“Go to” IPA promotes grapefruit-juiced blood orange tang and zesty lemon prickle, but sweet vanilla adjunct lacks thrust over frail white bread bottom. Forget its ‘milkshake’ tag’ and call it a sessionable West Coast moderation instead.
All posts by John Fortunato
DOGFISH HEAD SLIGHTLY MIGHTY LO-CAL IPA
Sessionable soft-toned lo-cal (95 calories) IPA with tropical monk fruit extract and mild guava souring secured by laidback herb-spiced floral hops and dry wood tones over biscuity mineral grains. Misty orange rind, yellow grapefruit and pineapple bittering in far distance.
PIZZA BOY QUICKEST FOREVER SINGEL
Endlessly sessionable aluminum yellow-hazed Belgian tripel spreads pickled lemon zesting across reserved banana-clove sweetness, herbal ginger-spiced white peppering, fungi-spiked grassy hop pining, mossy peat earthiness and latent plantain-clementine-grapefruit licks over its mild white bread spine.
CARTON FOSTER
On tap at Tapastre, vanilla rum barrel-aged Imperial Coffee Cream Ale offshoot finished on bruleed banana retains “acidic coffee bittering curbed by milk sugar” for obliquely designed dessert beer. Rummy banana daquiri midst picks up demure dry Scotch spurt as mild coffee-espresso tones indeterminably reach pastry floured base.
CZIG MEISTER RASPBERRY CREAM ALE
Dull pinkish amber moderation allows fizzy carbolic spritz to blur rhubarb-dried raspberry tartness and sour cranberry whim above lightly creamed raw vanilla bittering.
CONYNGHAM JALAPENO LAGER
On tap at Bonnie & Clyde’s, thin chili-peppered lager leaves lightly lingered jalapeno burn upon spritzy lemon liming and mild cereal graining. Modest grassy hop astringency contrasts distant green pepper sweetness tingling jousted jalapeno heat.
NEW HOLLAND DRAGON’S MILK RUM BARREL AGED STOUT WITH CHOCOLATE, HAZELNUT & COCONUT
On tap at Tapastre, luxuriously complex pastry stout regales buttery dark rum sugaring for toffee-spiced dark chocolate creaming, cocoa-buttered hazelnut molasses sweetness and toasted coconut reserve. Chocolate hazelnut-candied insistence gains ancillary black cherry-pureed burgundy, raisin and fig illusions to contrast latent walnut-charred hop bittering and recessive oaken vanilla tannins. Richly creamed mocha rum cake finish sustains intensity.
FINBACK MARSHMALLOW DRIP IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Growler & Gill, creamily confectionary pastry stout coalesces marshmallow, coffee, vanilla and peanut butter for luxuriously bold concoction. Vanilla-sugared marshmallow sweetness segues to peanut buttered ice coffee syruping, leaving ancillary toasted coconut, bourbon chocolate, cappuccino, black cherry puree and cinnamon illusions to deepen its intense design.
LEFT HAND WHITE RUSSIAN STOUT – NITRO
On tap at Growler & Gill, decadent nitrogenated stout brings creamed coffee and vanilla adjuncts to White Russian cocktail knockoff. Creamy coffee-liqueured vodka cleansing and cocoa-buttered white chocolate milk sugaring comfortably combined as tertiary creme brulee, toasted coconut, spiced hazelnut and macadamia illusions flutter.
INDUSTRIAL ARTS STATE OF THE ART – DDH WHEAT STOUT
On tap at Taphouse 15, Cocoa Pebbles knockoff brings dry dark chocolate roast to blackened molasses oats and mild floral-perfumed hop char for interestingly offbeat wheat-toasted breakfast stout.
ANGRY ERIK DARK SIDE OF THE LEAF
On tap at River Of Beer, creamy ‘pumpkin spice latte’ knockoff starts off with bitterer-than-sweet dark chocolate roast dominating pumpkin pureed autumnal seasoning. Dried ginger minting outgains cinnamon-nutmeg-clove spicing and charred nuttiness above maple oats spine. Slightly off-centered peculiarity.
ICARUS KALASHNIKOFFEE: PSL IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Tapastre, splendid autumnal takeoff on original Kalashnikov RIS conditioned on coffee and vanilla beans acclimated brown-sugared pumpkin spicing with wildflower-honeyed toffee, pecan and coconut sweetness. Dark chocolate roast seeps into smoky nut-charred coffee bittering and light vanilla creaming as well as its piquant nutmeg-cinnamon-allspice banter.
