Autumnal “pumpkin disrupter” hybrid loads dehydrated Nuts ‘N More dark-roasted peanut butter onto flagship Raincloud Porter’s lean mocha stead. Oily peanut influence fades alongside oily coffee bittering and dark chocolate desolation. Needs richer body, fuller flavor profile and more complete finish for better results.
Infiltrating old-styled Narragansett Porter with Allie’s Donuts is a fine idea, but chalky cocoa nibs adjunct and laid-back caramel malting relegate pastry-like chocolate caking. Dark-roasted mocha influence and light hop char fade to soapy backdrop, leaving barren black cherry fruiting in the dust.
On tap at Plank Pizza, monumental cappuccino-inspired pumpkin ale brings chocolate-roasted Stumptown coffee bean eruption to pumpkin-spiced cinnamon, nutmeg and gingerbread sweetness, picking up creamy vanilla sugaring and cookie dough thickness at burnt caramel center. Tertiary hazelnut, espresso, cocoa, Graham cracker and creme de cacao illusions also invigorate rich autumnal dessert treat. On tap at Casual Pint – VB (2024), creamy vanilla coffee essence gains dry pumpkin spicing as mossy cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon bark crowd the frothy pumpkin latte finish. Try in lieu of pumpkin latte.
Complex, bold, adjunct-heavy Imperial Stout douses creamy brown chocolate spicing with advertised oats-sugared maple molasses syruping, black peppered cayenne burn, dried fruited raisin-date conflux and dry dandelion-rooted hickory bark without getting muddled. Ashen hop char contrasts dominant chocolate-caked sweetness while tertiary star anise, cocoa, vanilla, hazelnut and cola nut illusions increase intensity. Out of this world.
“Intense coffee-chocolate” confluence receives oily hop char to relieve moderate alcohol heat. Dark-roasted mocha malting dominates, allowing bittersweet coffee, black chocolate and cocoa nibs creaminess to surface above tertiary walnut, anise and dried cherry illusions.
On tap at Plank Pizza, sugared chai spicing elevates bittersweet black chocolate malting and cocoa-powdered cardamom, clove and ginger piquancy. At finish, dark-roasted coffee buttresses mounting black pepper bittering while anise-seeded blackcurrant surge sidles sedate chai tea spot.
Not living up to its lofty Triple Chocolate Stout boast, dry medium body utilizes oats-flaked cocoa nibs to enhance fudgy dark chocolate and black coffee overtures. Wispy Baltic porter tendencies (dry Saaz hop oiling and soy-milked souring) slip into the back end of over-hyped mocha elixir.
Politely rounded moderation receives peppery herbal streak to reinforce lemon-seeded orange tang and leathery barnyard-dried grassy hop astringency. Clean mineral water crisping overrides minimal phenol acridity. Perfumed orange blossom honey slipstream and light basil-thyme seasoning regale bittersweet citric tones to French breaded bottom.
Sessionable Belgian-inspired American pale ale is a hopped-up version of brewers’ sweeter flagship offering, Blonde Hunny. Raw-honeyed citric dryness overrides subtle candi-sugared Belgian yeast spicing. Persistent tangerine tang lingers above lemony mandarin orange and Valencia orange juicing as salty lemongrass herbage gains strength.
PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA
One mile up the road from Adroit Theory in a red brick medical center lies CORCORAN BREWING COMPANY, a modest retreat with a turf-floored picnic area and pristine tap room serviced by brewmaster Kevin Bills’ well-rounded brews. Opened for business, 2011 (and closed ’round 2020), and operating out of its current space since March 2014, Corcoran was Purcellville’s first microbrewery (but closed down a few years hence).
Oak barreled tables surround the lacquered wood bar while the cement floor, exposed aluminum ceiling and pendulum lights offer a cold industrial ambience during my September ’15 visit. As two TV’s entertain a few solo drinkers, tasting room manager Trevor Dodge turns his attention to me and serves up seven heavenly nectars.
Pleasant Wheatland hefeweizen brought lemony banana-bubblegum-clove tartness to crystal-malted wheat sweetness, leaving recessive honeydew, peach and melon illusions. A fruitier version, Weatland Peach, regaled tart peach tones with floral perfumed hops and banana bubblegum sugaring.
Worthy light-bodied autumn seasonal, Corktoberfest, countered its leafy hop astringency and tangy lemon spritz with toasted caramel malts.
“Hopped like an IPA” and aged like a lager, IPL moderated its juicy orange-grapefruit tang with yellow wood dryness and resinous hop bittering.
Things really get exciting now as Dodge breaks out the Big Beers starting with Raiders Ghost Imperial IPA aged with Ghost Peppers. Though the ghost pepper heat increases at the citric finish, it’s not at the expense of the perfumed yellow grapefruit, orange rind and pineapple tang. Sticky sweet maple syruping, rum-spiced brandy wining and latent orange bruise bring sugary surety.
Smooth Irish-styled dry stout, Slainte, pleated its dark-roasted black malts with smoky charcoal overtones, soy-sauced dried fruiting, charred nuttiness and black chocolate-y cocoa powdering.
Best bet: Jeb Stuart Stout – a soft-toned bourbon-aged Imperial accumulating bittersweet dark chocolate and roasted coffee tones to offset its whiskey-nipped dried fruiting. Dry black cherry, fig and orange illusions play backup at the light black-malted chocolate bourbon finish.
Bottled versions of Corcoran’s military-themed Three-Nine Kolsch, Blue Ghost IPA, Haze Gray Imperial IPA and Heroes Stout are reviewed in Beer Index.
Efficient military salutation (with dry Irish stout and Baltic porter tendencies) buries heightened 8% ABV beneath mighty mocha mass. Black patent malts bring cocoa-dried iced coffee bittering and black chocolate creaming to Chinook-hopped black tarring and white pine char without overwhelming sugared oatmeal sweetness. Sour-creamed soy milking and light bourbon latency underscore fine dark ale.
Harmoniously integrating toasted caramel malting and sugar-caked vanilla piquancy into stylish orange-peeled grapefruit and pineapple bittering, succulent Imperial IPA never lets sharp hop astringency or pungently heady 9.2% ABV run wild. Instead, almond-glazed marmalade, red cherry, tangerine and peach tang reinforces juicy citric appeal as well as caramelized honey nut sweetness.
