Delightfully rich, creamy, full-bodied dessert elixir brings intriguing coffee-infused Madagascar vanilla theme to dark-roasted mocha malt setting. Nutty cocoa bean affluence, ascending anise stickiness, syrupy chocolate sweetness and subtle burgundy-bourbon boozing coat the intense vanilla center. Variable fudged brownie, Yoo-Hoo, espresso, creme brulee and creme de cocoa illusions deepen sweet-toothed back end.
MIDNIGHT SUN MONK’S MISTRESS BELGIAN-STYLE DARK ALE
On tap at Ambulance, majestic Belgian-styled dark ale (with hefty 11.5% ABV) saddles ripe dried fruiting with brown-sugared maple molasses sweetness and sugary brown chocolate malting. Fig, raisin, plum and black cherry illusions come to the fore. Tertiary chocolate cake, pecan pie, toffee, vanilla, rum, bruised banana and blackberry undertones deepen complex strong ale.
HILL FARMSTEAD GEORGE
On tap at Ambulance, amplified brown ale brings black chocolate malt linger to light-roasted nuttiness and brown-sugared molasses sweetness. Fudgy hazelnut, pecan and chestnut illusions delicately drift into dusty cocoa chalking. Wispy vanilla creaming and subtle dried fruiting caress backend of compelling ‘imperial’-like dark ale.
DU CLAW FOUNDATION SERIES KOLSCH
Humdrum moderation lets sour lemon appeasement, barnyard hay astringency and floral hop whim fade to light French-breaded spine. Could use firmer body and crisper citric snap.
HEAVY SEAS CROSS BONES SESSION IPA
Murky moderate-bodied India Pale Ale (Heavy Seas’ first new year-round offering since 2003) offers dry rye wheat malting to musty orange rind bittering, tart lemon zing and ephemeral floral nip. Wispy straw-dried grassy hop astringency wavers beneath. Serve to leftover macrobrew fanatics as an alternative to blander BudMillerCoors suds.
LEFT HAND INTROVERT SESSION INDIA PALE ALE
Shyly sessionable IPA moderates piney citrus hop expectancy for herbaceous floral uprising and tea-honeyed crystal malting. Mild grapefruit pith bittering, orange rind sedation and ‘woodsy pine’ tones usurp grassy astringency. Pineapple, papaya and kiwi tropicalia stays way back in the mix.
CAROLINA FLAGSHIP INDIA PALE ALE
On tap at Sooey’s BBQ in Nags Head, anonymously sessionable IPA lacks proper citric-hopped astringency and overall resilience. Light lemony grapefruit-orange spicing and dry wood tones fade quickly over meager white-breaded malting.
HOPPIN’ FROG TEENY TINY TEST BATCH IPA
Spunky juicy-fruited overload gains creamy caramel malt sweetness alongside pine-needled citric hop bittering. Honeyed peach, mango, nectar and orange tang as well as candied lemon tartness pick up floral-spiced tingle. Will please session IPA drinkers and less restrictive hopheads.
HOPPIN’ FROG CAFE SILK PORTER
Silken coffee roast picks up cocoa-dried black chocolate malting and resinous hop oiling for stylish Baltic porter. Smoothly creamed mocha resilience outlasts day-old coffee reminder, soy-sauced vanilla extract bittering, weedy black tea trifle and latent charcoal reminder.
RUSHING DUCK DIVIDED BY ZERO IMPERIAL SESSION PALE BLACK IPA
Snickering misnomers include Imperial styling and ‘black’ hue, but not ‘sessionable’ appeal. Instead, this here’s a golden-strawed West Coast-styled India Pale Ale with tropical citra-mosaic hop bite and light pilsner malting. Pleasant yellow grapefruit tartness picks up lemony pineapple, mango, orange and tangerine tang. Light resinous pine bittering contrasts honeyed citrus sweetness.
RUSHING DUCK CHAINED TO THE DEAD IMPERIAL STOUT W/ COCOA
On tap at Ambulance, sweet cocoa sugaring and brown chocolate sweetness combine with light bourbon spicing for relaxing medium-bodied dessert treat. Simply delicious and perfect for sweet-toothed imbibers.
NINKASI GROUND CONTROL IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, rich medium-full body gathers dark-roasted black and brown chocolate sweetness for advertised cocoa nibs buttering and vanilla-creamed hazelnut fudging. Wispy star anise spicing further sweetens decadent mocha malting. Fermented with dry-iced yeast rocketed into outer space, gimmicky stout goes well as dessert.