On tap at Taphouse Grille, dominant Ethiopian coffee adjunct creates emphatic lemon rind-rimmed espresso impression. Medium-roast coffee overtones stretch across latent IPA fruiting. Lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering deepens dry-hopped faction. At the finish, its espresso veneer fades and the citric tangent spreads.
On tap at Taphouse Grille, namesake ‘Simcoe’ hops provide lemony up-front splurge and floral-sweetened orange-grapefruit ripeness. Piney perfumed passivity fades while sugar-spiced crystal malting gains footing. Tropical pineapple, mango, papaya and passionfruit undertones solidify well-balanced small batch 2014 offering.
Easygoing amber-hazed summertime barleywine (’14) slips caramel sweetness and sugary toffee into sinewy yeast. Candied apple glazes Maraschino cherry, raisin, prune, fig, sugarplum and bruised orange fruiting. Chestnut, almond and pecan smidge affects oaken vanilla subsidy. Dark rum and bourbon undertones provide mild alcohol burn.
“Evoking a classic midsummer salad” with its musky dry-hopped herbage, brusquely salted tomato-cucumber niche and faintly bruscetta-like backdrop, halfway intriguing 2014 limited edition (draft-only) pale ale needs firmer stylistic identity (though finding a referential pale ale seems impossible). Pungent garlic, onion and basil snips drift off post-haste. Less unique than gimmicky and coarse instead of sharp.
On tap at The Office-Ridgewood, English strong ale spreads astringent Blackstrap molasses atop dry-honeyed rye malting, bark-dried pine hop bittering and sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind resilience. Resounding alcohol-burnt vodka and gin whir seeps into the mix. In the bottle, dry plank wood tones drape syrupy Blackstrap molasses while honeyed malt sweetness contrasts tangy yellow grapefruit bittering.   Â
Modest summer seasonal witbier (2014) brings stylistic citric-fruited coriander sweetness to Shandy-like orange-candied tartness and Berliner Weiss-like salted lime pucker. Mild grassy-hopped lemon pit souring and vague lemongrass herbage fill the holes.
Quirky adjunct pale ale lets honey-soured citrus resonance soften mild wasabi herbage and ancillary horseradish heat. Â For counterbalance, creamy caramel malts and red rice milking sweeten subtle resinous hop spicing as well as distant dank dewy mildewing. Another interestingly offbeat concoction from one of the most ambitiously experimental brewers on earth.
Sparkling summertime moderation places subtle bukhara plum influence and soft apricot notion beside lemon-juiced tartness. Light crystal malt creaming sweetens limed coriander spicing. Vinous green grape esters provide gentle bittering to tertiary mandarin orange, curacao orange, grilled mango and kiwi undertones.
One of three casual flagship offerings from Southern Westchester brewer (including standard Lager and IPA). On tap at Blue Ribbon Tavern, frail light-bodied summer session ale brings subtle honey adjunct to mild lemony grapefruit-orange acidity and bland biscuit malting. Strictly Blue Collar fodder.
Enticing “ancho brownie ale” (loosely defined as a porter or strong ale) brings lightly roasted chili pepper burn to massive mocha malting and sedate nuttiness. Bittersweet black chocolate, dried cocoa and cacao nibs perfectly juxtapose heavenly jalapeno heat. Cola, hazelnut and salted nut illusions shuffle below the surface next to lesser molasses cookie, bourbon and cinnamon snips.
Inimitable coriander-salted gose drifts seamlessly into acidic brettanomyces-bound sour ale territory. Tart lemon juicing picks up vinous green grape tannins, oaken cherry pucker and green apple respite over briny salting. Dank barnyard dryness and acrid earthen minerality further enhance its ultra-dry finish.
Thin straw-clouded light body brings lemon-limed tartness and zesty orange subsidy to lightly spiced coriander-clove sweetness. Seltzer-watered carbolic fizz dilutes initial citric spritz before soured lemon rot mires the cracker-like white wheat base, peppery herbal nip and vegetal snip.
