Distinguished English Brown Ale knockoff retains rich molasses-sugared creaminess and milky brown chocolate sweetness, contrasting the ashen oats-charred nut roast to its caramel nougat center. Peated rye malting deepens hazelnut coffee nuances as well as tertiary pecan, almond and peanut clusters. Chewy dark chocolate toffee reminder enhances nutty mocha finish.
On tap at Pony Bar, terrific easy drinkin’ full body allows dark chocolate, dry bourbon and frothy espresso to register near the same high plain as the black coffee overtones. Tasting a bit like Madagascar coffee, its Intelligentia La Tortuga beans truly are heavenly. Fudgy molasses-sugared chocolate caking sweetens the sensationally serene java bittering and sedate fusel alcohol burn. Tertiary toasted coconut, mocha latte, bourbon vanilla and bruised black cherry illusions round out the rich mocha prevalence.
On tap at Julian’s Restaurant, glorious draught-only 2013 version (with 9% alcohol) brings bright citric spicing to brisk white-peppered hop bite and sugary caramel malting. Sharply pine-needled ruby red grapefruit bittering contrasts sunshiny tropicalia (lemony orange, pineapple, mango, papaya and tangerine illusions) as well as ripe red apple, brown pear and white apricot pleasantries.
Taking the middle-of-the-road approach, soft-focus IPA stays more tropical fruited than hop embittered. Sweetly spiced pineapple, orange, cantaloupe, melon, mango and green anjou pear fruiting brightens mild lemony grapefruit tartness and piney cedar-spruce resin.
Lively, crisp, easygoing Halloween treat brings luxurious pumpkin pie spicing to mild honeyed barley backbone. Cinnamon-toasted gingerbread, nutmeg, coriander and allspice decorate sweet-seasoned medium-bodied fare. Vanilla, sassafras and sugared yam illusions make cameos. On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, 2016 draught version’s pumpkin puree-spiced gingerbread sweetness increased by a hair.
Pleasant amber-reddish IPA takes the softer approach. Well-balanced medium body combines nutty pine comb resonance with molasses-breaded sugaring and moderated dried fruiting (scoffing typical stylistic citric pining). Bitter earthen hop graining lightened by delicate water base. Pecan, hazelnut and butternut illusions make deeper impression than tertiary black cherry, fig, raisin and prune reminders.
Lighter stylistic permutation with palest copper-hazed turbidity retains moderated grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and resinous dry-hopped pine tarring. At the citric finish, lemon-seeded pineapple tartness increases above corn-sugared crystal malting, earthen mineral graining and floral hibiscus-lotus notions.
