Enlightened deep amber-hazed blonde ale lives up to its transcendental name with effervescent tropical fruited tranquility and sublime witbeir-like orange-peeled coriander wisp. Summery mango, lemon meringue, key lime pie and orange marmalade tang helps sweeten honeyed wheat spine of heavenly light-bodied Minnesotan.
All posts by John Fortunato
FARGO SOD-BUSTER PORTER
Middling Baltic-styled porter in a can brings soy-sauced peat smoke and sour-creamed Baker’s chocolate to musty dried fruiting. Charred earthen sod dirties up fig, date and yellow raisin souring at burnt toast bottom.
FARGO WOOD CHIPPER IPA
‘Classic’ midrange India Pale Ale in a can offers oats-dried pale malting and toasted caramel sweetness to stylish piney citrus hop dryness. Lemony orange tartness and subsidiary mango-papaya-melon conflux stay subtle. Serve to pale ale fans as sharper alternative.
FARGO IRON HORSE PALE ALE
Utilizing a similar flavor profile as Fargo’s Wood Chipper IPA, floral-perfumed citrus hop briskness receives creamy caramel sugaring. Prominent yellow grapefruit tang gains lemony peach-mango tropicalia that mellows out above honeyed pale malting of canned moderation.
FARGO STONE’S THROW SCOTTISH ALE
Slightly askew Scottie in a can oddly arranges dewy peat malting, ‘residual honey sweetness’ and casual dried fruiting. Nutty brown tea waver envelops fig-dried green grape tartness, mild mandarin orange twist and light cocoa smear at the back end.
FARGO WIND SWEPT BELGIAN-STYLE WITBIER
Sweet orange-peeled coriander expectancy and tart lemon-juiced green grape lilt of canned witbier picks up dry herbal remnant. Delicate white-peppered fern, rosemary and thyme seasoning drapes meditative citric spicing.
(DE PROEF) WEKKEN SOUR BELGIAN ALE
Well-designed collaboration works creamy mocha malting of Colorado’s Left Hand Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout into sour-candied dried fruiting of Belgium’s De Proef Zoetzuur Flemish Red. The result is an uncompromisingly complex blend soaking musky cherry-dried red grape, plum, prune and fig desiccation with Blackstrap molasses-enriched black chocolate roast. Underneath the surface, ashen hop char contrasts chocolate-covered Maraschino cherry tartness and wispy bourbon-burgundy wining.
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PARALLEL 49 GYPSY TEARS RUBY ALE
Murky floral-fruited red ale spicing and honeyed caramel toasting contrast leafy dry-hopped resin of whiskey-nipped moderate-to-medium body. Metallic sheen disrupts India Pale Ale-like grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and tertiary pineapple, peach and cherry illusions.
DOS EQUIS INVIERNO WINTER BOCK
Lackadaisical Vienna-lagered winter bock is stylishly thin and apprehensive. Meager caramel-toasted toffee sweetness and faint honeyed molasses sugaring fade quickly. Wispy hop spicing and dry peat whim need a severe push up.
FOOLPROOF AUGTOBERFEST
On tap at Doherty’s, delightful autumnal moderation (circa 2015) works well within its limited stylistic range. Sweet honey-glazed orange spritz and dry lemon tartness dampened by leafy hop resin above light caramel malting. In the deep recess, dry earthen wood tones contrast sugared citrus spicing.
REVIVAL BURNSIDER PALE ALE
On tap at Doherty’s, extremely dry pale ale brings briskly hop-embittered citric fruiting to dewy herbal dankness. Zesty grapefruit and orange rind sharpness infiltrates green tea musk at midst, gaining astringent acidity along the way. Serve to hop-headed English IPA lovers.
CAPE ANN CABERNET BARREL AGED BELGIAN STOUT
On tap at Doherty’s, leathery white oak-dried Cabernet Sauvignon wining, acidic brettanomyces souring and tannic white grape esters overtake mocha-spiced stout attributes. Subtle gooseberry-like blackcurrant sweetness lies beneath soft-toned white wine finish.
