Ineffective copper-hazed Octoberfest-styled rauchbier loses initial beechwood-flamed campfire sentiment and peat-smoked barleymalt access to less appealing lemon-soured briskness. Maple-glazed bacon niche muted by arid carbolic fizz.
BREW KETTLE WINTER WARMER
Intimate Christmas ale gathers wintry cinnamon-ginger-nutmeg seasoning for honeyed citric splendor. Maple-sugared caramel malting contrasts lilting orange and lemon peel bittering. Pine nut, plum, fig and date undertones casually stride by. Subtle ethanol burn lingers softly.
(ATWATER) VJ BLACK IMPERIAL STOUT
Embracing a nuttier coffee affluence than Atwater’s Vanilla Java Porter, full-bodied dark ale layers caramel-burnt black patent malts, dark chocolate richness and coffee bean roast atop ashen hazelnut-walnut-cola conflux. Raw molasses bittering and dark-roasted hop char advance malleable mocha mass.
ATWATER VANILLA JAVA PORTER
Better updated version (2013) loads creamy French vanilla bean roast and lovely milked coffee sedation into caramel-burnt hop char. Fudgy black chocolate midst contrasts raw molasses bittering and wavered black pepper snip. Latent cappuccino hints abound. 2019 version let mildly creamed cocoa-dried vanilla bean bittering hover alongside cedar-seared Blackstrap molasses hop char, but minor phenol aridity beckons.
(ATWATER) STATE FAIR PALE ALE
Sessionable and well-rounded moderation thrusts illustrious honey fruited bouquet into mild grassy hop resin. Sweet peach, nectar, mango and mandarin orange vibrancy fades slowly as bitter lemon-seeded yellow grapefruit and pineapple briskness increases. Some musty cellar dankness disrupts its delicate crystalline flow.
ATWATER DIRTY BLONDE
Fair lawnmower fare in purplish golden can spreads mild orange-peeled coriander adjunct across white-peppered Belgian yeast and soft-watered backdrop. Lightly sugared pink grapefruit, lemon pith, yellow apple and white grape illusions add distant flare.
(ATWATER) ATWATER’S LAGER
Stylistically robust clear-yellowed tin-canned helles lager works maize-dried sorghum and straw wheat into corn-flaked neutrality. Off-putting musty hop astringency and minor metallic tinniness disrupt tepid lemon spritz.
DRAGONMEAD SIR WILLIAMS EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER
Worthwhile English-style ale (in limited edition bottles circa ’14) brings tea-like dewy peat earthiness and roasted tobacco crisping to resinous hop bittering. Underlying toffee sweetness adds contrast. Dried fig and musty raw-honeyed rye nuances seep thru.
DARK HORSE AMBER ALE
Indifferent rust-hazed ‘classic ale’ blends Belgian blonde-styled dried fruiting with pungent ESB-like dewy peat earthiness. Toasted barleymalts secure raw-honeyed rye and pumpernickel breading to the biscuit-y bottom. Murky plantain, date, fig, blood orange and tangelo illusions fail to fully integrate.
CALDERA ROSE PETAL IMPERIAL GOLDEN ALE
Botanical soft-watered moderation (made in small batches) layers effervescent yellow-orange fruiting atop perfumed hop spices. Brewed with rose petals and Bulgarian rose water, its lemon-honeyed herbal tea spree picks up dainty saffron, lotus, lavender, sage and pink peppercorn niceties. Subtle floral peach tones drape the zesty citric finish.
FIRESTONE WALKER OPAL DRY-HOPPED SAISON
“Rustic” fluorescent-yellowed Wallonian saison packs dank barnyard graining into succulent citric intrigue. Musky alfalfa, hay and raw wheat inundate effervescent lemon-seeded yellow grapefruit, clementine and navel orange fruiting as well as white-wined Sauvignon Blanc tartness and salty lime bite. White-peppered Belgian yeast funk and latent lemongrass-gooseberry-peppercorn undertones increase complexity. Tertiary pineapple, peach, mango, nectar and kiwi tropicalia found beneath salient citrus acidity.
SIERRA NEVADA SNOW WIT WHITE IPA
Experimental dwarf hops (with dense cones) bring forth zesty lemon-polished grapefruit peel bittering, but unassuming Belgian wit influence and Seltzer-like phenolic fizzing may confound lighter thirsts. Floral-spiced herbal hops and sharp wood tones provide dry botanical backdrop for sizable citric spritz. Orange-peeled peach, apricot and pineapple fruiting adds depth. Aggressive carbolic fluff may denigrate salted citrus finish.