On tap at Keg & Kestrel, dissenting dry stout hybrid utilizes house-smoked cherrywood chips to bring out advertised chocolate-covered bacon smear, anise-spiced dried fruit souring and oats-flaked sugaring. Black patent malting heightens cocoa nibs, dark chocolate and espresso illusions.
Established in Lexington, Kentucky as a whiskey distillery in 1776, James E. Pepper decided to brew rye whiskey-barreled brown ale ’round 2014 at Sterling, Virginia’s Beltway Brewing. Oak-aged rye permanence spreads atop smoky chocolate malts, dried fruiting and nutty nuances. Oaken vanilla phenols retain a dry respite contrasting buttered pecan, maple molasses, praline, toffee and caramel subsidies. Delicate raisin-prune-fig snips and light burgundy-bourbon hints embrace whiskeyed mocha finish.
Smooth-flowing traditional English porter connects dark-roasted mocha malt expectancy to dry anise spicing, bitter coffee bean subtlety and wood-burnt cola nuttiness. Wispy chocolate-covered acai berry tartness wavers beneath.
Sessionable summertime suds with beige-cleared body, billowy pearl head and low alcohol content offers soft rye breading to dry-hopped lemon lime spree and subtle yellow grapefruit tartness. Delicate herbal nuances and possible sawdust whim found at gentle rye-spiced citrus finish. Serve to light pilsner fans.
Weirdly positioned herbal ginger adjunct yields mild sage, rosemary, fern and sawdust accents to vague floral lemon-limed tang. Oats-dried alfalfa, wheatgrass and straw grass murk gains tepid earthen rusticity for resinous hop astringency. Unspecific.
Sunny citrus-spiced elation glows from simple sessionable summertime suds. Lemony yellow grapefruit bittering and soft pine needling receive sharp hop-oiled astringency above biscuity cracker spine. Brisk citric-pined pale ale not far removed from effective India Pale Ale styling.
Expressive medium body intricately blends brisk citric hop tang into peppery Belgian yeast spicing, toasted biscuit malts and herbal nuances while its bold 8% ABV brings adequate vodka-gin boozing. Beneath lemon-candied Valencia orange, tangerine, clementine and marmalade fruiting lies the soft malted wheat (whiskey) spine.
Busy light-medium body brings floral-bound herbal astringency to stylish orange-wedged banana and clove sweetness. Subtle citrus-pined Cascade hop bittering, lightly salted carbolic spritz, lemon-seeded souring and herbal lemongrass tea nuances contrast banana-clove-bubblegum triage in non-traditional hefeweizen manner.
On tap at Ambulance, triumphant Imperial Stout given bourbon-barreled sour cherries to heighten “richer, heartier” mocha richness. Bittersweet chocolate malting gains creamy molasses sugaring that serenades oaken vanilla dryness, vinous port wining and bourbon whiskey elegance. Combative black cherry sourness spreads across expansive mocha-spiced finish.
On tap at Ambulance, robust English porter spreads smoky mocha-roasted affluence across bitter hop char and ashen nuttiness. Dark chocolate, dried cocoa, black coffee and raw molasses overtones segue into walnut-burnt peanut roast. Mild black cherry tease settles below rich nutty mocha surface.
On tap at Ambulance, fine St. Louis-referenced IPA melds citric-perfumed Cascade hop bittering to wood-dried Chinook hop astringency above sugared pale malting. Yellow grapefruit peel briskness overrides orange, tangerine and clementine illusions. Floral-daubed pine resin deepens citric resonance.
On tap at Ambulance, centrist hop-head delight goes right down the middle with expectant citric-oiled hop pungency and lightly resinous pine bittering. Lemony orange, pineapple, tangerine and mango tang affixes musky dry-wooded astringency. Soft white-breaded bottom provides friendly backend for lighter thirsts.