Slightly turbid whitish-strawed medium-bodied Bavarian weisse flings wispy cotton-candied banana-clove sweetness and brown-sugared vanilla creaming against doughy yeast souring. Dry plantain acridity contrasts sweet butterscotch nip at the midst. Floral-tinged orange tang ascends above candied nut reminder and salted butter fizz in dry wheat-chaffed setting that’s somehow reminiscent of Belgian-styled Celis White Ale.
All posts by John Fortunato
(DER HIRSCH) DOPPEL-HIRSCH BAVARIAN DOPPELBOCK
Blanketed banana-bruised brown chocolate malting introduces extremely light ruby-hazed double bock. White rum effervescence given faded mocha, caramel, toffee and molasses sweetening at mid-palate before dry port-wined fig, raisin and prune illusions trail off at lackluster banana-clove finish.
DERGY’S HONEY BLONDE ALE
Clover honey fermentation and spry hop bitterness counter toasted barley-oats serenade to smooth finish, but tobacco-leafed lemon and nectar illusions hidden too far below surface. Brewery defunct: 2006.
DERGY’S GOLDEN ALE
Rhapsodic medium-bodied golden delight picks up caramel essence and doughy sinew by tobacco-tinged barley-oats finish, curiously blending red ale-like malted grain sweetness with IPA hop spicing along the way. Brewed under Williamsville Brewing handle ‘Golden Lager’ thereafter. Brewery defunct: 2006.
DERGY’S CLASSIC PORTER
Heavy espresso frontage and sour coffee foundation provide moderate creaminess to full-bodied boldness. Loud black chocolate follow-through leans towards bitter side, staving off frugal mocha sweetness by simmering toffee finish. Brewery defunct: 2006.
DERGY’S CLASSIC ALE
Sedate buttery flow and casual spiced hop bitterness satiate floral yeast sweetening, but slight astringency at tempered finish knocks back initial warmth. Brewery defunct: 2006.
DERGY’S BLACK & TAN
Durable ale-porter mix permeated by sour mocha waft, rich chocolate malting, and lactic cocoa absorption retains milky vanilla creaminess, careening towards robust stout instead of lighter pale ale. Arguably the best bottled b&t, avoiding indistinct murkiness of floundering challengers. Brewery defunct: 2006.
DERGY’S AMBER ALE
DE RANKE XX BITTER
Green-bottled, pearly bubble-headed, scurvy-scented, amber-hued Belgian bitter maintains plush carbolic fizz and hefty citric-herbal hop tartness to dirty-grained foundation, culminating with durable yeat-sweetened barnyard-dried orange peel finish. Expansive hop-embittered prevalence conveys earthy ashen slither after few sips.
DE RANKE PERE NOEL
Peculair wintry ale brings expectant candi-sugared lacquer-like medicinal mouthfeel to less stylistic smoked wood chip groove calmly reinforcing green hop-embittered peppercorn fervor. Ashy abstruseness then coddles tertiary tobacco, lemongrass, and clove illusions clustering dry quince souring.
DE RANKE KRIEK
Eye-squinting white grape tartness, sour cherry pucker, and cork-like toil will clear out closed-minded simpler tastes that’d invert its high rating. Like a dry white wine aperitif, its leathery tannin acidity, cask-like oak nose, and grassy mouthfeel provide affirmative astringency amateurs will dismiss as vinegar.
(DE RANKE) GULDENBERG ABBEY TRIPEL
$10 for 1-pint 9-oz. bottle of fluffy ivory-headed alcohol-soaked blonde wrapped in white bag w/ blue stripes. Pour slowly thick resinous pale yellow fluid or explosive carbonation will overwhelm immediate lemon-peeled apple blast to sour grape finish. Peppery floral-hopped mandarin orange sidles vinous white grape tannins and red grapefruit rind subtlety. On tap at Growler & Gill, sweet honeyed malts and herbal citric spicing picked up pleasing cellar-like fungi yeast mossing.