (comparable to a less formidable mouth-puckering gueuze) pours a lighter shade of garnet as slight magenta head forms. Sour oak-aged cherries immerse distant cranberry-strawberry-rhubarb tartness and vinegary tannic white grape acidity. Minimal soft-hopped carbolic fizz eases leathery earthen barnyard funk and dusty rose slunk.