Robust chameleon-like amber pilsner with muted dry ginger root flavoring changes mood at whim. Incisive juniper hop bittering may overwhelm lighter tastes, but creamy clover-honeyed rye whiskey malting, cinnamon-toasted apple jacking, abbreviated blueberry nosing, and ashen coal swerve surely widen range. Spearmint-evergreen waver is contestable. Brewery defunct: 2010.
Category Archives: Beers A-Z
PETE’S WICKED MARDI GRAS
Peculiar ginger-aided beer with copper hue and holiday ale spicing. Though never overbearingly eccentric, Pete’s definitely done better.
PIETRA AMBER LAGER
From the isle of Corsica comes this 8 ounce 6% alcohol medium bodied lager. Curiously similar to grain-based hop-spiced Middle American fodder, settling into pungent honey roasted malt astringency and lulling sorghum dissonance. Meek powdered chestnut backdrop, indifferent almond wine tweak, and meager smokiness ruined by tinny setback.
PINKUS MUNSTER ALT
Clean water flow contrasts musty malt souring pervading barley-oats center of medium-bodied German. Tangy lemon bitterness shades buttery honey effervescence, but unassuming finish scales back malt pungency for unresolved blandness.
(BROK) POLANDER LAGER
Fragrant maize sweetness, wheat-chaffed oats dryness, and grassy-hopped frayed edge define straw-hazed pale lager. Slight yeast sinew shields quaint bittersweet lemon-grapefruit rush.
(CATAMOUNT) POST ROAD SNOWSHOE ALE
Decent, not classic, winter warmer with polite sticky malt sweetness taking center stage while minor maple undertones, nutmeg spiciness, and fruity backdrop fill out the finish. Why drink Bud? Brewery defunct: 2000.
PROPELLER EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER
Subtle malt aroma, flaked barley mouthfeel, and brown-sugared citrus easement softer and less effective than most ESB’s experienced. Yet sweet molasses creaminess caresses muted dry hop persistence affirmatively.
(RADEGAST) CZECHOSLOVAKIAN ORIGINAL LAGER
Earthen hop aroma, soft water flow, and dank barley-grained mesh lead to soapy finish. Happily, moderate-bodied frivolity lacks the sickly cloy sweetness of American counterparts such as Miller Genuine Draft or Budweiser.
RAMSTEIN CLASSIC WHEAT BEER
Wonderful dry-bodied mahogany-hued German weisse knockoff brings aromatic floral hops and reedy grape-skinned prune-plum coarseness to dark-spiced cereal-grained caramel roast. Burly wheat wine essence may fool some into believing it’s expensive Belgian or French ale. On tap, clove and other spices perk up butterscotch-imbued finish to sheer perfection.
(MESTANSKY) REBEL GARNET HALF-DARK BEER
Ashy-tongued maltose-scented dark lager gathers dirty grain penetration, dry raisin mandate, and flowery hop bitterness to silky pale chocolate finish. Recommended to brown ale or light porter fans, but also worthwhile for Bud/ Miller/ Coors lunkheads as effervescent upper crust alternative.
RED HOOK DOUBLE BLACK STOUT (WITH STARBUCK’S COFFEE)
Brewed with Starbuck’s coffee, this now-defunct deep java-centric dry stout is never overbearingly bitter and perfect as a crossover for amateurs. Fresh Northwest water smoothness softens black chocolate resilience, creamy mocha latte scheme, and mild nutty undercurrent. Truly great distinctly robust alternative to decaffeinated coffee.
RED STRIPE LAGER
Simple, soft-bodied, flat-headed pale lager in recognizable barrel-like brown bottle put Jamaica on beer map. Gentle barleymalt subtlety creases disturbingly sour lemon-limed backdrop. Grainy dirtiness differs substantially from most agave/ tequila-minded mass marketed Caribbean brews, putting it closer to a mustier, less cloying Budweiser.