Mild milk-sugared coffee bean sensation picks up sharp hop-oiled astringency, delicate black chocolate nip and distant nuttiness. Weak dried fruiting lost in the bittersweet roasted coffee midst.
All posts by John Fortunato
DARK CITY BOND STREET BROWNIE AMERICAN BROWN ALE
Sufficient dry-bodied brown ale overwhelms fudged brownie sweetness with cocoa-powdered dark-roast coffee, Baker’s chocolate bittering and charcoal-stained wood char. On tap at Biggie’s, tarry oats-dried hop char embittered dark-roast chocolate and ice coffee tones.
BOLERO SNORT FROZEN PASTURE WINTER WARMER
Wondrous wintry moderation (in a can) retains pleasant caramelized nuttiness above barley-flaked chocolate piquancy and earthen Glacier hop bittering. Almondine, hazelnut, almond, pecan and chestnut illusions get caressed by citric-candied tartness and mulled cherry wine souring in the backdrop of proudly ‘unspiced’ winter warmer.
RIVER HORSE HIPPO’S HAND
Pleasantly streamlined ‘New England-styled IPA’ utilizes Mosaic, Citra and Lemondrop hops to acquire well-balanced pineapple, peach, orange, tangerine and grapefruit tang. Moderated astringent piney hop herbage crisply cleansed by mildly ‘citrusy’ tropical fruiting above mellow crystal-pale malting.
BALLAST POINT MANTA RAY DOUBLE INDIA PALE ALE
Easygoing subtlety laces soft-tongued citric candied tartness with light piney hop bitterness and delicate sugar-spiced crystal malts. Sweet ‘n sour hard-candied orange, pineapple and grapefruit piquancy gains minor floral aspect over time.
ALEMENTARY A-GAME IPA
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, straightforward East Coast IPA brings mild orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple, peach and mango tang to sugar-spiced crystal malting and sly piney hop astringency. Polite citric-spiced finish lingers softly.
TWO ROADS ZERO 2 SIXTY TART IPA
Variant India Pale Ale brings peculiar eye-squinting citrus rot tartness (reminiscent of an acidic Berliner Weiss) to the easygoing fore. Brisk yellow grapefruit, orange, tangerine, mango and pineapple tang curiously turns to ‘kettle-soured’ lemony white wine tartness above compost-like sourdough spine. A newly hybridized ‘tart IPA’ that’s truly an acquired taste.
NIMBLE HILL HOP BOTTOM INDIA PALE ALE
Dismal nickel-hazed medium body drowns skunk-soured grapefruit rind, orange peel, pineapple rot and green apple bittering in musky hop astringency ’til its nasty phenolic alkaline aftertaste comes forth.
NIMBLE HILL MYSTERIA HOP 7.0
Dank pale ale (’07 version) allows spicy orange pastry likeness, rustic-grained French breading and phenol hop astringency to gain sugar glass sheen by candied finish.
NIMBLE HILL FLINKE HUGEL HELLES LAGER
Rustic pilsner-malted husked graining, sour lemon-rotted orange oiling and dried fig scurry lighten lingered herbal-licked Magnum hop bittering of nebulous helles lager. Dewy sourdough breading and earthen clay nuances waver.
902 TWO
On tap at Biggie’s, heady American Amber Ale brings sharp phenol hop bittering and ethyl alcohol astringency to briskly spiced red-orange-yellow fruitiness above toasted rye malt base.
SLOOP CONFLICTION
On tap at Curly’s Corner, lactic kettle-soured ale receives ultra-tart lemony grapefruit juicing and vinous green grape acidity above leathery musk. Hard-candied kiwi, guava, kumquat, passionfruit, pineapple and mango tropicalia develops sharp vinegar respite at sourly Citra-hopped finish. True delight for the wild ale crowd.
