Butterscotch-laden dark brown ale burrows friskily hopped mocha dryness and roasted barleymalts into earthy sediment finish. But tinny metallic thrust infringes impending mild toasted nut bitterness.
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
HALE’S IRISH STYLE NUT BROWN ALE
Dank grain aroma and unappealing ill-defined metallic nuttiness knock down initial peat-smoked promise substantially. Barley-roasted coffee bittering and astringent plum-cherry smidgen add to extremely dry-hopped mocha-malted finish. Supposed rugged ‘Irish’ styling goes unnoticed.
(HANSSENS) MEAD THE GUEUZE
By blending Hanssens tartly tannic gueuze with British winery’s honeyed mead, silky barnyard-dried hybrid settles to gossamer lemon-soured cider tartness. Unripe peach-pear-melon mouthfeel, sharp sour grape continuance and grassy herbal mustiness consume puffy cumulous-headed translucent yellow belly. Bubbly carbolic fizz could be obtrusive. Pour into glass to delete coarse vinous attribute.
HARPOON LEVIATHAN BALTIC PORTER
Preferable mahogany-hued Baltic porter benefits from creamy lactic frontage contrasting leathery port-bourbon elegance. Soft hop-charred toasted oats vault brown-sugared coffee, espresso, and caramel latte nuances. Vanilla, molasses, and burnt caramel sweeten tertiary raisin-prune-plum illusions and latent anise-sarsaparilla tease. Aged two years, ’09 version gained wood-smoked hop roast and chocolate-cocoa intensity over thicker molasses sapping.
HARVARD LAGER
HEARTLAND GRAND CRU
Increasingly tart Belgian knockoff links soured banana-plantain opening to medicinal cherry coughdrop midst, where tangy tangerine, pear, and white grape fruiting gets casually spotted.
(HEAVYWEIGHT) PERKUNO’S HAMMER IMPERIAL PORTER
Originally drank #58 and #210 of this sophisticated (formerly limited edition) bone-dry porter. Soured cranberry bean tartness, punctual raisin-fig conflux, and syrupy mocha malt residue overtake sinewy chocolate caking, settling to barleywine finish. Coffee undertones gain authority when given a few minutes to breathe in a glass. Brewery defunct: 2007.
(DE BIE) HELLEKETELBIER ARTISANAL BELGIAN AMBER ALE
Dull rust-clouded witchy brew (check cool label) with hovering sediment brings aromatic floral yeast surge and maize-dried alcohol astringency to askew sugar-spiced finish at expense of blanched cherry-apricot-quince tartness. Cinnamon, coriander, and clove nuances pushed way back due to unwanted diacetyl buttering. Lacks depth of better Belgian strong ales (though posing as less illustrious amber ale).
HIGHLAND GAELIC ALE
Dry red fruiting (apple-grape-apricot) embellishes caramelized mocha malts and tingly spice hops, flattening to drearily unresolved corn sugared midst. Irish influence completely lost amongst dulled out toasted almond sweetness and muted floral accent of deep amber ale. But teasing bock-like fig-date finish adds depth.
HOFBRAU MAIBOCK
Impeding ethanol surge and skunked oxidation denigrate honeyed cereal grain frontage and leafy-hopped apple-pear-peach tang of off-putting spring fling. Musty green apple odor compels misplaced vegetal adjunct, reducing dried fig jut and dry rye flinch to biscuit-y wheat bottom.
HOPF WEISSE EXPORT
Consistent golden wheat boasts penetrating toasted barley-oats conflux to sweet Scotch malt finish, retaining full-bodied spunk.
HUDSON VALLEY RIP’S HOP AWAKENING PALE ALE
Dry-hopped citrus-scented pale ale links organic grains to fresh mineral water flow. Heavily hopped sweet barley template ensues. Brewery defucnt: 2002.