On tap at Ambulance, saison-styled biere de garde (with rather lull 7.3% ABV) sends honey-sweetened sour lemon tartness above mild woody Chinook hop bittering, polite Vienna-pilsner malting and fizzy carbolic phenols. Orange-rotted candied pineapple subsidy sidles wispy earthen barnyard acridity and herbal nonchalance.
Distinguished dry-hopped medium body coalesces simmered down tropical fruiting with crystalline sugar spicing and caramelized Maris Otter malts. Softly lingering hop-oiled citric bittering picks up mild pine resin and fresh-cut grass remnant while floral grapefruit-peeled lemon, orange, mango, peach, pineapple, red grape, tangerine and passionfruit serenity hides heightened 9.2% ABV burn. Enlightened hopheads and seasoned pale ale quaffers rejoice!
On tap at Poor Henry’s, dryer-than-expected Belgian Pale Ale/ India Pale Ale hybrid leads with bitterly tart lemony grapefruit rind bite and piney hop sharpness. Seasoned hop heads will rejoice at desiccated wood-dried citric pungency, but lighter thirsts may balk at candi-sugared Belgian yeast spicing hastily retreating, causing a slight imbalance towards the dry side.
Tempestuously bold medium-full body loads affluent fruited hop bliss upon creamy caramel malting and honeyed barley roast. Brazenly brisk orange-peeled grapefruit bittering, tropical mango-pineapple-lemon tang and candied apple-peach-pear sweetness pick up resinous pine needling for well-balanced Minnesotan. One of the best canned Midwest IPA’s.
Exceptional well-rounded India Pale Ale blends zesty grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering into candied red apple, red grape, pineapple and peach tang as sharp Cascade/ Simcoe/ Mosaic hop tropicalia gains refreshing pine-needled juniper berry bite to contrast crystal-malted mineral graining.
On tap at Amazing Grapes, well-defined firkin version of mango-spiked India Pale Ale retains expected soft-toned fruitiness and mild Mosaic hop astringency. Lively tropical fruiting rises above grassy backdrop, allowing lemony yellow grapefruit peel bittering as well as sweet orange, peach, pineapple and passionfruit tang to sidle bittersweet mango adjunct.
Valiant floral-fruited Mosaic hop zest tamped down by torrified wheat-flaked crystal malting. Mild juniper bittering and resinous pine needling contrast toasted caramel creaming, deepening lemony grapefruit tang as well as subsidiary orange, pineapple, peach, apricot, tangerine and mango illusions.
Gloriously ‘jumping on the West Coast India Pale Ale bandwagon’ with an enlightened sparkle, juicy fruited medium body loads tangy yellow grapefruit zest atop bright navel orange, pineapple, peach, tangerine and mango sweetness as well as honeyed Belgian crystal malting. For contrast, lightly resinous piney hop bittering persists.
Undemanding canned saison proves worthy with its balanced blend of honeyed Belgian yeast sinew, floral peach-apricot juicing and herbal black-peppered hop bittering. Mild pastry-sugared sourdough sweetness and tart lemony orange effervescence drift above oats-dried straw wheat spine as well.
Light lager yeast allows doughy white breading to subtly influence IPA-like lemony grapefruit-seeded orange rind bittering and mildly pungent herbal hop astringency. Floral-bound pine resin seeps inside brisk citrus finish.
Mellow oak-toasted barrel aging smooths out below softly creamed caramel malting and tropical-fruited Cascade hop briskness. Mild alcohol astringency emerges alongside lemony yellow grapefruit, navel orange, mandarin orange and tangerine tang while herbaceous basil, fern and rosemary seasoning adds complexity. But its frail white bread spine falters, allowing the ripe fruity aspects to slip thru the resinous pine-wooded cracks.
Enigmatically complex hybrid brings sour saison yeast funk to wildflower honeyed mead insistence and orange-dried oats, spelt and rye rusticity. But its abstruse blend never completely suffices as oncoming white-wined Chardonnay spell, latent cider tartness and displaced sourdough bottom receive ethyl malt liquor astringency at musky groat-milled citric finish. Nevertheless, seasoned mead drinkers may find this to be the cat’s pajamas.
