Indelible honey-fermented fruit ale (with well-disguised 15% ABV) from an ancient recipe brings sweet ‘n sour blueberry tartness to zesty orange-lemon peel briskness, light Belgian pilsner malting, phenol champagne yeast and subtle white peppering. Sinewy demerara sugaring tips honeyed coughdrop midst increasing mead-wined blueberry persistence, picking up sweet vanilla illusions ’til the liqueur-like sloe gin fizz whir creates a spellbinding buzz for this glorious blueberry dessert.
All posts by John Fortunato
CRICKET HILL NOCTURNE CHOCOLATE ALE
Cautiously moderate dark ale lingers in dark-roasted black patent malt purgatory as cocoa-dried dark chocolate illusions flatten out and its casual charred hop bittering and latent charcoal singe increase. Milk chocolate, espresso, anise and soy undertones never make full commitment.
NEW HOLLAND MICHIGAN AWESOME HATTER
Approachable IPA lowers the resinous piney hop thrust to allow cereal-grained caramel roast the same expanse as its stylish fruit-spiced tang. Crisp orange-dried grapefruit, pineapple, peach and lemon illusions crowd sugary sourdough midst. Toasted almond, coconut and praline undertones settle alongside dewy earthiness in the astringent backdrop.
BOULEVARD/ODELLS SILVER ANNIVERSARY ALE
Soft-focus 25th anniversary celebrator (2014 strong ale blending Odells Golden with Boulevard Golden) brings honey-spiced caramel sugaring and sweet fruit tang to cottony hop astringency. Light-bodied, despite elevated 7.3%ABV, its delicate floral citric effervescence sits gently on the tongue. Piquant vanilla buttering stays mellow and timid fig-date snip stays distant.
OVERSHORES BELLE FERMIERE
Dainty farmhouse-styled ale brings subtle tangerine-clementine tang and sweet ‘n sour lemon juicing to delicate pale malt stead. Crisply clean carbolic spritz nearly hides estery grape tartness, kaffir lime tingle and mild melon snip at the zesty citric finish.
OVERSHORES BLANC DE BLANCHE BELGIAN-STYLE WHITE BEER
Moderate fruit spicing and soft hop astringency outdone by reedy lemongrass-basil-celantro herbage. At the mild citric-herbed finish, light lemon-dried navel orange peel bittering contrasts subtle coriander seasoning and distant caraway-seeded sweetness.
OVERSHORES SIMPEL
Crisply dry chartreuse-hazed Belgian pale ale retains sessionable herb-spiced fruiting. Soft orange-grapefruit-plantain timidity allows herbal black and white peppering to reign over salty-bottomed mineral graining.
PARISH SOUTH COAST SESSION AMBER ALE
Easygoing honey-grained caramel toasting and spicy yellow-orange fruiting given light hop prickle. Simple, yet effective.
(BAYOU TECHE) LA 31 BIERE PALE
Mediocre Euro-American pale ale connects cardboard-like malting and herbal Noble hops to earthen straw musk. Dank mineral graining gets watery. Unripe navel orange and grapefruit undertones pick up dewy vegetal astringency.
BELHAVEN SCOTTISH STOUT
Inventive Scottish stout brings mildly creamed peat-smoked dark chocolate malting and chewy cocoa-powdered caramel malting to clean well-watered crisping, finishing with a mocha-sweetened cedar burn (not unlike a moderate rauchbier). Light vanilla, molasses, coffee, cola nut and root beer illusions coddle silken mocha theme.
TAPHOUSE GRILLE’S BUSTLING FRIDAY NIGHT HAPPY HOUR
Spent a snowy Friday in February sucking down suds with wife and friends (Tony and Cindy) at luxuriously detailed Wayne, New Jersey pub, TAPHOUSE GRILLE. Tender mussels and crisp nachos went well with tonight’s liquid fare, which included two fine Brooklyn brews, one Texas draught, one Michigan dark ale and one Massachusetts wee heavy.
BROOKLYN QUADRACERATOPS
On tap at Taphouse Grille – Wayne, luscious Belgian quad spreads dark candi-sugar across dark-fruited spicing and delicate pilsner malting (hiding its heady 9.9% ABV). Rum-soaked raisin, sugar plum, date nut cake, black cherry and fig illusions sweetened by caramelized molasses sugaring. Light sherry wining and honeyed nuttiness add to the busy mix.
