Chai-spiced cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove illusions tingle thru ‘creamy latte’ midst (with a hint of anise). Dry chocolate roast persists.
All posts by John Fortunato
O’FALLON PUMPKIN SEED OKTOBERFEST
Contrasting toasted pumpkin seed salting and musty orange oiling against sweet cinnamon-nutmeg spiced pumpkin pie crust, briny gourd-ridden autumnal moderation lets leafy hop astringency seep into corn-sugared Vienna malt grist.
BACK EAST PORTER
Compact chestnut brown porter closer to a nut brown ale as its charred walnut bittering and ashen hop sear counter sweet almond-chestnut subtleties in wavering chocolate-roasted caramel setting.
OXBOW TOWN LINE PORTER
Peaty spelt wheat redirects coffee-roasted black chocolate bittering a tad as cedar-smoked molasses, glazed pecan, hazelnut cake and dark cherry illusions drift thru dry anise-spiced midst. At the smoked mocha finish lies brown buttered spelt chocolate cookie remnant.
LITTLE WILLOW MR. BROWN ALE
Mellow cocoa nibs bank nutty caramel roast and muted dark fruiting above bread-crusted chocolate oats base.
ALLAGASH MY ONE AND ONLY SOUR RED ALE
Aged on tart raspberry, plum and Flanders Red-like oaken cherry souring, brettanomyces yeast-induced red ale picks up vinous lemon-juiced green grape tannins over acidulated raw wheat. Distant blackberry, cranberry and pomegranate snips penetrate musty dried fruited surface.
BRANCH & BLADE PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STRAWBERRY NANNER SOUR ALE
Lightly marshmallow-fluffed vanilla creaming caresses strawberry tartness and banana sweetness as mouth puckering orange concentrated lemon juicing ascends thru lactic strawberry-banana Smoothie. Only its pencil shavings-like graphite tinge works against the finishing berried banana cheesecake richness.
MEIER’S CREEK BERRY MANILOW
Assorted berry yogurt entry of puckered fruited sour regales loud blackberry-blueberry tartness and wispy strawberry-huckleberry-elderberry reprieve in salty acidulated wheat setting. Soothing blackcurrant tang stays recessive.
SOUTHERN TIER STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE IMPERIAL ALE
“Picnic time” strawberry-waffled, French toasted shortcake with syrupy maple sapping retains creamy vanilla butter caking. Sweet perfume-spiced hop phenols enhance tart strawberry continuance as sugary rum soaks back end of 8.6% ABV ‘Imperial’ ale.
IRON DUKE DEAD NUTS RYE IPA
Popular flagship lets narrow rye influence nestle softly into lemony grapefruit pith bittering and lightly spiced tangerine-mango-peach tang. Minor floral-daubed pining and slight herbal whim seep into rye-dried tropical fruiting.
SHIP BOTTOM WATERMELON SUNSET DOUBLE IPA
Persuasive watermelon adjunct nearly submerges stylish Citra-hopped lemony grapefruit bittering, Huell Melon-hopped guava-passionfruit souring and El Dorado-hopped pine lacquering as tart Jolly Rancher-candied sweetness borders on cloy. Tropical watermelon essence never wavers, gaining rummy 9% ABV sugaring.
EQUILIBRIUM AQUEOUS PROTRACTOR DOUBLE IPA
Sugary yellow grapefruit tang ‘protracts’ while less obvious ‘Valencia orange, pineapple mango and peach’ scrum sidelines wet-grassed hop pining over creamy oats base of hazy tropical medium body.
