On tap at Beef Trust, sour lemon-limed peach juicing gains mild rice-wined Setting Sun Sake influence as white peppered coriander salting, Band-aid-like astringency and mild grapefruit bittering register below moderate dry body.
OXBOW MOON JUICE GRISETTE
On tap at Ambulance, dry mixed fermentation farmhouse ale adds white grape juice to lime-salted acidity over spelt-dried dehusked oats for sour frontage. Vinous white wine esters gain champagne sparkle and peppery tingle.
HACKENSACK LAWN STRIPES
On tap at Plank Pizza, “fluffy” soft-toned IPA guides apricot pureed tartness into powdered candy Hawaiian Punch stead. Sweet ‘n sour lemon-dropped raspberry, pineapple, passionfruit, papaya and guava illusions fade quickly to wispy white breaded bottom.
JACK’S ABBY BLOOD ORANGE WHEAT RADLER
On tap at Plank Pizza, spritzy pinkish amber-cleared German-styled radler retains blood orange pith, rind and peel influence glazed in turn by candied Valencia orange syruping. Mild shandy-like lemonade tartness reinforces juicy blood orange stead. Wispy mimosa, orange soda, Orangina and rosé illusions waver.
SCHILLING ALBRECHT ALTBIER
On tap at Ambulance, delicate “Dusseldorf-inspired altbier” (loosely coined a copper ale) utilizes zesty Kaffir lime and perfumed Motueka-hopped tropicalia to the fore as limey mandarin orange misting stays dry over earthen mineral graining.
BOLERO SNORT BREWERY
CARLSTADT, NEW JERSEY
After gypsy brewing at Jersey’s High Point, Czig Meister and Alementary since January 2013, BOLERO SNORT BREWERY entrepreneur Robert Olson finally expanded his empire to include a large, high ceilinged, 16,000 square-foot, aluminum Industrial building within the Meadowlands in Carlstadt.
Since Bolero Snort’s at the doorstep of Giants Stadium and the horse track, getting curious brewpub enthusiasts thru the door won’t be a problem. Olson’s varied, oft-experimental beer designs span the stylish spectrum as offbeat hybrids, barrel-aged endeavors, whimsical one-offs, cocktail knockoffs and sour ales with bovine taglines get interspersed with more traditional fare.
A 24-tap L-shaped serving station at the gray cement-floored, garage-doored, right side ground level featuring three TV’s, barreled tables and Edison lights is situated next to the abundant open space holding the vast brewing equipment.
An upstairs lodge (with ten draught taps and three picnic tables) overlooks the brewing operations that includes a huge grain silo, several sterling silver tanks, kettle sour barrels, a canning line and fermenters atop a silver-and-red floor seemingly dedicated to Olson’s high school, Bergen Catholic.
My wife and I perused Bolero Snort, February 1, 2020, two weeks after its snowy grand opening.
Muskily dry light body, Hooffa, a heady barnyard-leathered German-styled pilsner with herbal cologne-perfumed lemon licks and dark floral remnants.
Lemony pineapple-candied grapefruit zest crowded spicy pale malts and grassy hop astringency for IPA-tinged wheat beer, Grazer, relegating earthen dewy mossing and cellared fungi mustiness atop a delicate cracked wheat spine.
Minty watermelon tartness fortified Watermelon + Mint Grazer, a nifty spinoff with melon rind earthiness, sour lemondrop whim and recessive vodka-ginned alcohol nip.
Mild ‘hoppy ale,’ BullYum, brought lightly heated Thai chili peppering to ginger-minted lime dryness and latent green tea-like bittering.
Salty lemon-limed Margarita knockoff, Coconut BullYum, stayed mild as wispy Thai chili peppering serenaded limey coconut tartness and subtle ginger herbage.
Maple -sugared cherry and vanilla sweeten Cherry + Vanilla Bu’ll Be Bock, a lactic dessert-like confection with mildly pungent citric hop astringency rubbing against dark cherry-pureed caramel malting.
Lemon-spiced grapefruit, orange and pineapple zest fronted Hello…My Bull Pen Is..., a Citra-hopped moderation with celery watered crisping and soft dry wood tones.
Conditioned on peanut butter, amber-hazed NEIPA, Dirty SnowBull Fights, brought milk-sugared vanilla to lactic yogurt-soured pineapple tartness, yellow grapefruit rind bittering, zesty orange peel juicing and piney underbrush, leaving only a meager peanut-oiled influence.
During cold February ’22 stopover before Sunday dinner, tried two fine IPA’s, one fruited sour and a stout (three of which were interesting collaborations).
Salty candied citrus tartness gains lactic milk sugaring for Calf Life Fruited Sour, bringing sweetly soured dragonfruit, guava and pineapple adjuncts to the fore alongside vibrant yellow grapefruit and navel orange zesting.
A collab with Melovino Meadery, Hexagon Treasure NEIPA let orange blossom honey dryly saturate lemony grapefruit, clementine and mandarin briskness as its ever-present chili pepper burn spreads across the raw-honeyed citric finish.
In alliance with fellow Jersey brewer, Icarus, golden-glowed Imperial IPA, WhyKickAMooCow, placed lightly acidic lactic yeast souring inside the cleanly crisp lupulin-powdered yellow grapefruit, mandarin and tangerine zestfulness.
Partnering with Pennsylvania’s Abomination, cream-filled white chocolate cookie knockoff, Abominabull Imperial Milk Stout, embraced sugared coffee, bourbon vanilla, marshmallow and anise sweetness above its honeyed wheat base.
bolerosnort.com
FIRESTONE WALKER MOLE MERKIN MILK STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, smoothly creamed bourbon-aged Velvet Merkin Stout variant utilizes Puya chili heat to impact bourbon vanilla sweetness and cinnamon-spiced cocoa nibs splendor. Mildly chili peppered milk chocolate sugaring spreads thru subsidiary gingerbread, toasted coconut, caramel coffee and cappuccino illusions.
TROEGS TROEGENATOR DOUBLEBOCK (BOURBON BARREL-AGED)
On tap at Andy’s Corner Bar, sweet bourbon vanilla pleasantry enjoins dry whiskey tones and mildly creamed brown chocolate malting, splashing noirish burgundy warmth on the delicate finish. Subtle oaken vanilla tannins receive tertiary dark cherry, maple molasses, toasted coconut, crème brulee and salted caramel nuances to add further splendor.
NAP TIME ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK BARREL-AGED IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout utilizes milk-sugared Ethiopian coffee creaming and chocolate-fudged Ugandan vanilla bean rampage. Bourbon vanilla sweetness gains resilience fortifying chocolate-y coffee stead while tart black cherry, toffee and molasses undertones settle beneath.
JERSEY GIRL WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
On tap at Hoover’s, bold breakfast stout blends Kona-Sumatra coffee bean bittering with fudgy Belgian chocolate sweetness above maple-sugared flaked oats. Expansive mocha richness spreads thru cedar-seared hop char, picking up warm whisky nip, mild cola-hazelnut sashay and peaty earthiness.
BREWDOG CHOCO LIBRE NITRO MEXICAN CHOCOLATE STOUT
On tap at Hoover’s, velvety winter warming nitro Imperial Stout (with beautifully cascading tan head slowly rising above mahogany body) impressively dupes Mexican-spiced hot chocolate. Creamy cookie dough-thickened milk chocolate fudging surges thru cocoa-powdered cayenne peppering and toasted cinnamon sugaring, picking up mild vanilla sweetness. A luscious cinnamon-spiced mocha dessert with just a hint of peppery heat.
GRIMM MIDNIGHT MORNING IMPERIAL STOUT WITH COFFEE, PECAN, VANILLA & MAPLE SYRUP
On tap at Growler & Gill, embracingly fulsome hybridized breakfast stout succeeds at knocking off syrupy maple-laced pecan pancake. Sweet milk chocolate fudging gains dark-roast coffee bittering to contrast molasses-sapped pecan glaze and subsidiary spiced toffee, creamed vanilla and cinnamon illusions. Decadent!
