Soapy light-bodied yellow-hazed pilsner upset by off-putting cabbage-asparagus waft, acrid bruised lemon souring, and bitterly oxidized wheat straw finish. Mild chamomile tea, lemongrass, and vegetal illusions shade grassy hops.
All posts by John Fortunato
AKTIEN HELL
Crisp, silky smooth, light-bodied Helles lager with papery Eastern Euro-like white bread malting loses dry-grained sturdiness by dankly phenol cardboard finish. Lemony hop setting consumes corn syrup sweetness.
AKTIEN GERMAN PILS
Crystal clear, gold-hued, fluffy-headed, sharp hopped pilsner soft, unassuming, and mildly sweet by dreary finish. Made for those who enjoy cheap Bud instead of ‘real’ beer.
AFFLIGEM ABBEY TRIPEL ALE
Modest amber-clouded tripel supports up-front white ale essence with dainty buttery flow and elevated carbonation. Dry grape esters burst through wheat wine insinuation, leaving yeast-soured green apple imprint. Placid floral hops tantalize perimeter and inform fruity finish.
AFFLIGEM ABBEY NOEL CHRISTMAS ALE
“Rich and dark like a dobbel,” spicier than a copper ale, but nowhere near as potent as Affligem Tripel. Buttery, ginger-snapped, hop-fizzed holiday treat crowds wispy cobwebs of spongy lace above heartwarming medicinal center aiding earthen wheat-dried red grape musk and latent prune-ripened gunk. ’07 version brought creamier caramel malting and bruised orange-cherry vigor to brandy-soaked Chardonnay sumptuousness.
AFFLIGEM ABBEY DOBBEL ALE
Rich amber-hued fluffy-headed ale counters wonderful double-hopped bitterness with soft barleywine sweetness. Chewy rum-soaked chocolate malting increases caramel-cocoa creaminess above peppery hop resin. Prune-fig backdrop and nutty bottom punctuate mellow yeast flow.
AFANASY LIGHT LAGER
Unique narrow-necked octagon-edged bottle is unfortunately Afanasy’s most interesting quality. Mellow clear golden light body cheapens aromatic cotton candy wisp and frail butterscotch tongue by limiting grain depth. However, juicy orange-tangerine spurt, nice carbonation, and clean finish save this from being inferior.
AFANASY DARK LAGER
Spotty prune-fig confluence picks up considerate dark caramel- toffee-butterscotch continuance as slightly syrupy nature recedes to blank mocha grained finish.
AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER WEIZEN
Lacey-headed, flaxen-bodied, water-softened German with noticeable yeast viscosity, pungent burnt wood frontage, smoked salami waft, and peppercorn finish. Off-dry hop effervescence caresses buttered mocha and distant prune nuances beneath. Carbonation holds up well, though advertised ‘wheat’ prominence lags.
AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER URBOCK
Fantastical burnt wood tones and smoked chocolate malts soften brisk-watered black coffee dryness. Syrupy yeast sweetness strengthens brown sugar resolve and black chocolate splurge boosting efficient meat-cured hickory char at dry cocoa bean finish.
AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER MARZEN
Dark amber-grained ‘rauch’ beer stays creamier than drier Aecht smoked beers. Beechwood-smoked peat malts gain hard salami slab absorbed by maple honey nut easement conveying heady sweetness to dried cocoa repsite. Sappy pine-combed hop toastiness bastes omnipresent wafting cedar-redwood sear. Strangley, at busy cured meat finish, hints of cherry rhubarb pie or tangelo detected.
AECHT SCHLENKERLA HELLES LAGERBIER
Uncommon light-bodied pale lager brings aromatic charred wood impetus to complementary cedar-burnt smoked meat scheme. Dry-hopped sour lemon fizz tickles tongue, absorbing black pepper tease and ash-singed firewood peculiarities.