Rich brown choclate creaming overlays dry bourbon-burgundy-plum wining and prune-soured raisin sweetness of porter-styled holiday ale. Smoky mocha malt midst deepened by sharp hop spicing, purple grape tartness, molasses-sapped pumpernickel breading and brown-sugared gingerbread niceties. Tertiary black cherry, sherry, blackberry, raspberry and blueberry nuances seep in.
Despite ‘intensely hoppy’ and ‘stoutly refreshing’ descriptives, top-fermented ’50s-era blonde ale (formerly St. Amand) remains approachably easygoing, blending estery French Biere de Garde styling with India Pale Ale fruiting. Honeyed vanilla creaming sweetens herbaceous white-peppered citrus theme. Ripe tangerine, orange and lemon tones meet floral-dusted lychee perfuming and rustic peppercorn seasoning.
Musky coffee-soured dry body (nicknamed “The Brussels Stout”) falls short. Dirty earthen bottom drags down politely creamed dark chocolate chalking, tart cocoa nibs influence and dry fig-date murk. Oily hop resin and mineral grain char deepen bitter end.
Eccentric dark ale aged in oak with ‘coffee, rhubarb, herbs and spices’ wavers wildly and never finds solid ground. Soy-sauced coffee souring turns to muck as dry burgundy-port wining flattens above nitro-like charcoal soothe. Vinous white grape tannins and orange-candied tartness receives saffron-spiced dusting.
On tap at Twisted Elm, deeply penetrating slow sipper (with heady 17% alcohol volume/ 17 malts/ 17 hops) places molasses-sugared brown chocolate sweetness against dry plum-wined bourbon-burgundy-sherry scurry. Dark rum, sugared fig, black cherry and candied apple illusions enrich syrupy molasses malting. A hint of vanilla found at rich mocha-fruited finish.
On tap at Twisted Elm, abstruse hybrid blends treacly molasses with smoky chocolate malts and sharp-hopped dried fruiting (staying richer than typically subtler Innis & Gunn fare). In the backdrop, plum-dried raisin puree, black cherry and purple grape illusions battle back whiskey-sugared dark rum spicing. Ephemeral coffee, vanilla and caramel undertones deepen unspecific mocha finish.
Indistinctly streamlined IPA with muddled cardboard malting and diacetyl buttering affecting barren floral-spiced fruiting. Sour lemon and grapefruit tones contrast ripe apple sweetness above caramel malt sugaring, but desultory hop astringency depletes any forward momentum.
Polite coriander-spiced lemon peel tingle and sweet orange peel briskness ride above light white wheat spine. Carbolic Seltzer fizz gobbles up minimal flavor profile. An appealing lightweight.
Unspecific light-bodied fluff meshes soft caramel malt creaming with mild phenol hop spicing. Dull yellow-orange fruiting ransacks buttery wheat cracker spine.
Vague easygoing moderation stays smooth but unfulfilled. Bland bready malts evaporate alongside astringent hop-spiced fizzle. Meager orange-grapefruit snip wavers.
On tap at Beer Authority, mellow Imperial White Ale (a.k.a. Weiss Teufel) softly layers lemony yellow-caked vanilla and cane-sugared bruised banana sweetness over delicate white wheat spine. Banana bread, banana liqueur and banana daiquiri nuances dance across the tongue alongside subtle peach, apricot and nectarine whims.
On tap at Beer Authority, appealing limited edition brettanomyces-soured India Pale Ale spreads gose-like coriander salting across wafting lemon zest tartness and gentle mineral-grained watering. Mouth-puckering lemon pit souring picks up tertiary lemongrass herbage and leathery horse-blanketed acridity. A wayward IPA hybrid totally affected by wild yeast funk.
