All posts by John Fortunato

GREAT LAKES ALBERTA CLIPPER RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE PORTER

Beers A-Z

On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, creamy Belgian chocolate-spiced raspberry fruiting will charm sweet-toothed dessert lovers. Like a chocolate-dipped raspberry tart or chocolate raspberry truffle, its temptingly rich decadence proves addicting. Chewy cocoa-fudged raspberry puree entry picks up molasses cookie sugaring, nutty coffee splurge and dried fruited respite. Distant blackberry and black cherry undertones as well as casual cola, hazelnut and pecan nuances fluctuate beneath dark-roasted mocha malting. Bottled version: bittersweet raspberry-pureed Godiva chocolate likeness fortified by blueberry compote, bruised cherry and plum wine illusions.  

    Great Lakes Alberta Clipper Porter label

GREAT LAKES TRUTH JUSTICE & THE AMERICAN ALE

Beers A-Z

On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, centrist American pale ale utilizes nationalistic Superman motif to describe sessionable lawnmower fare. Lemony orange-peeled grapefruit bittering brings IPA appeal to sweet red cherry, mango, pineapple, melon, blood orange, mandarin orange, tangerine and passionfruit tang. Resinous grassy-hopped floral spicing and restrained pale malting pick up subdued raw wood tone beneath the fruited surface.

 

GREAT LAKES RYE OF THE TIGER IPA

Beers A-Z

Nearly as powerful as its wild animal moniker, allowing pungent citrus piquancy, burnt rye breading and distant pumpernickel souring to contrast floral-honeyed tropicalia. Strong grapefruit-peeled pineapple bite emboldens the resinous hop bittering while less prominent navel orange, red grape, peach and tangerine tang sweetens the hibiscus tea-like backdrop of devasatingly robust India Pale Ale.

HARPOON THE LONG THAW WHITE IPA

Beers A-Z

Refreshingly smooth white-peppered citrus hop pining, sweet orange peel briskness and saffron-spiced coriander sugaring set the mood. Lemon zest, mandarin orange, navel orange, mango, tangerine and peach illusions gain candied pineapple spree and delicate floral bouquet above mild biscuit backbone. Fresh-cut grass, reedy wood tones and herbal peppercorn respite provide contrasting dryness. Centrist-minded veteran brewers hit one right down the middle with one of the best springtime White IPA’s ever.

 

ABNER & WOLF HEFEWEIZEN

Beers A-Z

Laughing bear on label matches cheery experience quaffing amiable amber yellowed medium body (with billowing champagne-headed yeast sentiment). Initial citrus splurge picks up stylish banana-bubblegum-clove sweetness above caramelized wheat malts. Brisk carbolic thrust heightens lemony grapefruit tartness and sweet orange peel briskness at sugar-spiced fructose finish.

  Agner & Wolf Hefeweizen

SMUTTYNOSE HAYSEED

Beers A-Z,

Sessionable summer saison (sub-categorized as a Belgian grisette) stays gentle on the tongue as billowy pearl head crackles over its pale yellow body. Rustic barnyard-dried ‘hayseed’ minerality, wild oats graining and floral-spiced herbage reign alongside white-peppered lemon zest. Spritzy carbolic fizz crackles with lemony yellow grapefruit, passionfruit and lime souring. On tap at Ambulance, light springtime grisette (a milder Belgian saison) retains dried lemon musk and barnyard-like hay rusticity. Gently salted carbolic fizz soothes out astringent citric acidity.

BUZZARDS BAY MOBY D

Beers A-Z

Indecisive Old World pale ale with soft water flow brings mossy ESB-like earthiness to moderate IPA-derived citric bittering, saison-inspired sour fruiting, herbal hop snip and nutty respite (flattening out over time). Recessive sour orange marinade contrasts peachy navel orange sweetness and light biscuit-y pilsner malting provides delicate base.

   

NORTH RIVER HOPS AND BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

 

WAPPINGERS FALLS, NEW YORK

In the backside of a mini-mall on Route 9, Hudson Valley-based NORTH RIVER HOPS AND BREWING has become a successful ‘mom and pop’ shop since opening, August 2014 (but it unfortunately closed June 2018).

Brewmaster Brandin Stabell (residential electrician by trade), his wife Nicki (ex-roller derby player), and father-in-law, Kevin, conceived this friendly neighborhood pub after Brandin received a brew kit and played around with different recipes. Though expansion may be inevitable, presently the wood-furnished, terra cotta-walled, cement-floored sample room features three bar stools, three window seats and several small brew tanks.

Upon my first visit in June ’15, the affable family biz has already crafted thirty-plus small batch beers. There are ten varied selections available during my enjoyable one-hour sojourn. Running the gamut from light American-styled delights to wood-smoked dark ales and Belgian-inspired derivations, North River recently began distributing their diverse suds to respected Rockland County gastropub, Craft House.

“I like English-styled beers and hop-forward bitters, but complexity and balance should be right for a continuously drinkable beer,” asserts Brandin.

I grab a few sampler trays and begin quaffing three fine red ales made from the same recipe originally created for malt-roasted Hoppy Red Ale, a caramel-spiced medium body with sharp citrus-hopped bite, mild dried fruiting and floral nuances.

Delicate whiskey-staved Aged Hoppy Red brought soft vanilla spicing to polite raisin-plum-date subtleties while Belgian crystal malt sugaring gave Belgian IRA (Imperial Red Ale) its caramelized dried fruiting (plum-date-raisin)and light pecan nuttiness to contrast raw-honeyed bittering.

Sessionable soft-watered XTRA allowed subtle honey malts to heighten its Galaxy-hopped tropical fruiting and navel orange tang (countering the wood-dried Columbus hop sharpness).

Similarly moderate-bodied, BLM Session Amber Ale gathered malt-smoked toasted biscuit breading, dewy earthen rusticity and citric-pined niceties. Another soft-toned winner, white wheat-breaded Tarwe tingled the tongue with hefeweiss-styled lemony banana and clove subtleties.

Sweet citric-spiced sugaring bedecked Paddle Steamer, an easygoing Cascade-Centennial-Magnum-hopped IPA with lemony orange overtones.

Just as relaxing, Maple & Whiskey IPA seeped light wheat whiskey wisps into subtle maple-malted berry and citrus fruiting.

On the dark side, soft-toned Robust Porter brought smoked wood tones to cocoa-sugared brown chocolate sweetness, peat-soiled dried fruiting and dry burgundy whims.

Easily the most unique elixir on this humid afternoon, Wheat Wine uncommonly combined kiln-grained rauchbier smoke with honeyed Graham Cracker sugaring and fruit-candied malt spicing.

In October 2015 at Craft House, downed complex dry-bodied North River Tea IPA, where smoothly sharp citric hop astringency gained black tea-influenced yellow grapefruit briskness, orange rind bittering and plummy passionfruit whims to contrast softer nectarine and peach illusions.

During November 2015 at Craft House, enjoyed North River Oktoberfest, a mild off-dry autumnal moderation contrasting honey-creamed amber graining and light brown-sugar spicing against pine-nutted leafy hop foliage.

www.northriverbrews.com