Streamlined piney citrus bittering loiters alongside subtle floral sweetness that blows past its earthen sorghum pastiness for gluten free flagship. Lemony grapefruit rind bitterness extends softly into grassy hop astringency. Sorghum’s not yet a satisfactory substitute for wheat circa 2021.
Somewhat blandly ordinary reduced-gluten IPA lacks specific stylistic piney fruiting as gritty raw graining overwhelms lemondrop-candied tartness and orange-dried grapefruit spicing in mannered tea-like setting recalling a desiccated British IPA.
On tap at Capital Craft – East Hanover, extremely tart cocktail-inspired elixir strictly for broad-minded sourheads. Tequila-aged wild ale blends red and golden sours with grapefruit zest, leaving acidic orange-dried lemon oiling and vinous cider spot upon leathery barnyard acridity. Bitterly soured grapefruit zesting puckers tongue as mild blue agave nectar fades.
Pleasingly mellow gooey maroon sour ale retains lactose-salted stone fruiting. Sweet cherry overtones and tart mango-peach adjunct receive oaken vanilla-dried white wining as limey cranberry, gooseberry and guava souring beckons above pallid white wheat bed.
On tap at Hoover’s Tavern, super-tart “fruited brulee” honoring Wounded Warriors conditioned on vanilla beans and pomegranate puree gains limey cranberry and Granny Smith apple bite in lactic-soured, milk-sugared, oated wheat setting. Salted pomegranate tannins softly surface to contrast sweeter pomegranate creme brulee elegance.
Tartly vinous pinkish-glowed barrel-aged golden sour ale lets mixed culture yeast affect white-wined blackberry and raspberry pucker. Raspberry vinaigrette continuance gets extremely sour as desiccated plum smidge counters marshmallow sugaring deep below.
Easygoing tart blackberry adjunct plied to lightly salted lemon pledge and ginny juniper reminder. Faded blackberry influence grazes blueberry-boysenberry snips. Thin.
Obliquely offbeat vegetal saison tries escaping unbalanced nature as toasted cumin-seeded carrots and ginger root tea earthiness pick up gin-sacked lemon zesting to ride above raw-grained barnyard acridity.
On tap at Beef Trust, tantalizingly sweet-tart Berliner Weiss brings lactobacillus-soured lemon salting to Sangria-wined tropical fruiting over acidified pilsner-wheat malting. Conditioned on red cherry, blood orange, strawberry, apricot, papaya and pineapple, its lemony vanilla yogurt milking increases overall tartness of sourly tanged Hawaiian Punch.
Musky grain pungency deters mild apple-skinned pear tartness and sour guava snip as corn-dried grassy hop astringency and cabbage-like muck ransack pilsner-malted kolsch.
On tap at Hoover’s Tavern, dry summertime moderation brings cucumber-watered watermelon puree to lemon-fizzed Cascade hop briskness. Earthen watermelon rind tartness gains traction at finish.
On tap at Capital Craft – East Hanover, stylishly dryer hybrid conditioned on strawberry puree and basil lets mild orange-peeled coriander sweetness contrast wispy oaken cherry tartness beneath subtle white-wined strawberry Sangria persuasion (but basil sway’s weak).
