On tap at Blue Ribbon Tavern, imposing Belgian tripel tosses buttery Chardonnay wining at white-peppered tropical spicing, expressive Citra hop spritz and gluey vodka-like solvency. Ripe cantaloupe, honeydew, apricot, pineapple, mango and tangerine fruiting contrasts acrid aspirin-like astringency and salted lemon pith bittering. Banana daiquiri illusions sweeten the malt-sugared honeyed wheat spine.
When it comes to experimenting with varied spices and offbeat accents, Imperial pumpkin ales oft-times lead the way. Complex medium-full-bodied autumnal dessert treat (with heightened 9.2% ABV) tastes like whiskey-laced pumpkin pie, bringing aboard enticing Christmastime seasoning for further enlightenment. Sweet roasted pumpkin midst picks up wintry cinnamon-toasted cardamom, allspice, clove and nutmeg sweetness to contrast peppery thyme nuance. Cherry coughdrop, plum brandy, candied fig and soured gourd illusions drift by astringent alcohol burnt .
Illustrious dark-roasted porter uniquely combines sweet vanilla bean, cold-pressed espresso and raw cane sugar. Dry bourbon tones infiltrate rich mocha center, where chocolate brownie, cocoa and stove-burnt coffee illusions surface. Blackstrap molasses deepens coarse charred hop bittering.
Insubstantial Scottish Ale lacks advertised spruce tips influence, settling into grassy-hopped citric murk above mossy grain mustiness. Tinny astringency defers molasses maple sugaring and cheap Scotch astringency.
Persuasively well-balanced herbal spiced moderation sprinkles Old Bay seasoning (bay-leafed paprika, clove, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ginger) inside lively candi-sugared citrus splendor. Perfumed grapefruit-peeled lemon rind bittering brightens ancillary lime-juiced tartness, coalescing above light rye-honeyed white wheat spine (and wispy sunflower-oiled sage hints).
Solid medium-bodied wheat bock hybrid offers cocoa nibs and orange peel adjuncts to brown chocolate-spiced frontage. Though the citric influence fades alongside the stylish caramelized banana creaminess, enough mocha tones surface to keep this rich. Dank cellar waft and peaty soiling add earthy musk.
Intriguingly hybridized fruited helles lager proves to be a winning formula. By curbing its smoked pineapple puree influence, varied tropical notions illuminate the zesty front end. Lemony pineapple, guava, mango, papaya and yellow grapefruit glaze provides summery template. Subtle beechwood-kilned peat smoke and campfire kindling drapes pulpy fruiting.
Astoundingly regal limited edition (2014) medium-full body piles on sassy sugar-spiced ripe fruiting and herbaceous white-peppered Westmalle yeast to celebrate 5th annual Cleveland Beer Festival. Tart pink and yellow grapefruit frontage (courtesy of magical Citra hop spritz) deepens tangy orange-tangerine-clementine confluence and lemony pineapple-grapefruit-mango-kiwi-guava tropicalia. Candied citrus sugaring rides above light caraway-seeded rye malting and distant floral nuances.
CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA
Located a few blocks from West Virginia’s Elk and Kanawka Rivers, CHARLESTON BREWING COMPANY merged with Black Sheep Burrito & Brews to form a uniquely rural beer and burrito pub in springtime 2013 (and closed October 2016). Visited by my pal, Dennis Flubacher, April ’14, this corner-blocked concrete-floored downtown watering hole maintains a yuppie sportsbar atmosphere. Its back bar (with 2 TV’s) saddles glass-enclosed brew tanks while windowed seats crowd the side walls.
Bought in half-growlers for consumption back in Jersey, the best bet had to be compellingly complex Mr. Malum Tripel, a hybridized off-dry saison with sugary cherry-raspberry bubblegum alacrity serenading tart lemon-candied orange, apple and pear nuances alongside contrasted black-peppered fungi must as well as minty herbage.
Another hybrid, Unsteady, combined the brewers’ English-styled bitter (a.k.a. Wobbly) with fungi-like Belgian yeast for a mildly peat-soiled moderation that’s softly dry-hopped to its salty dried fruited finish.
Crisply easygoing H-Hop IPA scattered lemon rind bittering across desiccated navel orange and yellow grapefruit tartness as well as piney spruced herbs, leaving a floral-daubed vegetal smidge in the mildly dry-hopped malt-smoked backdrop.
Similarly styled piney-fruited IPA, The Raj, placed orange-peeled grapefruit briskness atop earthen mineral graining.
On the dark side, a mildly astringent dark chocolate roast inundated Mark 1 Oatmeal Stout, leaving coffee-soured toffee, soy and raisin illusions in its watery midstream.
Perfectly centrist medium-bodied East Coast IPA contrasts mildly bitter piney hop oiling and lively yellow grapefruit-peeled orange rind vitality against fruit-sugared caramel malt creaming. Brisk mineral-watered crisping brightens the fruited plain, sparking refreshing pineapple, melon, mango, peach and honeydew undertones. Minor pungent earthen musk seeps into floral backdrop. Disturbingly underrated.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, arousing chipotle-peppered smoked porter brings the heat to peat-smoked mocha malting. Dark-roasted chocolate, leathery black coffee and mild vanilla bean sway chipotle influence until it smoothes out over dry hop spicing. Masquerading jalapeno and chili peppering saunters thru ancillary cafe latte sugaring.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, caliginous grain-charred hybrid allows black patent malting and rye-smoked dark chocolate to override setback dried fruiting. Burnt toast acridity, cocoa powder dusting and mild coffee nuttiness reinforce mighty mocha influence.
