On tap at Beef Trust, sessionable autumn ’17 pale ale (made in collaboration with Philly restaurant Jose Pistola’s) recalls English bitter with its dewy sweetness, mossy earthiness, musky herbage and vegetal acridity. Lemon-rotted orange tartness and resinous pine hop wisp created mostly by Simcoe-Centennial-Cascade hop trio. In the can, lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering stays zestier and tarter above dewy wood-dried soiling.
Dubious kettle-soured wheat ale blitzes lemon-dropped strawberry adjunct with vinous green grape tartness, spritzy grapefruit zest and coarse citric hop bite. Needs higher strawberry concentration.
Veritable peach cobbler’s a ‘classic confection’ featuring inconspicuous vanilla bean bittering, lightly sugared cinnamon-nutmeg-clove spicing and earthen Perle hop astringency while retaining a sharp peach tartness. At the finish, mildly lacquered peach syruping picks up wispy cherry snip above caramelized biscuit bottom.
On tap at Biggie’s, dry light-bodied marzen (formerly Goose Oktoberfest) greets dewy earthen peat with floral-spiced Hallertau hops and baked breaded rye malts. Dried apricot and orange illusions fade in the recess.
“Airy” summertime moderation lets tart navel orange adjunct provide sweet ‘n sour candied coating to white wheat spine. Tangy mandarin orange, tangerine and clementine illusions reinforce carbolic navel orange frontage.
Easygoing collaboration with Denmark’s Mikkeller Brewing brings tart blood orange zest to pilsner-malted Danish lager yeast and light grassy hop astringency. Floral-daubed blood orange continuance gains mild candi-sugared sweetness at the finish.
Subdued “wheat ale aged with tart cherries” retains mild lemon-juiced acidity to its salty bottom. Laid-back oaken cherry souring picks up bitter cranberry spell and plain yogurt snip, but washed-out white wheat base falters as tart cherry influence fades abruptly.
Mellow off-dry yellow-cleared pale lager brings mild lemon-spiced spritz to subtle mineral graining, wispy hay-like earthiness and distant floral snips. Light cilantro herbage caressing the delicate citric finish goes fine with Mexican salsa.
On tap at Grafton Street – Cambridge, dry IPA-like German pilsner brings delicate floral-pined Hallertau hop bittering to zesty lemon-dropped orange peel briskness and tart lime twist. Mild carapils malt sweetness lingers below.
On tap at Russell House Tavern, crisply dry Czech-styled pilsner brings moderate Saaz hop astringency to tingly lemony spicing as well as earthen spelt, oats and wheatgrass graininess. Soft doughy biscuit spine holds up well.
HOBOKEN’S SHEPHERD & KNUCKLEHEAD CELEBRATES 1ST ANNIVERSARY SHEP-IVERSARY SEPTEMBER 8TH THRU 10TH
With a veritable shitload of Jersey brewers’ special one-offs and seasonals, Shepherd & Knucklehead’s Hoboken site celebrated its 1st Anniversary in great fashion, spreading sixty home state draughts across their already spectacular liquor menu.
Before reviewing the 16 new finds I quaffed on Sunday, September 10th, 2017, here’s a list of some of the new brewers whose ales ran out before I could get my grubby paws on them.
Belford Lobster Pot Nut Brown (Belford)
Conclave Gravitational Waves IPA (Flemington)
Dark City Summerfield – Cherry (Asbury Park)
Last Frame A-Frame IPA (Point Pleasant)
Lower Forge Against The Grain Amber Ale (Medford)
Ludlam Island Inescapable Wordliness Pale Ale (Oceanview)
Referend Bier Blendery Sound & Fury Wild Ale (Pennington)
7 Mile 7 Suns Double IPA (Rio Grande)
Tonewood Chief Pale Ale (Oaklyn)
Troon Chained To Bottom Of Ocean Imperial IPA (Hopewell)
Tuckahoe Snack Session IPA (Little Egg Harbor)
Twin Elephant Lil Shimmy Ye Pale Ale (Chatham)
Wet Ticket Watermelon Wheat (Rahway)
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, creamy oatmeal stout perfect for breakfast. Tranquil dark chocolate, milked coffee and powdered cocoa uprising given maple-sugared cinnamon sweetness and Madagascar vanilla beaning as well as sweet cumin-nutmeg spicing to perk up intense mocha mouthfeel.
