Cool devilish artwork outdoes nebulous ‘black ale’ styling, but not by much. As expected, dark-roasted chocolate seeding and subtle tropical fruiting embittered by piney beechwood char above toasted hop spine. Apple-skinned grapefruit, pineapple and mango undertones pervade plastique black licorice remnant and slim herbal passage, leading to a wavered charcoal-burnt chocolate fondue finish.
Sessionable dry-bodied moderation retains deeper amber hue and ‘softer first note’ than Connecticut brewers’ similarly styled (203) IPA. Sunny citric fruiting stays firm atop piney dark-roasted hop bittering, crisp tobacco-leafed barley toasting and brisk mineral-grained watering. Floral pineapple, grapefruit and orange tang recedes slowly alongside sugary crystal malting, losing steam to tinny phenol astringency.
Stylistically robust medium body (supposedly reminiscent of a California Common Ale) peaks with tart citric overtones and stone-fruited alacrity riding above grassy hop astringency. Lively grapefruit-juiced orange-tangerine-peach-apple tang picks up zesty lemon notions to its soft white-breaded spine.
Ordinary sessionable moderation dedicated to California senator Abner Weed (and snickeringly promoted as ‘legal weed’) maintains mild caramel-toasted malting above grassy Cascade-hopped astringency, distant sugar-spiced apple-pear fruiting and celery-like neutrality. Further below, tiny metallic shards seep into murkily earthen rusticity.
On tap at Track 84, rich dark ale brewed with maple syrup and aged in oak rum barrels drapes molasses-sapped dark rum spicing onto sweet sherry-bourbon-burgundy wining. Sinewy maple syrup glutenizes sugary mocha malts. Toasted almond and coconut undertones drift by. Limited edition 2013 holiday ale should be given a rebirth.
Consummate rich brown ale loads hickory-smoked walnut-hazelnut-pecan peanut shelling inside dark-roasted chocolate malts and buckwheat-toasted cookie dough yeast. Embittered charcoal-stained hop char contrasts sweet mocha side as ancillary Blackstrap molasses, ground coffee, vanilla bean and espresso llusions fill out the deep back end of this unspecifically stylized, yet distinctly defined, autumn ale.
Despite amiably scrunching together leafy autumnal dewiness, grouty citric hops and mild orange-red fruiting, busy 2013 medium body’s drawback may be the ascending acidic astringency undermining its fruitful indulgences. Wavered bruised apple, navel orange, tangerine, cherry and pumpkin illusions never fully form. Hardened marzen drinkers may be swayed favorably by the oncoming citric-soured putridity graduallycontrasting the initial sweet-fruited juicing.
Nearly unassuming celebratory (winter 2013) dark ale salutes local dry-beaned Ocean Coffee Roasters in subtle rum-barreled wood aging. Oats-toasted brown chocolate sweetness contrasts dry-hopped Baker’s chocolate bittering alongside evenly spread roasted coffee adjunct. Distant vanilla, cocoa powder, black cherry puree and peppercorn illusions waver.
Robust canned ale brings musky Czech hop pungency to light corn-husked mineral graining and crisp lemon-peppered frisk. Herbal perfumed wisp breeches casual white-breaded spine.
Initial ’90 recipe – purportedly the first Belgian-styled ale ever commercially produced in America – comes to life again in bottled ’13 version. Honeyed citric spicing and candi-sugared tropical fruiting contrast fungi-molded black peppering quite efficiently. Peppy hop bittering underlines lemony peach-pear-apple-grapefruit splendor, gentle curacao orange tartness and white-caked vanilla creaming. Doughy pastry-like apple buttering and rummy banana-coriander-clove nuances increase succulent splendor of world class Belgian strong ale.
Unconventional autumnal lager with stylistic Vienna-malted caramel sweetness contrasting unlikely lemon-soured green grape souring (and raw clover-honeyed bittering). Moist leafy hop sop drenches fig-dried midst and rye-breaded spine.
