On tap, sinister wintry aged barleywine emits creamy molasses-honeyed brown-sugared sweetness and massive IPA-like fruit tang above acetous wood-dried alcohol-burnt juniper bittering. Scotch-malted cherry, blueberry, peach, nectarine, and apricot engage raisin-breaded vanilla-caked Graham Cracker spine. Resinous hop-oiled pine needling bleeds into caramelized rye glaze.
All posts by John Fortunato
GRAND TETON XX BITCH CREEK DOUBLE ESB
Nearly as fabulous as original 20th anniversary ’08 Bitch Creek, this cellar-reserved bottle-conditioned double-malted double-hopped strong ale retains ripe fruiting and deep spicing of inceptive version. Sharper woody hopped bittering brings iodine-like alcohol burn to everlasting aftertaste, contrasting crisp mineral-grained fresh water soothe while overriding grapefruit-peeled pineapple, apple, pear, and orange tang. Centralized chocolate-cocoa malting opposes cellar-like fungi yeast musk.
STILLWATER ARTISANAL AMERICAN FARMHOUSE ALE
Curious gold-hazed beige-headed saison-styled farmhouse ‘wheat ale brewed with sage’ perfectly combines herbs, spices, and fruits. Black-peppered bay-leafed sage, hibiscus, lemongrass, rosemary, and lavender bolster lacquered clover-honeyed pineapple-tangerine-cherry-apricot tang before musty cellar funk plunders mild lemon-seeded grapefruit-peeled lime-lined bittering.
SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION ‘FRESH HOP ALE’ 2010
Well-balanced whole-cone hopped India Pale Ale maintains worthily straightforward appeal. Tangy grapefruit-peeled apricot, apple, orange, melon, and cantaloupe fruiting perfectly juxtaposing piney hop-spiced juniper bittering freshly crisps intangible mineral-grained backup.
SIERRA NEVADA HOPTIMUM IMPERIAL I.P.A.
Complex ‘whole-cone’ hopped bitter drops alcohol-burnt juniper solvency into sugar-caned tropical fruiting and candied apple sweetness. Grapefruit-peeled peach, pineapple, mango, tangerine, and nectarine tang invigorates sticky maple-sapped pine-combed hop bite. Crisp California coastal water freshens intriguing hop-head fave.
MAGIC HAT HEX
Perfunctory moderate-bodied gold-hazed ‘Ourtoberfest’ (registered as nebulous amber ale) lacks expectant autumnal gourd seasoning and suffers slightly from metallic soapiness. Mild honey-glazed pale malting weakened by soured orange-spiced lick, astringent lemon-drop slip, and arid apple-skinned apricot blip to washed-out dry-hopped citric finish. Slick toffee-caramel influence too weak to matter.
LEFT HAND ST. VRAIN TRIPPLE
Thin yellow-glowed Belgian-styled limited edition tripel brings peppery hop pep to mild lemon-seeded pineapple, white peach, yellow apple, brown pear, cantaloupe, and melon fruiting. Modest phenol spicing coerces biscuit-y honey-glazed malting. Lack of stylistic specificity and deficient candi-sugared sweetness lower appeal.
RED HOOK ROPE SWING SUMMER PILSNER
Crisp light-bodied gold-hazed Czech-styled pilsner places citric-hopped easement next to polite caramel malt shelter. Sour lemon-seeded tranquility, mild grassy-hopped bittering and crushed black pepper snip contrast baguette, baked bread and French bread sustenance. Minor floral illusions seep in. A good, serviceable session beer for America’s lawn-mowing proletariat.
BREWDOG 5 A.M. SAINT ICONOCLASTIC AMBER ALE
Bustling ruddish-hazed khaki-headed medium body with fruitful pining reminiscent of IPA styling (and biscuit-y caramel roast conjuring Rogue Dead Guy Helles Bock). Dry wet-leafed hops saturate resinous pine sapping and spiced-up lemon-limed peach, apple, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, watermelon and mango tang to cereal-grained baguette-buttered caramel-chocolate malting. Almond, praline, and chestnut augment pasty marzipan sweetness.
ANCHOR STEAM “OUR SPECIAL” 2010 ALE
Wintry purple-browned 36th anniversary seasonal retains darker spicing and deeper mocha penetration than most previous versions. Gingerbread, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice leave loud impression on sarsaparilla wake. Belgian chocolate, cola nut, and cocoa butter illusions peak through mild orange-peeled bittering. Crisp tobacco roast and ashen cigarette remnant waver.
DU CLAW BREWING COMPANY – BEL AIR
DU CLAW – BEL AIR
Situated inside a red-bricked, green-trimmed mall center, DU CLAW BREWING COMPANY’S inaugural Bel Air pub opened 1996. Locations in Bowie, Hanover, and BWI Airport’s Southwest Terminal came into prominence post-millennium and continue to flourish. As for my three-hour January 2011 Bel Air fling, I examined the efficient soft-hopped alacrity of ten tangibly diverse brews, meeting Du Claw’s owner, Dave Benfield, while enjoying a few untried libations alongside some previously reviewed fare.
The high ceiling interior, centered by a huge wraparound bar, included front and side dining areas with multiple TV’s (and a billiards table to far right). An enclosed front patio near the front entrance suits sunny day feasting. The clean Industrial setting draws sports fans, businessmen, and party people. A separate dining area to the left satisfies families with children and the char-broiled burgers are damn tasty.
Newly discovered gems included peculiar fish-oiled hop-frisked Exile Belgian Pale Ale, with its mild orange-dried date souring receiving latent honey glaze. Red-orange-fruited perfume-wafted nicety, Old Flame Old Ale, enjoined fig-dried crystal-caramel malting to tingly hop spicing. Buttery smooth Serum Double IPA snubbed brisk stylistic bitterness for sugar-spiced peach-apricot-grapefruit tang and pine-combed maple malting.
Chocolate lovers will unite over two wonderful dessert treats. Euphoria Toffee Nut Brown Ale worked toffee sweetness into rye-malted chocolate-browned almond-pecan cluster coupling vanilla, cocoa nibs, crème brulee, and coffee ice cream illusions above astringent hop bitterness.
Better still, velvety smooth Black Jack Imperial Stout drenched brown-sugared oatmeal cookie theme with macadamia-hazelnut pleasantries, Blackstrap molasses sapping, black chocolate richness, espresso milking, crème brulee sweetness, and raspberry-blackberry souring.
While previously tendered Venom Pale Ale retained aggressive orange-peeled grapefruit-skinned bark-dried bittering, its supplemental nitro version maintained soft-watered caramel-malted creaminess and delicate spicing for mild grapefruit-juiced Mandarin orange prod.
Misfit Red Amber Ale upped the caramel roasting and Bad Moon Porter increased the stove-burnt coffee-roasted creaminess and dark chocolate malting from initial Fells Point sampling. And best selling Bare Ass Blonde Ale developed a lemon-soured floral peach briskness and peppery hop tingle since inceptive ’05 offering.
The following tasting notes were from initial ’05 visit of defunct Fells Point brewery:
Du Claw’s well-detailed brews showed tremendous diversity. Lightweights will adore citric-sweet cereal-grained Bare Ass Blonde Ale, caramelized barley-roasted apple-persimmon-spiced Misfit Red, tangy soft-fruited Ravenwood Kolsch Ale, and blanched Australian-hopped stone-fruited golden lightweight Kangaroo Love Lager.
Ripe quince-peach-melon tang, spiced Bosc pear sugaring and tart lemon-hopped bittering braced Venom Pale Ale.
Robust dessert treat, Bad Moon Porter, weaved roasted coffee and toasted hops around addictive Godiva dark chocolate sweetness.
More sophisticated tastes will lean towards expressive coffee-toned Naked Fish Chocolate Raspberry Stout (sporting a raspberry seed-ripened mocha-sweet hazelnut-walnut confluence). These are only some of the more than dozen selections available at any given time.
BARE BONES GRILL & BREWERY
ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND
Located at Ellicott City’s St. John’s Plaza mall on bustling Route 40 since 1996, I visited BARE BONES during two-day January 2011 jaunt to Baltimore vicinity. (Note: A second Bare Bones facility is in Stuart, Florida.)
Not necessarily a brewpub, since brewing operations ceased when tanks were removed circa 2008, but a clean blue-collar sportbar specializing in ribs and reasonably priced pub fare (if not diversified beers and ales).
Perched west of Baltimore City, its wood entry with green awning leads past waiting area to low-ceiling central bar sidled by right side dining and elevated left seating. A separate family-styled dining space was off to the far right.
During early afternoon visit following one-hour Ellicott Mills Brewery stopover, I downed a crock of white chili (skinless chicken with navy beans, herbs, and spices) alongside seven contract brewed house beers crafted by Oliver (Pratt Street Brewery) and Clipper City Brewery. Great classic rock by Yes (“Siberian Kutra”), The Who (“Join Together”), and Alice Cooper (“No More Mr. Nice Guy”) played in the background as I dipped into my sampler tray.
Best of the middling light-to-moderate-bodied ales was probably approachable red-orange-fruited licorice-perfumed spice-hopped Old Frederick IPA. Other mainstream standard fare included distantly floral-pined orange-lemon-apricot-teased Tiber River Red, Saaz-hopped crystal-malted lemon-limed wheat-corned hop-fizzed pilsner-styled Patapsco Valley Gold, and citric-blanched maize-dried soft-hopped white-breaded cardboard-like astringency Hunt Valley Light.
Though Savage Mill Porter lacked typical robust nature, its slick oily-hopped nut-charred ashen-backed mocha malting might appease milder thirsts not ready for prime time porter-stouts. Perhaps the soft-buttered nuttiness and minor hop-charred spicing of pecan-fig-rigged Chesapeake Brown Ale would better suffice.
Mild lemon-fizzed pepper-hopped malt-toasted Old Ellicott Ale (an English pale ale) and lemon-wedged apple-spiced lime-lined white-breaded Seven Hills Hefeweizen were clearly mediocre (with the latter beer in need of banana-clove injection).