The American craft beer market may be thriving, but rarely has any brewer been able to replicate the meat-cured, kiln-smoked rauchbier style the Germans invented. And this quaint “maple caramel bacon beer” is no exception. Its initial beechwood-smoked grain soiling dissipates as the syrupy maple malting gains cloying nature that contrasts an unwelcomed lemon wedge souring. Unbalanced and underdeveloped.
Lemon seltzer fizziness disrupts tart blueberry souring of quaint Sweet-Tarts candy knockoff. Blanched blueberry waver recedes with low lactic acidity calmly affecting mild rosé effervescence and wispy cranberry pucker above light mineral graining.
Blandly laid-back tropical moderation fails to properly integrate tartly embittered pineapple juiciness to citric hop splotch and frail pale malt spine. Phenol lemon-spiced soapiness disrupts powdered pineapple-candied tartness abruptly, leaving its finish in nebulous territory. On tap at 3.14 Pi, juicy pineapple souring gained eye-squinting lemon lime tartness and wispy floral-spiced pilsner malting.
Affable sweet-tart blueberry jam syruping maintains sugary resolve above honeyed Graham Cracker spine for fruit-ripened pinkish headed amber-hued moderation. Blueberry puree continuance gains slight red cherry wisp. A fine blueberry-candied summer shandy for fruit ale fiends as well as soda lovers.
Cloying raspberry shandy never hits the spot like Susquehanna’s Blueberry Thrill does. Saccharine-like raspberry sweetness gains wavered cherry-orange-peach-tangerine conflux, lemony rosé tinge and medicinal cherry whim riddled by gummy glutinous gunk.
On tap at Beef Trust, tartly brined Margarita spinoff stays refreshingly clean, effervescent and light-bodied. Limey salt-rimmed tequila cocktail substitute usurps sour lactose acidity above meager flaked rye malting.
Atlantic sea salt adds briny piquancy to lively lemon spritz of crisply dry gose-like blonde ale. Vinous white grape souring deepens lemon pucker over mineral grain-watered salted cracker base.
Random amber ale pleasantry contrasts mild caramel toasting against citric-soured phenol spicing and musty grain resin. Fading caramel-sugared honey nut sweetness restrained by latent alkaline astringency.
On tap at Jealous Monk, firm medium-roast coffee bittering contrasts creamy chocolate-vanilla sweetness and cinnamon-spiced Irish coffee sugaring. Mild hop char soaks treacly Blackstrap molasses in the backdrop while tertiary blackberry, black cherry and black grape notions file thru slowly. Electrifying stuff!
On tap at Taphouse 15, respected Imperial Stout gets silken brandy aging to coerce rich dark chocolate fudging and bittersweet Blackstrap molasses thickness. Sweet brandy influence receives delicate port, brandy and sherry licks as well as latent anise spicing. Mild wood-burnt tobacco chaw embitters cocoa-dried dark chocolate aspect. Luxurious brandied chocolate dessert.
On tap at Taphouse 15, honey-milked Costa Rican coffee beans gain coconut-toasted Madagascar vanilla sweetening, fudgy Almond Joy reminder and redcurrant wisp. Emulsified lactose honeying picks up light bourbon snicker for nutty coffee theme. Exemplary.
