Musty black currant simmer and moldy orange souring confront root vegetable earthiness, peaceably relegating dank cellar-fungi waft. Herbal touch softens yeast-y butterscotch-toffee muck. Bitter? Nah.
All posts by John Fortunato
RAMSTEIN WINTER WHEAT DOPPELBOCK
Syrupy brown-bodied German-styled holiday brew enriches brown chocolate sugaring with dry raisin-prune-plum souring, bruised banana sweetness and currant-embittered black cherry/red grape tang. Coarse walnut, cola nut, and Brazil nut dryness as well as mild coffee roast and tertiary nutmeg-spiced pumpkin illusions frolic behind faint bourbon-burgundy jaunt. ’25 re-tasting: Smooth semi-rich doppel displayed mild wintry spicing, dried fruit compost and latent fig-date conflux as subtle blackcurrant, caramel apple and banana-clove sweetness reach resinous earthen bottom.
RAMSTEIN PILSNER
Robust straw-hued Keller-styled German pilsner places bittersweet lemony peach tang and ripe banana tartness above woody floral-spiced Hallertau-hopped bottom. A well balanced draught beer perfect for softer palates as well as hardier thirsts.
RAMSTEIN ICE STORM EISBOCK
On tap, woozy 13% alcohol eisbock balances bittersweet molasses-dipped plum-raisin-fig abundance with sharp hazelnut-walnut-cola perk.
RAMSTEIN CLASSIC WHEAT BEER
Wonderful dry-bodied mahogany-hued German weisse knockoff brings aromatic floral hops and reedy grape-skinned prune-plum coarseness to dark-spiced cereal-grained caramel roast. Burly wheat wine essence may fool some into believing it’s expensive Belgian or French ale. On tap, clove and other spices perk up butterscotch-imbued finish to sheer perfection.
RAMSTEIN BLONDE WHEAT BEER
Fine unfiltered German-styled hefeweizen with sugary crystal malting, tangy citrus quip, and fizzed hop frisk. Polite banana-clove-bubblegum sweetness subsides to musty sourdough finish. On tap, spicier lemony cider wisp and deeper banana-clove resonation penetrate firm barley-wheat base.
RAMAPO VALLEY TRAIL QUENCHER I.P.A.
Cascading tan bubbles surface atop amber body, crystal malt sweetness spikes mocha-cocoa-butterscotch waver, and bitter smoky finish acquires unrefined maple quip.
RAMAPO VALLEY SUFFERN STATION PORTER
Dry tawny porter with roasted coffee frontage, charred pine contingence, and prolonged burnt mocha finish bottomed by bitter cocoa-black chocolate. Dark rum, sour fig, sweet tobacco leaf, and acrid citrus notes complement herbal timbre.
RAMAPO VALLEY SKULLCRUSHER SCOTTISH ALE
Uncommonly complex deep ebony full body seems closer to sweet stout with its boundless cedar-smoked chocolate-vanilla creaminess and black cherry ripening. Thick syrupy richness imbues burgundy-liqueur midst as burnt wood beckons meaty salami insistence by superlative bittersweet finish. Perfect digestif.
RAMAPO VALLEY RAMAPO RAZZ ALE
Chartreuse-mauve Belgian-style ale with white yeast sediment finds tart raspberry pulp oeuvre souring to tannic white grape dryness redolent of bitterer Belgian ales. Brewery defunct: 2010.
RAMAPO VALLEY PASSOVER HONEY LAGER
Cloying gluten-free 5% alcohol drear plunges to overly sugared ginger ale template. Fizzy-hopped honeyed molasses opening picks up lemony tartness, but dank cider-y aftertaste is either off-putting or an acquired taste.
RAMAPO VALLEY OCTOBERFEST LAGER
Sour grain mash absorbs sugary malt rush as fresh-pressed cherry and cinnamon-spiced gourd give way to tobacco- leafed cigar ash undertones for medium-bodied bliss. Dirty earthiness mildly affects bottom.