On tap at Captain Lawrence, punctual grapefruit rind bittering and dry wooden earthiness contrast lightly sweet pilsner-oats malting of brusque lupulin-powdered Galaxy-hopped medium body. Continuous grapefruit briskness picks up subsidiary peach, pineapple, orange, tangerine and mango illusions as well as latent fresh-grass astringency.
On tap at Ambulance, soft-toned Imperial Stout fermented on oak spirals lets chalky cocoa dryness lead the way over umami-like soy sauced piquancy, lightly spiced blackberry-wined burgundy tones and recessive vanilla snips. Sourer lactic milking than similarly styled stouts.
Luxurious fresh-brewed coffee entry superseded by tart raspberry pureeing for rich (9.4% ABV) Wake-N-Bake variation. Dark chocolate insistence and liquid cacao adjunct catch up to hop-charred coffee bittering midway, coalescing with bittersweet raspberry truffle scheme at fulsome Black Forest cake finish.
Overly gassed bottled version retained rigid Madagascar vanilla tartness and Blackstrap molasses-derived coffee bean bittering above musty earthen wood tones for uncommon Buffalo Trace bourbon-barreled milk stout. Oaken cherry, dried fig and green grape tannins increased sour edge. Bottle may be a tad oxidized since sprawling flesh-toned head stayed too frothy above burgundy-browned body.
Frothily foamed creaminess of diluted milk porter gets spongy as lactic soft-tongued toffee fudging and mildly embittered dry chocolate nearly snuffed out by musty peat soiling. Impermanent black chocolate, cocoa, cola, fig mold and anise swipes need more resonance.
Ambitious Belgian strong ale aged on French oak (and referenced as a biere de garde) brings wintry spices to the fore as candi-sugared nutmeg, clove, cardamom, star anise and ginger seasoning embellishes ripened dried fruiting as well as glazed pecan notions. Sarsaparilla and Jagermeister illusions sneak thru latent alcohol burn. A welcome winter warmer.
Busy as its eight-word namesake, lightly barrel-aged medium body embraces Mai Tai cocktail spirit with a salt-licked Margarita kick. Lime-peeled orange tartness sinks into tangy ‘pineapple and cherry pureed’ seduction above creamily caramelized malt toasting. Latent red grape sweetness and delicate sherry, Courvoisier and mull-spiced wine illusions increase complexity.
Tart strawberry rhubarb pie likeness picks up abrupt sour lemon effervescence and mild oaken cherry acidity over dry barnyard acridity. Tertiary raspberry, peach, mango and guava nuances enlighten sour strawberry scrum.
On tap at Ambulance, funky 100% brettanomyces-fermented red ale aged in red wine barrels once containing Tennessee Whiskey retains tart raspberry overtures and vinous red grape tannins. Puckering raspberry influence enlivens acetic ‘wild ale’ as lemony bitterness increases – eclipsing any trace of whiskey wooded sweetness.
