On tap at Ambulance, inventive Valentine’s Day Box of Chocolates with floral-perfumed rose waft lets bittersweet black chocolate roast pick up bruised black cherry tartness. Fine creamy dessert treat for all chocolate lovers.
MILL HOUSE PANDAMONIUM RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, smoothly penetrable stout (despite heady 11% ABV) offers dry Blackstrap molasses adjunct to brown chocolate, anisette and cocoa tones above moderate barley-flaked oats spine.
HALF ACRE CHOCOLATE CAMARO
On tap at Ambulance, “dense lactose-sugared dessert beer” guides milky chocolate syruping into bittersweet cacao nibs landscape, picking up subsidiary vanilla, cola, black cherry and chicory illusions over its honeyed Graham Cracker base.
ANGRY ERIK NISSE NOG
On tap at Poor Henry’s, ‘creamy egg nog’ stout discretely plies milk-sugared eggnog influence to vanilla-sweetened black chocolate malting, picking up lively cinnamon-cumin-curry spicing and distant cola nuttiness along the way. Well-done Christmastime dessert.
PIZZA BOY SERGAENT ROMANCE
On tap at Cooper’s Seafood, wayward ‘chocolate strawberry cream stout’ defers black-malted dark chocolate stylization and wavering strawberry adjunct for unexpected wood-dried earthen dankness (and Band-Aid-like astringency) at the molasses-smoked mocha finish. Too much goin’ on for inconclusive dark ale.
THE BRUERY SHARE THIS MOLE
On tap at Poor Henry’s, creamy ‘mole sauce-inspired’ Imperial Stout brings mild heat to vanilla-beaned cacao nibs and fudgy dark chocolate. Ancho chilis and chipotle peppers softly influence mighty mocha molasses overhaul as sweet cinnamon-cumin-curry spicing reinforces smoky Mexican peppering.
BROTHERTON NOW ITS DARK
On tap at Poor Henry’s, bold 9.6% ABV lactic stout ferments tart Montmorency and Balaton cherries for bittersweet Madagascar vanilla bean adjunct and syrupy black chocolate malting. But its dried-fruited black cherry, blackberry and black grape influence gets buried by creamy chocolate-vanilla density at the charcoal-smeared mocha finish.
(BALADIN) SUPER BALADIN ZYMATORE – BOURBON BARREL
On tap at Poor Henry’s, vinous bourbon-barreled tripel takes a completely different trek than original Super Baladin’s caramel-candied wheat wine profile. Instead, sour white wine tannins acidulate Ransom Distillery bourbon oak, leaving limey yellow grape, plum and green apple notions on the tongue.
ROGUE NEW CRUSTACEAN BARLEYWINEISH IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE SORTA
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, boozy ‘cult fave’ loads intense 10.8% ABV solvency inside sharp barleywine-styled hop bomb. Lively grapefruit-orange-peach-pineapple-cherry tang immediately receives ethanol vodka-soaked respite. Resinous pine needling and aspirin-like medicinal astringency deepen gnarly bitter aspect. Not for faint-hearted soft palates.
DARK CITY POPULOUS
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, serene dark-roast coffee integrates bittersweet black chocolate malting with burnt nuttiness over tar-like hop resin.
FREE WILL SPECIAL COOKIE
On tap at Cooper’s Seafood, inspired by popular Speculoos cookie, vibrant Imperial English brown ale evenly spreads cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg spicing across vanilla-creamed gingerbread cookie sweetness and brown-sugared caramel malting to its oats-honeyed Graham Cracker spine. A buttery nut cookie alternative.
BURIAL BOLO COCONUT BROWN
On tap at Ambulance, veritable “granola-like” medium body features toasted coconut adjunct and fudgy mocha-spiced nuttiness above brown-sugared barley oats. Lightly creamed vanilla-sweetened cinnamon and cumin seasoning as well as latent almond-walnut-cola conflux tease dark-roast chocolate and coffee overtones as well as fading coconut sweetness and candied toffee reminder. In the can, subdued toasted coconut entry overcome by creamy black chocolate roast as mild hop-charred nuttiness contrasts ancillary vanilla, oatmeal cookie and cocoa sweetness.