Peculiarly captivating mocha stout brewed with orange peel (!) brings sharp-spiced Belgian chocolate to roasted coffee midst. Could pass for a black chocolate-fronted Irish Stout or a amiable schwarzbier. Advertised orange peel bittering sits at tart backend.
Eloquent Imperial Stout brings creamy chocolate spicing to brown-sugared fudge, molasses and vanilla illusions. Espresso-milked coffee bean bittering and minor hop char underscore sweet mocha tendencies.
Wondrous tropical-fruited Imperial India Pale Ale maintains approachable crossover appeal as resinous piney bittering never overrides tangy apricot-pineapple-orange barrage and creamy caramel malting. Despite IPA tag, expectant pine-needled grapefruit peel bite sits way below sweet candi-sugared juicy fruiting.
Simple sessionable pale ale for hip Brooklyn plebians. Woody hop dryness saturates dried orange-apricot tartness and minor grapefruit rind bittering. Caramel-malted almond toasting recedes beneath floral citric finish.
On tap, Yin’s rich chocolate malting outdoes Yang’s tropical fruiting for resilient B & T. Roasted chocolate, cocoa and vanilla contrast currant-spiced black cherry tones. Betters most competitors.
On tap, approachable IPA brings brisk-watered tropical fruiting to creamy crystal malting, both of which contrast polite herb-spiced citric bittering. Ripe pineapple, peach and quince tang affects sun-dried plum, fig and date triage above mild grapefruit-peeled orange rind bitterness. Slight woody astringency at backend.
Bold copper-hazed German pilsner boasting “unfiltered varietal hops” tosses crisp orange zest, tart lemon-pitted souring and salty white-peppered wood varnishing at resinous hop prickle. Impending cereal-grained sweetness contrasts straw wheat acridity and latent herbal snip. Tertiary sunflower-seeded lemongrass undertones sidle clay-like sourdough finish. Expressive late summer session beer never fails to surprise.
Slick, indistinct, lame. Astringent grassy-hopped orange-dried spicing develops mucky diacetyl buttering over doughy breading. Meager honeyed almond undertone fades. Stick with much better Smithwick’s Irish Red Ale instead.
Leisurely wet-hopped India Pale Ale stays stylistically light, bettering most blandly unsweetened organic competitors. Freshly tilled earthen graining complements zesty grapefruit rind bittering, sharp herbal hop spicing, and resinous piney bottom. Silken crystal sugaring underlies mild stone fruiting. As it warms, honeyed peach, apricot tea, red cherry, lemon zest, passion fruit and a hint of mint find tertiary space.
Expressively easygoing single-batch bock maintains mellow disposition despite wide-ranging mocha-bound flavor profile. Advertised ‘spicy heat’ from the chili peppering stays subtle beneath milk chocolate creaming and nutty dried fruiting. Intricately woven sherry-bourbon warmth underscores black-breaded molasses stead, coffee-roasted tranquility and cinnamon-spiced cola nuttiness. Belgian chocolate spicing heaped upon ancillary bruised cherry, purple grape and sugared fig nuances. 2012 re-tasting: Improved obsidian-browned dessert beer gained richer chocolate-covered cherry theme above bourbon-doused raisin puree, stewed prune, fig and cherry fruiting dovetailing soft chili backdrop. Chocolate-caked toffee-butterscotch sweetness, maple-sapped Blackstrap molasses sinew and wavered espresso-cappuccino hints crowd back-throated black anise tongue coating.
Wonderful ‘American-styled’ barleywine-like India Pale Ale goes beyond any stylistic comparison, maintaining an easygoing ‘nugget hop’ appeal that won’t preclude softer palates. Stimulatingly sumptuous syrupy Scotch sweetness embraces bruised orange-cherry juicing and wafting orange blossom nicety. Tangy cantaloupe, peach, tangerine, melon and orange marmalade illusions sweeten cotton-candied marshmallow undertones. Way more expressive than coarser Scotch-licked orange fruited elixirs.
Beautifully well balanced and stylistically efficient medium-to-full-bodied Oregonian deserves ‘elevated’ status. Floral honeysuckle aromatics seep into crisp-watered, piney-hopped, grapefruit-peeled sure shot. Sweet spruce overtones and creamy caramelized crystal malting caress expectant apple-peach-orange-melon-pineapple medley, contrasting heightened juniper-like bittering.