Easygoing yellow-fruited light body gathers sweet honey-spiced Vienna malts and delicate Bohemian hop prickle in a soft setting. Wispy lemony grapefruit tartness remains understated.
All posts by John Fortunato
BAY STATE SIEBEN LAGER
Perhaps emulating Augustiner’s lager with its Munich pilsner malting and delicate Noble hop pep, German-styled moderation picks up sweet honey sedation over buttered biscuit bottom. Suited for summertime sessioneering.
BAY STATE VELVET REVOLUTION BLACK LAGER
One of the better Czech-styled black lagers. Black patent-like Vienna malting and dark-roasted barley-oats graining gain mild chocolate sweetness, retaining light-bodied crisping to the delightful mocha finish.
BACKLASH DEATH IMPERIAL STOUT (WITH BOURBON BARRELED ESPRESSO)
Put through an espresso-loaded Randall filter system at Boston Beer Summit ’15, sweet bourbon-soaked espresso lilt picks up dark-roasted coffee bean resilience and delicate black chocolate cadence. Recessive black cherry, port and sherry tones fade beneath the persistent java scurry.
BACKLASH GROUNDSWELL BLOND
Smooth moderation lacks specific Belgian styling, instead relying on lemon rind bittering, sour orange rot and bruised peach innuendo. Musty mineral graining contrasts sweet floral accents and mild candi-sugared malt creaming, but white-peppered Indian coriander adjunct never suffices.
BANNER IPA
Sessionable India Pale Ale drapes citric Mosaic hops atop dewy light-grained pilsner malts and faded caramel nuttiness. Grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, orange and mango illusions bring sunny brightness.
BANNER ALL NIGHTER ESB
Replicating English-styled bitter to a ‘tea,’ dewy medium body brings earthen peat minerality to orange marmalade, brown apple, yellow grapefruit and peach tones. Light English crystal malting sweetens the brown tea spree.
(BAD MARTHA) MARTHA’S VINEYARD ALE
Affable English-style bitter brings stylish black tea pungency and raw-honeyed peat mossing to grape-leafed citric swirl. Light caramel malting and sweet-breaded sourdough sinew provides sugary backdrop for Ipswich-bottled moderation.
BAD MARTHA VINEYARD SUMMER ALE
Sessionable summer ale brings light pilsner malting and grassy Saaz hop herbage to clean-watered citric subtlety. Dainty grape-leafed Barlett pear influence stays distant.
BAD MARTHA VINEYARD HONEY ALE
Not far removed from brewers’ summer ale with its brisk fresh-watered pilsner malting and carbolic citrus spritz. Subtle honey influence and light floral snips backup sunny citric sedation to its white wheat spine.
JACK’S ABBY SUNNY RIDGE PILSNER
On tap at Ambulance, pungently embittered straw-cleared Czech-styled pilsner brings dry Noble hop herbage to balmy grapefruit-orange-lemon sequence above soft oats-flaked pilsner malt base. Alkaline-like alcohol acidity intensifies musty raw-grained pungency. Light pilsner fans may be put-off by ruggedly coarse scour.
(CANDIA ROAD) NEPENTHE NO-NONSENSE STOUT
Black patent malting, bittersweet dark chocolate and dry cocoa combine for average medium-bodied dark ale.