On tap at Biggie’s, mighty fine high octane 2017 (11% ABV) version of Christmastime Belgian dark ale boasts heightened ethanol esters, darker rub red hue and intensified Bing cherry essence as well as more refined wildflower-honeyed astringency. Distant cinnamon, clove and allspice seasoning sweetens treacly backend alongside sugarplum, cocoa and pine nut nuances.
On tap at Ambulance, dandy Christmastime Belgian Strong Ale (9.5% ABV) tweaks honeyed chocolate, caramel and toffee malting with candi-sugared tart cherries. Beneath light molasses-draped mocha malt spicing lies vanilla-sweetened banana, raisin, date and fig illusions escalated by rummy 8% alcohol burn.
On tap at Biggie’s, velvety mocha-bound 43rd annual winter ale features cacao nibs, toffee, roasted nuts and herbal spicing. At the entry, creamy dark chocolate malts pick up casual dried-fruited baking spices to offset moderate hop-charred tarring. Recessive cocoa, coffee, roasted tobacco and berry illusions flutter below.
On tap at The Oath, mildly wood-smoked dark chocolate bittering gains ample cocoa and coffee bean influence reinforced by charred nuttiness. Latent hazelnut-glazed mocha sweetness stays restrained.
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, busy brown ale may underutilize toasted coconut and cocoa adjuncts while not quite hitting upon advertised Samoa girl scout cookie likeness, but it’s creamy hazelnut chocolate sweetness and milk-sugared coffee notions completely make up for that. Beneath serenading cookie-doughed mocha malting lies delicate vanilla spicing as well as polite blackberry, blueberry and red grape tartness. Less filling than richer, creamier porters and stouts for dessert.
Concise milk chocolate-y Imperial Stout aged on cacao nibs and Madagascar vanilla beans quickly gains sweet bourbon licks. Bittersweet mocha-vanilla confluence soon picks up lightly viscous Blackstrap molasses astringency as well as unlikely sandalwood-oiled cedar char, tangy soy saucing and spicy cinnamon snip.
On tap at Ambulance, ‘decadent’ bourbon-barreled porter loads milk chocolate fudging and bittersweet vanilla beaning atop toasted coconut sweetness. Spirited bourbon sugaring soaks into caramel-burnt Mounds Bar/ Almond Joy center as tertiary espresso, cappuccino and carob tones find space below bourbon chocolate-caked coconut insistence.
On tap at Ambulance, velvety maple-creamed Imperial Stout (brewed in collaboration with Maine-bound Bunker Brewing) retains brown-sugared maple molasses sweetness, sugary vanilla-laced chocolate caking and rich cookie dough malting above dark-roast hop char as bitter burnt wood singe and mild alcohol burn creep forward. Tertiary cola nut, toasted marshmallow, cappuccino and cocoa tones deepen decadent dessert beer.
On tap at Ambulance, mildly creamed oatmeal stout retains bold dark-roast coffee tone saddled by nut-charred black chocolate malting. Not unlike a dryer “chocolate-covered espresso.”
Just better-than-average bourbon barreled stout lets arid carbolic spritz downsize medium-roast Haitian coffee overtones, chintzy bourbon sweetness and evaporative milk chocolate creaming. Light oaken char embitters the backend while mild molasses sweetness affects tertiary blackberry and black cherry nuances and distant cola nuttiness.
On tap at Growler & Gill, splendid one-off 2017 collaboration with Three’s Brewing brings soft-toned caffeinated coffee theme to mild hop-charred nuttiness, picking up understated dark chocolate and cocoa nibs illusions. Easygoing java relief.
On tap at Sogo, tranquil Sumatra coffee bean-induced blonde ale retains mild citric hop bittering and wispy oats-flaked pilsner malting. As moderated coffee roast and dark chocolate whim simmer down, lemony key lime pie and yellow grapefruit tartness seeps thru. Casual citric-spiced coffee tones dissipate a tad early.
