Sharp tropical fruiting raises sour passionfruit, orange and guava juicing slightly above piney citrus IPA template and blaring aspirin-like astringency. Lemony gooseberry tartness increases zesty Hawaiian tropicalia while grapefruit pith and melon rind souring gains ancillary mandarin orange, pineapple, papaya and tangerine tanginess. A somewhat bold stylistic changeup. 
RIVER HORSE JAYSUS THAT’S SOUR
On tap at Stone & Rail, Jameson Irish whiskey-barreled sour blonde ale adds only a pinch of whiskey to mildly acidic Persian lime and lemon adjuncts. Candied citrus tartness gains subtle peach, cider and green grape reminders. A Mojito substitute?
BURIAL THE BRIDGE OF RESTRAINT SAISON
On tap at Ambulance, open fermentation allows ‘rustic multigrain grist’ to receive funky bacterial mixed culture yeast souring. Moderately acidic lemon-dropped green grape tannins pick up tart lemon pucker over sun-drenched hay acridity. Wispy cinnamon, prickly pear and crabapple illusions waver.
NEWBURGH HEFE’RY HUDSON
On tap at Stone & Rail, thin opaque aluminum-hued hefeweizen places tart lemon-candied spritz and delicate coriander spicing above stylish banana-clove sweetness. Too light and unassuming.
THREES SAFETY IN NUMBERS INDIA PALE LAGER
On tap at Ambulance, hybridized India Pale Lager utilizes lime-leafed coconut for dryly soured New Zealand-hopped gooseberry, kiwi and guava tropicalia as well as watermelon Jolly Rancher tartness. Dank grain resin and light juniper bittering settle below.
BATTLE HILL BREWING COMPANY
FORT ANN, NEW YORK
Residing in the sleepily rustic Washington County village of Fort Ann (ten miles from the Vermont border) at a brown-shingled red brick Colonial edifice on the second floor, BATTLE HILL BREWING COMPANY opened Labor Day, 2015. The pride of entrepreneurial brewer, Jim Hume, its cozy diner-like setting and fine pub food (salads/ sandwiches/ wings) go well with the well-realized handcrafted draught brews.
A blue sign with white Battle Hill Brewing lettering leads patrons up the stairs to the oak wood interior. There are ten tables fronting the 12-stool serving station (with large blackboard beer menu, Edison lights and ten tap handles). An outdoor back deck creates more seating space.
On my early December ’18 afternoon perusal, my wife and I sampled eight delectable, well-rounded concoctions served by the convivial Hume while a host of women grab tables for lunchtime imbibing. Most offerings were named after historic Revolutionary War symbols from the 1777 Battle of Fort Ann.
For starters, polite grain musk fronted semi-bold Grains Of Liberty, as maize-dried rye breading and raw-honeyed wheat malts combine with earthen herbal hop astringency.
A similar raw grain base solidified the lemon-dried watermelon rind pickling and delicate blueberry souring of Queen Berry Anne, a celery-watered fruit ale with a mildly embittered hop bed.
Mild Vienna-malted Hessian Ale maintained a mild buttery creaminess for its grain-toasted white breading.
Another grain-forward moderation was Fort Ann’s Amber, a barley-roasted pleasantry with bittersweet chocolate-coffee wisps and buttery astringency.
Delightful English-styled Burgoyne’s Red let sweet Maris Otter malts pick up honey-spiced caramelization and dewy earthen rye tones as well as tamped-down citric hop dryness.
Two approachable India Pale Ales were next. Sessionable War Whoop IPA kept its subtle piney citrus hop bittering enthused by tangy grapefruit-orange-lemon zesting and candied mango-peach sugaring, leaving crystal pale malt sweetness and dank herbal respites in its wake.
Just as easygoing (and brewed for Veteran’s Day), Hip Hip Hoorah IPA had a lighter bitterness and sweeter spiced pale malt setting as peachy grapefruit, orange and tangerine tanginess confronted latent herbal snips.
Many Battle Hill brews were anchored by earthen bottoms. Mocha-dried Cocoa Porter had one as well. Its murkily bittersweet cocoa-powdered dark chocolate, espresso and fudged brownie triage gained a sugared oats smidge to confront any soiled dew.
I bet English ale hounds would love the grainier beer profiles presented here.
battlehillbrewing.com
SCHLAFLY MERRY BERRY
On tap at Hoover’s, candied raspberry-blueberry-blackberry tartness gains lemon meringue twist and wispy vanilla-creamed sweetness trying to dupe the essence of a Christmastime French pastry. Staying soft on the tongue, its thinnish finish needs more penetrative berry rasp.
HI-WIRE LO-PITCH JUICY IPA
Easy drinkin’ juicy-fruited yellow-cleared medium body retains zesty sweet orange peel tang and spry lemony grapefruit spritz over doughy biscuit malting and dry wood base. Tart peach-skinned pineapple, passionfruit and grape illusions tucked away alongside lightly lingered floral-perfumed hop astringency.
FOREIGN OBJECTS SOL IN GEMINI IMPERIAL IPA
On tap at Poor Henry’s, fairly expansive New England-styled IPA brings tropical mango-papaya-passionfruit-pineapple fruiting and limey orange rind bittering to stinging juniper-licked alcohol burn. Zesty citric-perfumed hops pick up piney residue while lemon meringue tartness flutters by.
TWO TON LOW ORBIT ION CANON NE IPA
On tap at Poor Henry’s, dry Citra-hopped medium body tosses juicy pineapple tanginess and lemony grapefruit zest at lightly sour lactose influence. Another fine hybridized New England-styled IPA.
TROEGS BLIZZARD OF HOPS WINTER INDIA PALE ALE
Wintry IPA ups the tropical fruit spicing and lowers the piney hop resonance for ‘end of year hop cycle’ celebration. Lovely floral-perfumed grapefruit, orange, pineapple and peach tang gains ancillary mango-nectarine-tangerine conflux and dry wood tone above mild biscuit base. More like a “gentle spree of hops” and that ain’t a putdown for this relaxingly accessible moderation.
GREAT LAKES COMMODORE PERRY INDIA PALE ALE
Perfectly approachable and subtly Brit-styled IPA brings tingly citrus spicing to caramel-toasted cereal grains and mild piney hop resin. Polite lemon-candied grapefruit, orange, pineapple, and tangerine tang picks up soft floral nuances at the fruit salad finish.
