Fine black chocolate-y walnut-macadamia theme enforced by caramelized maple-sapped vanilla latte creaminess. Though too light and watery to compete with serious nut brown challengers, understated butterscotch appeal suits lighter tastes well. (Now brewed in Saratoga Springs, New York).
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
SPRECHER GENERATION PORTER
Confusingly indistinct ink black porter closer to banal Schwarzbier. At opening, Russell Stovers chocolate-covered raspberry cream candy essence loses footing to chalky powdered cocoa bittering and musty grape-dried oaken cherry souring. Protruding raspberry puree tartness pervades coarse dry-hopped finish, but funky mildewed vegetal waft and vinous acidity ruin confounding digestif.
STAROPRAMEN PREMIUM LAGER
Musty wet-grained malting and pungent sourdough yeast inform dry-hopped citric dash and dirty earthiness. Setback straw, hay, and leather astringency back ends heartily assertive golden lager.
(STEENBERGE) MONGOZO AFRICAN ARTISANAL DARK ALE
Unconventional copper-hazed African-styled brew reminiscent of Belgian-styled Ommegang Abbey Ale. Lofty 7% alcohol blear rears head above lively yeast, candied malts, and burnt ‘palmnuts.’ Grand Marnier waft consumes fresh cut apple, orange rind, and banana fruiting to dry-smoked white pepper finish. Only its fuzzy carbolic aridity holds this back.
STIEGL PILSNER BREWED WITH LEMON SODA
Cloying whitish-paled light pils given soda treatment for boisterously juicy sugared lemon sweetness that gets sticky, then slick. Honeyed lemongrass relief lathers dry hay-leathered sub-texture.
STONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY INDIA PALE ALE
Bright red-orange fruiting overlays brawny piney hop bittering and variable cola-hazelnut whim up-front. Creamy malt center fortifies toasted cereal graining, sweet apple-apricot-tangerine tang, and residual light barleywine buoyancy.
STONE COAST SUNDAY RIVER LAGER
Dank golden-hued Dortmunder-styled pale lager suffers from fizzy diacetyl flow and ill-defined lemon-bruised peach-banana sourness compromising dry wheat backbone to piquant honeyed finish.
STOUDT’S HEIFER-IN-WHEAT
Easygoing golden-paled Bavarian-styled light body boosts initial butterscotch sweetness with banana-ripened clove-spiced bubble-gummy expectancy. Sauntering vanilla creaminess counters prickled peppery hop fizz increasing sunny lemon bittering.
SUMMIT HEFE WEIZEN
Sweetish pale-hazed German-styled wheat beer with soft lemony orange insistence, clove overtures, and bubblegum hints mellowing polite hop fizz to delicately integrated grain bottom underlining arid citric finish. Try with a lemon.
TECATE LAGER
Bland medium-bodied Mex with quick burst of musty rice-grained corn husk above light watery mouthfeel and damning metallic sheen. Casually astringent dry-hopped bittering juxtaposes harvest wheat finish.
THAMES WELSH BITTER ALE
Gentle light-headed pale-bodied ‘bitter’ ale with Band-Aid nose, delectable mineral water smoothness, and mild cherry recess contrasting subtle dry-hopped malted grain sweetness of medium strength bottle-conditioned alternative to brewers’ traditional ESB. But specificity lacks for this lean Euro.
THIRIEZ XXTRA GOLDEN FARMHOUSE ALE
Prickly dry-hopped Saison-styled farmhouse ale varies only a tad from brewers’ less resinous Blonde. Green-bottled pearly-headed yellow-clouded medium body with meringue head opens extremely carbolic. But as piney rough edge and waning leathery horse blanket waft soften, zesty lemony orange rind bittering slips into summery tangerine-melon-banana tropicalia, accruing orange blossom honey luster. Herbaceous ginger-thyme-clove schism and floral illusions stir up earthen balsam base, enhancing grassy hop constancy. Buttery white wine finish receives minor ester-y grape mustiness countering slim marshmallow sweetness.