On tap at Poor Henry’s, straightforward moderation retains lemony grapefruit tang, orange-dried tartness and grassy hop astringency above pilsner-malted wheat breading. A tad bolder than usual pale ale fare.
All posts by John Fortunato
CARTON GILDED LILY TRUFPEL
On tap at Plank Pizza, opulently updated Belgian tripel (2018) with earthen white truffle-perfumed flavor back-ending candi-sugared fruit mélange. Rum-spiced banana liqueur, lemon meringue, botanical gin, vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps and citron illusions reinforce loud 10.6% ABV.
SHMALTZ DEATH HOPPY BLACK ALE
Ultra-hoppy black ale brings piney hop-charred citrus pleasantry of an IPA to the chunky mocha overload of a dry stout. Kiln coffee, chalky chocolate, dark cocoa and ashen walnut illusions gather against grapefruit-peeled orange sedation above earthen wood-burnt grain roast.
SHMALTZ STAR TREK SYMBIOSIS 30TH ANNIVERSARY ALE
Basic easygoing pale ale designed for 30th Anniversary celebration in conjunction with Star Trek: Next Generation. Dry orange-spiced tang and honeyed lemon herbage struggle to the fore above biscuity caramel-Vienna malting, picking up a sour citric edge when warmed. Stylistically unresolved but quite quaffable.
CYPRESS MIIGWETCH PALE ALE
Subtle cranberry adjunct guides pinkish amber pale ale hybrid (with billowy white head). Full-blown sour candied citrus assault boasts sharp lemony grapefruit-seeded orange peel entry that bitterly lingers. Tart cranberry juicing lays low alongside unripened papaya-pineapple-guava souring, revealing sourer India Pale Ale comparisons. Setback piney hop oiling contrasts mild oats malting.
WICKED WEED XIBALBA IMPERIAL PUMPKIN ALE
Complexities abound as polite cacao-nibbed chili peppering gains autumnal pumpkin spicing over toffee-sugared mocha malts. Delightful pumpkin-daubed cocoa, dark chocolate and cold-press coffee continuance proves prominent as sedate nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and cardamom seasoning recedes and delicate ancho-serrano-habanero peppering subsides (and mild aridity ensues). A deliriously adventurous dessert treat.
ALMANAC GRAND CRU IMPERIAL SOUR BLONDE ALE – 2016
On tap at Ambulance, second edition (2016 vintage) oak-aged sour blonde ale spreads white wine tannins and desiccated apricot-skinned tartness way beyond expectant orange-spiced witbier styling. In the midst, sun-ripened Muscat Blanc grape vinegaring sharpens lemony Granny Smith apple pucker to its hay-dried grain spine.
RIGHT PROPER SCOTT 5 DRY-HOPPED FARMHOUSE ALE
On tap at Ambulance, homage to Brit singing legend, Scott Walker, features floral-bound yellow grapefruit tang and perfumed lemon spritz given light lactobacillus acidity a la mixed culture wild yeast. Below the polite citric-soured surface, mild white peach, mango and guava illusions pop up alongside dry earthen funk.
FIDDLEHEAD SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY SCHWARZBIER
On tap at Ambulance (and named after a popular children’s picture book), dewy fig-spiced black lager malting provides fine initial impression for scaled-up German-styled schwarzbier. Bittersweet chocolate-seeded toffee spell quickly conquered by latent coffee-roasted burnt breading. Much neglected black lager category well served by this rangy moderate-medium body.
ICARUS BLANC-IT DUDE, PILSNER
On tap at Poor Henry’s, “ultraclean” dry-hopped German-styled pilsner flanks light grain musk and brisk lemon-rotted pungency with Hallertau Blanc-hopped lemongrass herbage and white grape tannins. A slightly bitterer pils.
EPICURE BREWING
NORWICH, CONNECTICUT
Inside the large brick-walled expanse of an old printing press, EPICURE BREWING took hold June 8, 2017. Its high ceilings, cement floor, exposed pipes, metal-wood furnishings and old mill setting offer the perfect “lofty Industrial vibe” for brewers Ken Thiffeault and Jim Bojarski to craft their fine stylistically standard fare.
The 12-stool L-shaped bar features twelve-plus taps, a white Epicure banner and several mugs-growlers. Eight high-chair tables sit across the bar while several wooden pews and silver brew tanks don the rear. A vintage 1950 Sunbeam motorcycle hangs bear the front wall.
As I settle in on a cold December ’18 evening before dinner at neighboring These Guys, there are seven elixirs to consume.
Lovely light-bodied Kolsch, Cool Side Of Beautiful, stayed crisply clean as spritzy yellow fruit spicing, herbal hop astringency and straw-dried graining reached a pleasant pilsner-malted biscuit base.
Three rangy India Pale Ales hit the palate next. Briskly Citra-Mandarina-Eldorado-hopped Good Old Tom, a hazy New England-styled IPA, loaded juicy yellow grapefruit tanginess and navel orange peel sweetness alongside a slightly soured lemon zing, leaving mild wood tomes at the sunny citrus finish.
Stylishly bitterer, Damned Yankee IPA evenly spread grapefruit, orange, tangerine and lemon zest across piney hop resin and light herbal nuances.
Despite its lofty 8.5% ABV, easygoing Little Coat Double IPA will appease less heady pale ale fans with its playful lemony orange-grapefruit spritz, cereal-grained caramel malt roast and mild dry hop astringency.
Sweet ‘n sour raspberry puree draped silken brown chocolate malting for Raspberry Chocolate Porter, a dessert-bound dark ale finishing with a lemon-soured berry piquancy that crowds its mocha mightiness.
Dark chocolate bittering and soy-sauced earthen dewiness garnished semi-enigmatic Lightning Struck Twice Oatmeal Stout to its milk-sugared oats base.
Syrupy chocolate overwhelmed the toasted coconut adjunct of Zussamen Chocolate Coconut Stout, leaving subtle burgundy, espresso, marshmallow and dried fruit reminders.
epicurebrewing.com
IRON BREWING COMPANY
NORWALK, CONNECTICUT
Right in the heart of downtown South Norwalk, IRON BREWING COMPANY opened in 2017 and soon became a well-attended local destination (before closing around 2019). Utilizing the slogan “better beer thru chemistry,” this red-bricked pub (formerly housing Guvnor’s Brewery) is run by three home brewing research chemists competing for recipes to fill its four sterling glass-encased copper tanks placed directly behind the serving station.
At its fifteen-seat copper-topped bar (with four sports-centric TV’s), seven tap handles serve homemade beers and cider.
Three community tables and fourteen dining tables sidle the bar while three back-spaced lounge sofas bring subtle sophistication. Industrial furnishings, Edison lights and exposed pipes fill out the medium-sized high-ceilinged venue. Burgers, wings and appetizers don the light menu.
My wife and I grab some hummus while imbibing four fine house offerings available this cold December ’18 afternoon.
Brisk MF Kolsch retained a spritzy lemony orange spicing delicately enjoined by grassy hop astringency and dry pale malt bliss.
Stylistically robust Hierro Miguel Vienna Lager brought toasted caramel spicing to frisky red-orange fruiting in a serene manner.
Approachable Washington Street IPA linked light grain-hopped musk to vegetal-tinged herbal hop restraint, recalling a lighter pale ale. Yet its orange-spiced grapefruit, pineapple and peach tang and mild wood tones (IPA trademarks) soon took over alongside teasing vanilla cream sugaring.
Sedate Nitro Winter Stout may’ve lacked seasonal Christmas spicing, but its soft-tongued cocoa powdering, dark chocolate rift, black coffee bittering and mild hop char sustain.
ironbrewing.com