Pleasurable dry-toned IPA-like piney fruiting gives West Coast pale ale a certain luster. Juicy grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering stays moderate as easygoing passionfruit, mango, pineapple and nectarine illusions sweeten the back end alongside honeyed cereal grains and mild floral daubs.
Simply pleasurable flagship moderation guides spiced-up grapefruit and orange tang into light caramel malting and mild grassy hop astringency. Subtle citric tingle picks up latent spruce-pine tones for sessionable IPA-like whim.
On tap at Ambulance, raspy lemon-seeded tartness gains limey orange-peeled bittering, mild herbal musk and wispy wood tone for tropical pale ale offshoot. Lemon-limed grapefruit, pineapple and guava illusions softly flow.
On tap at Growler & Gill, mildly acidic mango souring picks up zesty lemon twist and salty black-peppered snip. Sparkling carbolic spritz adds effervescence to scurried mango adjunct as well as tertiary mandarin orange and passionfruit tartness.
On tap at Ambulance, sharp Citra-Amarillo hop bite brings crisply clean grapefruit and orange rind bittering to the fore above restrained white wheat spine. Ancillary mango, pineapple, tangerine and passionfruit illusions as well as musky floral perfumed aspect reinforce citric delight.
Dousing autumnal pumpkin pie sweetness with hefe-like banana and clove sugaring gives moderate-medium body its candied glaze. Earthen gourd, toasted pumpkin and squash contrast pumpkin-pied allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon seasoning as hefe flavoring dissipates.
On tap at Ambulance, “bright,” crisp, enduring kolsch brings brisk white grape-juiced lemon zest to the fore as its lightly salted doughy bottom forms below the soft-watered mist. Delicate orange marmalade, curacao orange, grapefruit and pineapple illusions caress its lemondrop finish. The perfect kolsch has arrived.
On tap at Ambulance, easygoing dry lager utilizes white rice adjunct and limey star fruit subtleties to create simple light-bodied profile. Lightly salted lemon tartness, brisk yellow grapefruit bittering, mild herbage and wispy white wining pleasantly reaffirm mild rice graining.
Easygoing Bohemian-styled pilsner coalesces mild lemon spicing, grassy hop astringency and wildflower-honeyed musk above wood-chipped earthen bottom.
SLOATSBURG, NEW YORK
A dinky l’il hole in the wall tucked into the main thoroughfare of Sloatsburg’s Orange Turnpike, the diminutive SEVEN LAKES STATION is a fertile craft beer oasis specializes in local New York brews as well as fine Belgian ales and specialty one-offs.
Open during the summer of 2016, its casual 8-seat bar (with 14 taps, a blackboard menu and walled TV) gets squeezed in next to three windowed tables. And the friendly low-key atmosphere, diminutive size and quaint ambiance contrast the loud biker-family sportsbar expanse of nearby Rhodes North Tavern and Characters Bar.
Charming newlyweds Martijn Mollet and Jamie Lovelace make amiable hosts and there love for music and brews proves worthy. There’s even a nifty orange Dogfish Head Brewing turntable on a shelf.
By August ’17, the beer-centric couple fixed up a three-tabled backroom (with chevron-patterned wood design, geometric bear and owl plaques and blackboard tap list) as well as a fenced-in picnic area (with Edison bulb lighting, patio furniture and graveled ground).
Today’s previously untried fare included Beau’s Buenos Dias Gruit, an ancient Margarita-like herbed ale with lightly salted lime-peeled lemon juicing, and Oxbow Grizacca Saison, a dry-hopped saison with zesty lemon and orange tartness topping musty mineral grains. For dessert, I quaff long-time fave, St. Bernardus 12, a world class Belgian Abbey Ale with sweet-spiced candied fig, sugared molasses and toffee illusions.
Well-suited for the pastoral quietude of nearby Harriman State Park (a historic spot for cutting class during high school), Seven Lakes Station proves less can be more. Besides the fine draught menu, there’s a refrigerator off to the side offering magnificent Belgian bottled beers and respectable local fare. Plus, warm pretzels, cheese plates and cure meats are available for munching.
Over the years, Seven Lakes Station has become a major stomping ground for me and the wife.
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, admirable Big Lebowski-inspired White Russian knockoff abides. Old-fashioned cocktail inspired by classic cult flick retains proper coffee liqueur creaming, rum-sugared vodka swipe, vanilla-beaned cacao nibs ripple and syrupy sweet milkiness. On second passing, cinnamon-sugared Graham Cracker illusion found. Gimmicky dessert treat for sweet-toothed dudes high on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s trippy ’69 homeward retreat, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.”
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, durable double dry-hopped India Pale Ale stacks biting grapefruit-peeled orange rind bitterness alongside piney hop resin to contrast mildly syruped crystal malting. Zesty pineapple, tangerine and lemon tropicalia adds further depth.