On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, transitional “brown IPA” with “nuttier caramel” influence maintains bitterer dark-roasted hop char, sharper piney resolution and thicker black chocolate malting than most stylishly similar Cascadian Dark Ales. Dirty earthen minerality accrues black-breaded toasting, dark cocoa chalking and mild coffee sway above murky grapefruit-pineapple tartness. Roasted walnut, hazelnut and cola nut seep into heavy mocha richness.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, fruitful barleywine seems closer to a heavily roasted Black India Pale Ale. Sharp hop-charred black patent malts leave pungent impression upon grapefruit-peeled pineapple bittering, juicy orange tang and sweet cherry-blackberry-nectarine-melon-banana conflux. Recalling a chocolate-fruited fondue, its sugary marzipan pasting adds syrupy thickness at the alcohol-burnt citric finish.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, 2014 limited edition blunt-styled porter emulates grocery-stored cherry cigar with its crisp tobacco-leafed moisture and soured maraschino cherry tartness. Dank dry-hopped char and oak-smoked pale wheat backup dark-roasted black chocolate malting. Ashen charcoal acridity provides smoky residue for tarry mocha finish.
Bold rye-dried full body picks up caraway-seeded pumpernickel influence and sharp citrus pining to stabilize juniper-hopped gin bite. Brisk yellow grapefruit-peeled bittering awakens sunny pineapple, mango, tangerine and navel orange tang.
Dedicated to Detroit’s fertile music scene, highly accessible tawny-hazed blue collar fodder brings mild honeyed tea influence to crisp-watered dewy rye malts, earthen mineral graining and tangerine-dried tartness. Nutty respite pleats toasted biscuit bottom.
On tap at Julian’s, lovely Flanders Red Ale (fermented fully in oak vats) loads silken cherry-soured tartness atop vinous green grape tannins and dry champagne wining. Rose-watered lactic acidity gains musty leathering as soothing cider-like crabapple whimsy, lemony balsamic vinegaring and seedy raspberry musk settle below pleasant oaken cherry theme.
On tap at Julian’s, ultra-dry IPA utilizes real grapefruit peels to soak up resinous Chinook-hopped pining and botanical citrus zest. In particular, ‘yellow’ grapefruit peel, rind and pith overtones dominate the front end. Juniper berries deepen the wood-lacquered bittering – overriding wispy honeyed malt sugaring. Tertiary pink grapefruit, lemon meringue and nectar illusions flutter below.
On tap at Doherty’s, transitional sake saison curiosity offers dry Chardonnay buttering to vanilla-spiced white peach, green apple and yellow banana tones. Fragrant rice-wined sake yeast unable to properly transport sour citric midst and latent earthen florality.
On tap at Doherty’s, stylishly fine dark-roasted dry body overloads black chocolate-cocoa-coffee conflux with blackened hop-charred bittering and black patent malting. Charcoal-stained ashen pine resin hides musky dried fruiting.
On tap at Doherty’s, intriguing limited edition ’14 curio blends stylishly bittersweet mocha malting into oaken rye whiskey. Heightened dark-roasted hop char triggers heavy black and brown chocolate assault. Dry bourbon whir recedes into dark rye breading, brown-sugared maple molasses sapping and black cherry-pureed dried fruiting.
Classic Irish-styled dry stout (brewed in Massachusetts for Connecticut brewpub) spreads cacao nibs across dark-roasted black patent malting. Ancillary ice coffee, dried cocoa and tarry molasses illusions fade to ashen charcoal coarseness. Peat-smoked mocha snip done in by plastique acridity.
Rangy English-styled India Pale Ale drapes stylish mossy peat dewiness over rye-dried Scotch malting, raw-honeyed cereal graining and nutty respite for lightly creamed middleweight. Salty carbolic fizz camouflages peppery herbal hop dankness and soggy vegetal dirtiness to its barley biscuit bottom.
