Not as alcohol-laden as cheaper urban marketed mass produced malt liquors. Instead, unassuming translucent straw-hued medium body brings creamy butterscotch twist to corn sugar malting and lime-y hop-blotched raisin-tangerine prickle. Sweet barley-wheat base upholds citric-hazed horizon.
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
ROGUE MONK MADNESS ALE
Sophisticated faux-Belgian-styled brown ale raises chewy cookie dough luster above tongue-coating mocha-caramel-chocolate malts countering tingly floral-piney hop spicing. Alcohol-burned astringency defers resinous mineral grained center, molasses-soaked wheat toast bottom and recessive almond-hazelnut clip to no ill effect. Medicinal finish gains mild sherry-port remnant.
ROGUE WHITE CRANE BITTER ALE
Easy drinkin’ copper-toned bitter (a.k.a. Rogue Oregon Golden Ale) receives polite spruce hop frontage and mild toasted barley continuance, settling into clean watered sweet malt finish. A fitting session beer for milder thirsts fluffing tardy honeyed wheat against concealed grapefruit-quince undertone.
RUFFIAN RASPBERRY WHEAT ALE
Somewhat unique pinkish wheat ale with dank raspberry essence and effervescent aromatic spices pervading dry floral cranberry-apple tartness. A great crossover ale suited to non-traditional beer drinkers. Brewery defunct: 2001.
SAINT ARNOLD SPRING BOCK
Modest reddish amber bock tightropes thin mocha-raisin tier to thinner fruited nut finish. Along the way, muted black chocolate and dark caramel fade to gray.
ST. GEORGE PILSNER
Earthen-grained herbal hops spiral to sunny citric spritz. Glutenous wheat and sticky yeast sinew fortify pale malted bottom end. Just a tad too light and fragile for heartier thirsts.
ST. PETER’S WHEAT BEER
Deeply encrusted wood burnt tone embraces barren clove, bubblegum and citric pleasantries to cracked wheat bed. Watery finish precludes refinement. Not far removed from a red ale per amber-hazed hue, peat-smoked malt constancy and frisky floral hop bite, yet disturbingly lightweight for its class.
SAMSON BUDWEISER DARK LAGER
Second largest Budweis brewery in Czech Republic (formerly Burgerbrau) sure has a winner with this emphatic lager. Smoked wood dryness deepens fig-plum tagline above subtle hop-roasted caramel-malted graining and walnut-chestnut illusions as crisp water lightens brisk flow.
SAMUEL ADAMS OCTOBERFEST
Rustic Bavarian-styled four-malt lager ‘to celebrate autumn’ draws strength from sweet ‘n sour malt variance, dried fruit binge, toasted nut singe, and delicate maple tinge. Caramel-burnt butterscotch sweetness consumes spice-hopped finish.
SAMUEL ADAMS WINTER LAGER
Apprehensive winter seasonal brings dark bock essence and immutable fruity waft to malted wheat undercurrent, making this copper-hued ’97 batch better than its ’96 predecessor. Overripe raisin, tangy cherry, tart orange, and silken spices penetrate mildly creamy finish of tinnier autumnal ’03 version. 2010 version: Metallic front end depletes vegetal-spiced ginger snap, brown-sugared cinnamon-nutmeg fade, and mandarin orange zest for sour-creamed tangelo spicing to toasted bread spine. 2011: Phenol hop spicing and vegetal fruiting are problematic. 2017: Unspecific orange-peeled cinnamon and ginger spicing only casually sweetens the front end while peaty Scotch-daubed tobacco roast fades beneath fizzy carbolic spritz.
SANTA FE CHICKEN KILLER BARLEYWINE ALE
New Mexico’s first microbrewery succeeds with creamy garnet-hued eggshell-headed 10% alcohol barleywine. Abrupt candi-sugared orange bruise, glazed banana sweetness and dark cherry tang absorb dewy caramel-butterscotch malts as receptive peppery floral-hopped bittering increases. Overripe peach-apricot-pear-grape-apple nuances find a spot in sun-drenched rum-soaked molasses midst. Resinous fig, date, prune sway falters.
SARANAC BLACK DIAMOND BOCK
Lackluster amber-hued moderate-bodied dark lager with ambiguous bock traits allows solvent phenol hops to detract dryly washed-out cocoa-molasses backslide, refracted brown-sugared fig-plum sedation, and lemon-tinged moldy orange souring. Resinous chocolate-covered hazelnut-pecan astringency gets cardboard-y.