Terrific bottle-conditioned autumnal Belgian knockoff works oaken cherry aromatics into sour raisin-prune-plum ripeness and maple-sapped molasses sweetness, leaving funky candi-sugared Belgian yeast in its wake. Boozy alcohol whir picks up strength as tertiary hard cider, pumpkin pie crusting, and buttered pecan illusions surmount dark-spiced hop sharpness.
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
SHIPYARD SMASHED PUMPKIN ALE
Enjoyable sipping ale is part of Pugsley’s ’09 Signature Series. Heady 9% alcohol autumnal may lack expected pumpkin pie spicing, but lusciously creamy vanilla malting and hop-tingled cinnamon-spiced ginger-allspice-cardamom sweetness seep into warm gin-soaked boozing with gusto. Abrupt bruised lemon bittering counters advertised pumpkin-nutmeg influence, creating honeyed lemon illusion.
(MCAUSLAN) ST. AMBROISE PUMPKIN ALE
Well-balanced gourd-spiced autumn ale (known to French Canadians as Citrouille Ale) brings darker spicing and creamier resolve to the usual pumpkin-pied seasonal. Myriad pumpkin tannins enrich cinnamon-nutmeg-clove spicing to molasses-sapped rye wheat spine. Earthen vegetal flutter wards off tinny void that suffocates lesser pumpkin ales. Aggressive enough for dark ale thirsts yet not too intimidating for dabblers.
LONG TRAIL IMPERIAL PORTER (VINTAGE 2010)
Creamy mousse-headed mahogany-bodied Baltic porter coalescing mild hop-charred coffee roast with bittersweet black chocolate malting gains resinous pine essence. Molasses, hazelnut, walnut, and espresso infiltrate cocoa bean finish. Earthen peat backdrop deepens rich mocha theme.
HOPPIN’ FROG OUTTA KILTER WEE HEAVY SCOTCH-STYLE RED ALE
Likable brown-sugared caramel-malted butterscotch sweetness and cotton-candied red apple follow-up reach tangy orange-tangerine theme that brightens zesty medium body. Toasted almond illusion trails peated rye spine.
(CLIPPER CITY) HEAVY SEAS ‘THE GREAT PUMPKIN’ IMPERIAL ALE
Wondrous orange-hazed Imperial Pumpkin Ale (with lusty 8% alcohol) maintains rich pumpkin-spiced theme above brisk citric backdrop and lively hop-spiced continuance. Brown-sugared cinnamon-baked nutmeg-clove-allspice-daubed sweetness receives honeyed maple sapping and candied apple lacquering as full-on gourd-squash essence reaches crisp-watered gin-soaked easement. Perfect autumnal offering also blends tertiary cider notes into pumpkin-pied crust.
(CLIPPER CITY) HEAVY SEAS PROSIT! IMPERIAL OCTOBERFEST LAGER
Sassy Marzen-styled seasonal utilizes suitable Munich and Vienna malts to create red-fruited barley-roasted almond-toasted sweetness countering hop-spiced orange peel bittering. Tangy apple, apricot, pear, and tangerine ripeness soaks into alcohol whir of robust lager that could be mistaken for crisp red ale in a sec. Busier than most in its stylistic range.
RIVER HORSE HOP-A-LOT-AMUS INDIA PALE ALE
Delightful fruit cocktail with juniper-soaked alcohol kick. Sinewy yeast particles cloud amber-hazed ‘unfiltered double India Pale Ale,’ thickening its herbaceous pine-needled fruit-spiced resolve. Vibrant hard-candied orange-grapefruit-pineapple ripeness, creamy caramel malting, and gorgeous floral bouquet provide sweet relief to resinous spruce-tipped Cascade hop bittering.
SOUTHAMPTON ALTBIER
Ambiguous ‘Dusseldorf- style brown ale’ places musty raw-honeyed rye malting above dry black tea and orange pekoe bittering. Harsh nut-grained slipstream loses caramelized whir in a hurry. Indistinct medium-full-bodied altbier derivative just never catches fire.
SPEAKEASY HUNTER’S POINT PORTER
Respectable mahogany-bodied crimson-highlighted coffee-roasted porter retains bittersweet hop-charred cocoa bean richness. Chewy molasses-like dark chocolate center girds mocha latte, vanilla, and licorice illusions. Thick tar-like finish deepens bitterness and maximizes robustness.
THE BRUERY HOTTENROTH BERLINER WEISS
Profusely mouth-puckered beige-hazed yellow-glazed ‘tart wheat ale’ creates vinous Sauvignon Blanc or Belgian Gueuze feel (when not sweetened by raspberry and woodruff syrup). Sour green grape, Granny Smith apple, and unripe lemon fruiting reinforces wild yeast herbage and leathery barnyard funk. Grassy-bottomed horsehide, hay, and maize illusions breach tertiary tannic cherry tartness at tail end of light-bodied carbolic spritzer. Despite heightened brettanomyces level, acidic tendencies are kept in check.
ITHACA OUTDOOR HARVEST PALE ALE
On tap, ‘wet-hopped’ copper-hazed autumnal seasonal shelters leathery hay-horsehide earthiness, dry fresh-cut wheat chaff, and sun-drenched corn-maize singe with sour lemon-bruised grapefruit zest. Resinous grassy-hopped vegetal restraint and soapy metallic tinge provide pliant backdrop.