Standard dry porter offers clean-watered black malt crisping to lightly wood-smoked chicory coffee bittering and nutty soy remnant. Dark chocolate, molasses and cocoa undertones need deeper resonance to rise above.
SURLY COFFEE BENDER
Satisfying mocha-dominant brown ale in a can brings cold-pressed Guatemalan coffee roast to oily hop resin, oats-dried pale malting and mild earthen nuttiness. Reminiscent of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, perhaps, its creamy cappuccino snip and dark chocolate smidge sufficiently reinforce the day-old bitter java finish.
BROOKLYN INSULATED DARK LAGER
Decisive medium-bodied dark lager brings sweet tobacco-roasted carafa malting to smoky Blackstrap molasses bittering, dry hop-charred singe and cocoa-dried coffee slumber. Cola, hazelnut and walnut illusions swim alongside rice-browned mocha-like splendor in the midst.
SAMUEL SMITH PURE BREWED ORGANIC LAGER
Spry full-bodied ‘pure brewed’ lager with initial lemon spritz giving way to flowery-hopped peach seduction. Crisp barley-toasted malting elevates soft biscuit spine. Well balanced from firm-headed golden hue to taut nut finish. Stolid bitter pungency isn’t far removed from German beers such as Beck’s or Dinkelacker (or Holland’s Grolsch, for that matter).
ZYWIEC 1881 PORTER
Whether using updated recipe or just tweaking mocha ingredients, Zywiec’s newer labeled ‘1881’ version of dry Porter offers tarry black patent malt bittering to sugar-milked coffee sedation, cedar-charred pumpernickel breading, black licorice respite, wispy whiskey nip and soy-sauced raw molasses, picking up mild burnt caramel sweetness by the finish.
ZYWIEC BOCK
Nifty Polish bock loads raisin-pureed fig, brown-sugared pecan and crystal-malted brown chocolate sweetness atop coarse hop acridity. Murky caramel, molasses and cocoa undertones fade beneath.
SAMUEL ADAMS 3 WEISSE MEN WEIZENBOCK
On tap at Cloverleaf, indefinite moderation lacks stylistically sufficient banana-clove tartness and peaty pale wheat spine. Mild grape, apple, apricot and fig illusions never break the surface.
CLOWN SHOES BILL VS.THE MOSQUITOS WHITE INDIA PALE ALE
Milky yeast sinew thickens amber copper pour of Belgian white ale/ Americanized IPA hybrid (brewed by mosquito-riddled Minnesotan for Northwest consumption). Sweet Valencia orange tang picks up mild Mosaic hop-oiled lemon twist over dry earthen farmhouse rusticity. Light pine wisp and tart pineapple-grapefruit ripple juice up ripe citric profile.
STONE 24 CARROT GOLDEN ALE (CARROT CAKE-INSPIRED BELGIAN ALE)
On tap at Poor Henry’s, welcome novelty (crafted in conjunction with home brewer Juli Goldenberg and Monkey Paw Brewing) loads beet-juiced carrot cake entry with vanilla icing for adventurous 8.5% ABV Belgian-styled pale ale. Sweet honeyed malts contrast lively Saaz hop sharpness as brisk-watered vodka plasticity provides light alcohol burn to adjunctive dried cinnamon grounding and golden raisin snip. Sweet carrot caking picks up lemon meringue, banana, peach, cantaloupe, honeydew and pear nuances by the lightly creamed fruit-spiced finish.
CRICKET HILL ABBEY CHERRY TRIPEL
On tap at Cloverleaf, interestingly designed cherry-soured tripel leaves sticky tart fruiting on tongue. Subtly bittersweet oaken cherry pucker crowds the midst as candi-sugared Belgian yeast leaves behind zippy banana-clove sweetness, tangy orange-tangerine-clementine splurge and mild white-peppered herbage.
MOA ST. JOSEPHS TRIPEL
On tap at Poor Henry’s, lightly fruit-glazed candi sugaring picks up sweet rum spicing and creamy vanilla snip over delicate caramel malting and mildly phenolic white-peppered hop bittering. Orange-bruised banana, cantaloupe, lemon custard, apricot, peach and sugarplum fruiting gains honeyed banana-coriander sweetness over time.
TERRAPIN / CIGAR CITY VAPRICOT
In conjunction with Florida’s Cigar City, apricot-pureed Imperial IPA brings ginger-spiced tropical fruiting to the fore. Vodka-like alcohol astringency swirls alongside tangy pineapple, mango, lemon and passionfruit tropicalia. Tertiary candied apple, peach and red grape nuances as well as sticky grenadine liqueur syruping further sweeten the iconic hybrid. Recessive spruce-sapped fern, sage, rosemary and basil herbage tingles back end of apricot-lacquered elixir.
