On tap at Cooper’s Seafood, wayward ‘chocolate strawberry cream stout’ defers black-malted dark chocolate stylization and wavering strawberry adjunct for unexpected wood-dried earthen dankness (and Band-Aid-like astringency) at the molasses-smoked mocha finish. Too much goin’ on for inconclusive dark ale.
All posts by John Fortunato
THE BRUERY SHARE THIS MOLE
On tap at Poor Henry’s, creamy ‘mole sauce-inspired’ Imperial Stout brings mild heat to vanilla-beaned cacao nibs and fudgy dark chocolate. Ancho chilis and chipotle peppers softly influence mighty mocha molasses overhaul as sweet cinnamon-cumin-curry spicing reinforces smoky Mexican peppering.
BROTHERTON NOW ITS DARK
On tap at Poor Henry’s, bold 9.6% ABV lactic stout ferments tart Montmorency and Balaton cherries for bittersweet Madagascar vanilla bean adjunct and syrupy black chocolate malting. But its dried-fruited black cherry, blackberry and black grape influence gets buried by creamy chocolate-vanilla density at the charcoal-smeared mocha finish.
(BALADIN) SUPER BALADIN ZYMATORE – BOURBON BARREL
On tap at Poor Henry’s, vinous bourbon-barreled tripel takes a completely different trek than original Super Baladin’s caramel-candied wheat wine profile. Instead, sour white wine tannins acidulate Ransom Distillery bourbon oak, leaving limey yellow grape, plum and green apple notions on the tongue.
ROGUE NEW CRUSTACEAN BARLEYWINEISH IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE SORTA
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, boozy ‘cult fave’ loads intense 10.8% ABV solvency inside sharp barleywine-styled hop bomb. Lively grapefruit-orange-peach-pineapple-cherry tang immediately receives ethanol vodka-soaked respite. Resinous pine needling and aspirin-like medicinal astringency deepen gnarly bitter aspect. Not for faint-hearted soft palates.
DARK CITY POPULOUS
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, serene dark-roast coffee integrates bittersweet black chocolate malting with burnt nuttiness over tar-like hop resin.
FREE WILL SPECIAL COOKIE
On tap at Cooper’s Seafood, inspired by popular Speculoos cookie, vibrant Imperial English brown ale evenly spreads cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg spicing across vanilla-creamed gingerbread cookie sweetness and brown-sugared caramel malting to its oats-honeyed Graham Cracker spine. A buttery nut cookie alternative.
BURIAL BOLO COCONUT BROWN
On tap at Ambulance, veritable “granola-like” medium body features toasted coconut adjunct and fudgy mocha-spiced nuttiness above brown-sugared barley oats. Lightly creamed vanilla-sweetened cinnamon and cumin seasoning as well as latent almond-walnut-cola conflux tease dark-roast chocolate and coffee overtones as well as fading coconut sweetness and candied toffee reminder. In the can, subdued toasted coconut entry overcome by creamy black chocolate roast as mild hop-charred nuttiness contrasts ancillary vanilla, oatmeal cookie and cocoa sweetness.
CIGAR CITY MADURO BROWN ALE – NITRO
On tap at Cooper’s Seafood, smoothly watered nitro version of world-class English-style brown ale hits the tongue like a fudged brownie, gaining gentle vanilla creaming over light hop toasting. Original version’s stove-burnt coffee tones fade below mellowing nutty brown chocolate finish.
MAGNIFY UNCHARTED TERRITORY : BALTIC PORTER
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, slight oak char affects dark-roast coffee frontage, cocoa nibs-influenced dark chocolate syruping and bitter tobacco-chawed hop resin of crisply clean-watered porter. Beneath the bittersweet mocha surface, charred walnut respite contrasts tangy black cherry, fig and blackberry spell.
FORGOTTEN BOARDWALK TIGHT ROPE WALKER BALTIC PORTER
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, nutty coffee-burnt Bakers chocolate bittering overwhelms dried-fruited blackberry, black cherry and raspberry tartness and light anise spicing above crisp-watered caramel-burnt black malt base.
GREAT DIVIDE BARREL AGED HIBERNATION ALE
On tap at Ambulance, “luscious” English-styled winter ale receives barrel-aged Stranahan’s Colorado whiskey adjunct to sedate original Hibernation’s orange, cherry and peach fruiting as well as soured fig-date smidge. Rising out of the rum-spiced whiskey interior are brown chocolate, sugared coffee, toasted coconut, vanilla bean, molasses and marshmallow illusions.