Terrific bourbon oak-barreled Scotch ale allows molasses-sapped maple syruping to soak up luxurious brown chocolate sugaring, dark rum-spiced caramel malting and fudgy vanilla creaming as well as candy-glazed Jack Daniels whiskey sweetness. Dried-fruited red grape, raisin and plum undertones fill out rich bourbon chocolate profile.
Voluptuous barleywine aged in French oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels gains rich chocolate-toffee sweetness to complement tangy dried fruiting and lively vanilla bourbon sugaring. Tannic red grape, black cherry, blackberry, green raisin, fig and plum illusions swirl around subtle Sauvignon blanc red wining as syrupy molasses sapping thickens beneath mocha fruiting.
Soft-toned barrel-aged hybrid brings light hop-embittered India Pale Ale fruiting to wispy blue agave-spiked tequila buzz. Lemon-limed orange spicing, faded oaken mezcal tinge and mild herbal freshness reach delicate cracked wheat spine, losing tequila distinction at watery finish.
From 2015 limited series, 20th Anniversary edition is merely OK Belgian-styled Strong Ale. Mild candi-sugared Belgian yeast gains local maple syruping, light pilsner malting, herbal honey tea sweetness and misty floral waft. Find Allagash ales from older ‘tribute series’ for more fun.
Thin barrel-aged Redfish Red Ale hybrid (with unassuming 9% ABV) seems awkwardly designed as mild Jose Cuervo tequila adjunct and rummy mojito wisp drop off alongside citric mist to acrid alkaline astringency at barren oaken vanilla finish. Somewhere in the mix, limey agave briskness sweetened only slightly by sugary pecan-almond conflux, ginger-spiced grapefruit-pineapple-orange fruiting and high fructose corn syruping.
Summery moderation with IPA-fruited leanings brings lemony grapefruit zest plus tangy mandarin orange, mango, peach and passionfruit tropicalia to light piney hop bittering. Restrained orange blossom herbage, delicate floral tea nip and distant oats-flaked mineral graining embrace casual citric-sugared finish.
Softly creamed ginger-sugared Graham Cracker sweetness picks up zesty orange peel briskness and mild lemon-pitted bittering over dry pale malting. Citric-spiced finish gains minty snip.
Enthusiastically colorful autumnal moderation loads maple-sugared honey nut sweetness inside pumpkin pie-spiced piquancy. Caramelized cinnamon, candied ginger, nutmeg and allspice season the leafy hop respite.
Perfectly centrist moderate-medium body stays lighter and less assertive than Brothers Hoptimization (despite heightened Imperial IPA tag). Evenly dispersed orange-grapefruit-pineapple-peach tang and subtle piney hop bittering ride above toasted caramel malts.
Coming across like a Brit-styled Extra Special Bitter with its raw-grained rye dryness, mild lemon tea sugaring and biscuit-y malt base, sly moderate-bodied pale ale retains lightly pungent minerality. Herb-tinged grassy hops provide soft bittering as fennel, pumpernickel and wheatgrass illusions fill the gaps.
Refreshingly clean dry-bodied India Pale Ale (with brewers’ name shortened to Brothers circa 2015) enjoins bitter pine-needled hop pungency with aggressive tropical fruiting and sugary pale malting. Ripe pineapple, grapefruit, navel orange, tangerine, peach and mango tang picks up honeyed floral sweetness. Zesty citrus finish retains brisk Cascade-Chinook hop crisping.
Resplendent pear-juiced sour ale reaches eye-squinting green grape vinegaring as lemon-juiced mouth pucker sedates mild pear adjunct. Dissipating unripe pear tartness picks up leathery barnyard acridity, cider-soured Granny Smith apple piquancy and raspberry vinaigrette lilt as well. Initial pear sweetness swallowed up quickly by bitter bacterial acidity. Perfect for sour heads.
