Sunny haze hue, fizzy hop tingle, and yellow fruit tartness reminiscent of tangy summer ale. Banana-peach-lemon adjunct brightens unfiltered dry wheat spine. Grainy finish receives aromatic honeyed maple nuance.
All posts by John Fortunato
APPALACHIAN SUSQUEHANNA STOUT
Tawny-headed mahogany-bronzed cream stout gains extensive lactose-aided coffee-nut souring as oatmeal backbone fortifies burnt caramel, black tar, and dried raisin illusions pared down by charred hop finish. Chocolate milkshake thickness counters soft-watered texture consuming smoked cedar trail sweetening cherry puree acridity and black chocolate remnant. But lavish frothing falters as phenol nature swells.
APPALACHIAN PURIST PALE ALE
Aromatic red fruiting, fresh cut wheat dryness, and soured toffee malting re-enforce toasted hop-grained bitterness for fine translucent amber ale closer to mild E.S.B. or herbal IPA. Red grape-pink grapefruit twang and rosewood-dandelion-sunflower accents crowd pine-oak finish.
APPALACHIAN PENNYPACKER PORTER
Dry chocolate-scented water-thinned porter brings mild nuttiness and delicate vanilla touch to smoothed-out mocha-coffee frontage that’ll appease lighter thirsts. Tidy black chocolate finish hoists placid roasted grain spine.
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN LAGER
Silky pearl-headed amber-yellowed lager permeates formative chaff wheat earthiness with grassy dry-hopped perk, herbaceous floral accents, and lemony zing. Cereal-barley-corn sweetness gets sour towards diacetyl finish, becoming overly cloying if warmed.
APPALACHIAN JOLLY SCOT SCOTTISH STYLE ALE
Reddish copper glow, sweet barley waft, and candied butterscotch mouthfeel introduce caramelized medium-bodied merriment. Cracked wheat-peat backdrop corrupts sullied apple-dried banana midst and herbal-clove conflux to buttery hazelnut chocolate finish.
(ANHEUSER-BUSCH) ZIEGEN BOCK
Houston Bud factory promotes this coppery amber bock disappointment. Phenol hop nose, lurking malt souring, and cardboard texture displace off-dry nuttiness and muted prune decline.
ANHEUSER WORLD SELECT LAGER
Clear golden-hued white-headed green-bottled lager lacks distinction despite boasting influence of ten international brewmasters’ strange affinity towards exploiting Heineken-Beck’s sour malted grain sharpness. Sunny hop briskness and bread-y yeast pungency remain steadfast, but fizzy seltzer flow whimpers to mild bitter finish.
(ANHEUSER-BUSCH) WINTER’S BOURBON CASK ALE
Clear auburn bourbon-barreled oak-aged seasonal fades badly to metallic dry-hopped finish. Slick caramel-molasses malt initiation sports vanilla bean sweetness, cream soda appeal, sneaky cinnamon-nutmeg spicing, and restrained cotton-candied marshmallow-coconut dint. But thin buttery texture and diffident bourbon character ransack deficient laggard. 2010 version: tame candied orange frontage, cinnamon-toasted pumpkin-pied nutmeg spicing, and vanilla-butterscotch ice cream finish better defined sharply alcohol-fueled winter ale.
ANHEUSER-BUSCH WINTER BREW
Long neck-bottled holiday amber with strong-grained malt thickness and raisin serenity serious-minded microbrew snobs won’t disparage even if it’s made by a macrobrew giant. Though barley finish quits early, perfect for novice drinkers and OK by connoisseurs.
(ANHEUSER-BUSCH) SPRING HEAT SPICED WHEAT
Buoyant limited edition pale-hazed Belgian-styled witbier retains lilting springtime pleasantry despite sharp pine needled citric nosing. Caressing spice-tingled apricot-nectarine tang, menial vanilla drift, and trifling mango-banana-pineapple tropicalia affix advertised orange-lemon-lime peels softly comforting casual coriander curtsy, remaining inoffensively stylish despite unrealized Belgian intricacies.
(ANHEUSER-BUSCH) SHOCK-TOP BELGIAN WHITE
Summery light-bodied golden-clouded Belgian-styled wheat ale brings easygoing ‘orange-lemon-lime peeled’ tartness to daintily coriander-spiced sour-candied malts. Its watered-down fizzy-hopped orange soda flow softens astringent raspberry-strawberry-soured backend. On tap, cloy sugar-candied finish prompted 7-Up comparisons when herbaceous notion flittered away.