Bold rye-dried full body picks up caraway-seeded pumpernickel influence and sharp citrus pining to stabilize juniper-hopped gin bite. Brisk yellow grapefruit-peeled bittering awakens sunny pineapple, mango, tangerine and navel orange tang.
MOTOR CITY GHETTOBLASTER ENGLISH MILD ALE
Dedicated to Detroit’s fertile music scene, highly accessible tawny-hazed blue collar fodder brings mild honeyed tea influence to crisp-watered dewy rye malts, earthen mineral graining and tangerine-dried tartness. Nutty respite pleats toasted biscuit bottom.
LOVERBEER MADAMIN
On tap at Julian’s, lovely Flanders Red Ale (fermented fully in oak vats) loads silken cherry-soured tartness atop vinous green grape tannins and dry champagne wining. Rose-watered lactic acidity gains musty leathering as soothing cider-like crabapple whimsy, lemony balsamic vinegaring and seedy raspberry musk settle below pleasant oaken cherry theme.
STONE STOCHASTICITY PROJECT GRAPEFRUIT SLAM IPA
On tap at Julian’s, ultra-dry IPA utilizes real grapefruit peels to soak up resinous Chinook-hopped pining and botanical citrus zest. In particular, ‘yellow’ grapefruit peel, rind and pith overtones dominate the front end. Juniper berries deepen the wood-lacquered bittering – overriding wispy honeyed malt sugaring. Tertiary pink grapefruit, lemon meringue and nectar illusions flutter below.
GOOSE ISLAND KISETZU
On tap at Doherty’s, transitional sake saison curiosity offers dry Chardonnay buttering to vanilla-spiced white peach, green apple and yellow banana tones. Fragrant rice-wined sake yeast unable to properly transport sour citric midst and latent earthen florality.
SEBAGO BUB BLACK IPA
On tap at Doherty’s, stylishly fine dark-roasted dry body overloads black chocolate-cocoa-coffee conflux with blackened hop-charred bittering and black patent malting. Charcoal-stained ashen pine resin hides musky dried fruiting.
TWO ROADS IGOR’S DREAM STOUT (AGED IN RYE WHISKEY) – 2014
On tap at Doherty’s, intriguing limited edition ’14 curio blends stylishly bittersweet mocha malting into oaken rye whiskey. Heightened dark-roasted hop char triggers heavy black and brown chocolate assault. Dry bourbon whir recedes into dark rye breading, brown-sugared maple molasses sapping and black cherry-pureed dried fruiting.
CAMBRIDGE HOUSE THREE STEVE STOUT
Classic Irish-styled dry stout (brewed in Massachusetts for Connecticut brewpub) spreads cacao nibs across dark-roasted black patent malting. Ancillary ice coffee, dried cocoa and tarry molasses illusions fade to ashen charcoal coarseness. Peat-smoked mocha snip done in by plastique acridity.
WORTHINGTON’S WHITE SHIELD IPA
Rangy English-styled India Pale Ale drapes stylish mossy peat dewiness over rye-dried Scotch malting, raw-honeyed cereal graining and nutty respite for lightly creamed middleweight. Salty carbolic fizz camouflages peppery herbal hop dankness and soggy vegetal dirtiness to its barley biscuit bottom.
TOP SHELF SNOWED IN IMPERIAL STOUT
Holiday-seasoned mocha stout brings chocolate-chipped molasses malting to caramel-burnt toffee-cocoa-coconut restraint, creme brulee sweetness and compost-wafted winter spicing. Dark chocolate, coffee and licorice notions crowd the back.
TOP SHELF SMOKED BELGIAN-STYLE ALE
Unspecific, yet easygoing, limited edition smoked ale lacks true Belgian yeast character and could use amplified smokiness. Nevertheless, its toasted caramel sweetness and orange-spiced fruiting pleasantry override paltry peat-smoked malting. Weirdly, this had little correlation to brewers’ muskier and drier Belgian Ale.
TOP SHELF BELGIAN-STYLE ALE
Surprisingly similar pungent yeast profile as brewers’ Irish Style Ale confusingly compromises tropical guava, kiwi and passion fruit whim as well as herbal earthen musk with gnarly solvent-like astringency and dank yeast fungi. In the distance, musty grape stems and soured apple cider inform peppery hop coarsening.
