On tap at Burger Loft, lusty mocha-smoked dark ale crowds lightly creamed dark-roasted chocolate malting and piney hop char with bourbon-tinged dark fruiting. Burnt caramel, coffee, molasses, Kahlua and cocoa undertones reinforce choco-latte finish. Gothic Addams Family vampiress, Morticia, would be proud.
On tap at Burger Loft, fantastic light-bodied joy retains crisply soft-toned citric spritz above cracker-like pale wheat malt base and grassy hop musk. Brisk lemon-orange zest spreads across Bosc pear neutrality, juicy tangerine tang and mandarin orange tease in a simple, yet wholly effective, manner. Best Kolsch: 2015.
On tap at Burger Loft, sour lemon-candied tartness picks up sweet orange-peeled pineapple, peach and apricot tones over peppery dry hopped herbage. Subtle banana-clove nuances flutter by just beneath the surface. Nearly perfect.
On tap at Burger Loft, sweeter stylistic version of Money IPA brings sunny tropical disposition to sugary caramel malts, perfectly contrasting bitter grapefruit-peeled orange rind bite. Honeyed mango, pineapple and guava tang adds succulence. Piney herbal snip tingles zesty citric-spiced finish. Highly recommended.
On tap at Burger Loft, rich rye malting deepens resinous piney grapefruit-peeled bittering and moderate white-peppered hop spicing. Lemony apricot undertones seep inside the fruity midst.
On tap at Burger Loft, supposedly ‘atypical’ IPA allows stylishly expected citric-juiced brightness to spread across fresh spruce-tipped pine needling. Yellow grapefruit bittering rises above lemon-candied pineapple, mango, orange, tangerine and melon tropicalia. Another crisply fine citric-based Barrier IPA, indeed.
On tap at Burger Loft, souped-up medium-bodied pale ale brings perfumed tropical fruiting to the fore above biscuity caramel malting. Bitter grapefruit rind and orange peel tang provides India Pale Ale likeness (minus the piney resin). Mango, passionfruit, papaya and guava illusions circulate below.
On tap at Burger Loft, crisp amber lager lacks stylistic lagered yeast warmth of better ‘steam’ beers (check out Anchor Steam). Phenol citric-floral hop astringency overrides light caramel sweetness to its biscuity backbone. Smooth, but soapy and lackluster.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, softly creamed ‘chewy confectionery’ recalls Peppermint Patty with its up-front mint chocolate freshness. But musty dark-roasted mocha malting and uninformed coffee-stained backdrop usurp some of its candy goodness, lowering its initial dessert aspirations.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, crisp Noble-hopped farmhouse ale places moderate orange-rotted lemon souring atop light pilsner malting and mildly creamed vanilla sugaring. Tart citric briskness retains clean finish.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, vinous sour ale offers musty green grape tannins to lemon-peeled limestone acridity, dry champagne fizz and earthen barnyard parch. Raspy raspberry vinaigrette tartness and oaken cherry pucker spiritedly follow along the acidic grape-soured path.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, exceptional fruit-tart full body drapes pastry-like cake frosting and honeyed malt sugaring across stylish citric-pined hop bittering. Floral grapefruit-peeled orange rind briskness nicely contrasts spruce-sweetened mango, nectarine, pineapple, peach and cherry tang. Tertiary vanilla, coconut and peach marmalade illusions find space below. Bold, complex, unique. Arguably, Clown Shoes is America’s best brewery – and that’s no overstatement.
