Muskily sharp 2013 version of brettanomyces-soured Belgian-styled wild ale aged in French oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels features soft-tongued raspberry vinaigrette-like souring over vinous white and green grape tannins. Ancillary oaken cherry tartness, hard cider crisping and dry lemon pucker accomodate raw-honeyed mead spree. Dry white-wined balsamic vinegaring and leathery barnyard funk add further lactic acidity.
Vibrant Imperial Pale Ale based on 2nd Anniversary lager recipe enlivened by judicious pineapple-wafted tropical fruiting. Massive pineapple ripeness receives juicy orange-peeled pink grapefruit tang to juxtapose sharp juniper-hopped bittering and resinous hemp-oiled pining. Sugary crystal malting deepens ancillary mango-guava-peach tropicalia.
Sessionable dry-bodied moderation offers light lemony grapefruit sugaring to mild mineral-grained Cascade hop bittering. Clean Adirondack water crisping freshens daintily herbal citrus florality and raw-honeyed wheat spine.
Barren raw-honeyed spicing and dry nutty smidgen barely surface above brisk mineral-watered crisping. Buttery biscuit backside picks up lemony orange snip and earthen blip. Grassy hop astringency meanders across sludgy mix.
Dry reedy-hopped nuttiness battles back brisk citric pining and varnished wood tones for unspecific medium-bodied dark ale. Phenolic nature and soapy undercurrent blur ashen walnut-roasted Brazil nut bittering and resinous hemp oiling.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, springtime heller bock brings German pilsner yeast to zesty lemon dusting and floral honey mead wining. Delicate clay-hopped spicing tingles effervescent citric-soured finish. Grassy reminder nudges light white wheat spine.
“Ominous” full-bodied barleywine layers creamy dark-roasted mocha richness into resinous piney-hopped dried fruiting. Caramelized brown chocolate malts allow cocoa, molasses, toffee and vanilla undertones to graze fruit-caked fig, raisin and black cherry illusions as well as Madagascar bourbon vanilla nuances.
Essentially, a more robust and intense version of brewers’ pumpkin stout. Larger dark-roasted black chocolate contingent rides above dry ginger-cinnamon-nutmeg spicing and brown-sugared molasses creaming. Beechwood-like smokiness drapes rich mocha malting. Distant florality adds depth to pumpkin-spiced backdrop.
Murky English-styled porter buries autumnal pumpkin pie spicing below fleeting black chocolate prominence. Dark-roasted mocha malt smokiness and ashen hop-charred nuttiness deplete vague cinnamon-nutmeg-ginger spicing. Black licorice reminder done in by dull plastique veneer.
Bland German-styled altbier with diacetyl ESB-like toasted graining obstructing indifferent fig-soured herbal spicing. Raw molasses acridity picks up nasty metallic sheen.
Exquisite Belgian-styled blonde ale aged in French Oak Chardonnay barrels balances sweet n’ sour accents well. Vinous white grape pucker and oaken cherry bittering beautifully contrasted by vanilla-creamed honeyed mead sweetness. Ancillary peach, nectarine, pineapple and green apple tang envelops champagne-bubbled dry bourbon perk, musky white-peppered lemongrass tingle and latent lemon curry snip.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, thin one-dimensional dark ale loses initial Hershey’s Kiss black chocolate delight and settles for arid hop-charred nuttiness. Despite adding Cafe Calabria coffee to barley-flaked oats roast, lactic cocoa-powdered acridity and sooty peat reminder outdo quick java swipe. Mucky mocha murk diverts black cherry snip. Way too watery, inefficient and uninvolving.
