Piquant lemon-seeded souring fronts dry Belgian-styled blonde ale. Sour-candied grapefruit tartness, white-peppered lemongrass oiling and herbal-nipped plantain smidgen contrast farmhouse-like barnyard, hay and wheat-grass rusticity at the backend. A casual session ale for lightweights.
On tap at Growler & Gill, mocha-bound Belgian dark ale (a.k.a The Living Dead) provides powdered Baker’s chocolate theme for dried fruited nature. Belgian Trappist yeast influences sweet chocolate-spiced midst as well as desiccated fig, cherry and grape notions. Ancillary anise-oiled fennel snip deepens semi-complex nature.
On tap at Growler & Gill, peculiar Saaz-hopped fall seasonal layers moderate butternut squash roast atop raw-honeyed ginger spicing and mild Sichuan peppercorn burn. Red licorice illusions nip at the heels of herbal perfumed midst. Wafting dark floral bouquet underlies abstruse mix. For advanced thirsts only.
On tap at Andy’s Corner Bar, extended lager aging adds deeper brown-sugared grain toasting to pumpkin pie-spiced autumnal medium body (2013 version). Aggressive cinnamon-nutmeg seasoning positively affects caramel malt sweetness.
On tap at Julian’s, creamily seductive floral-teased imperial porter (a worthy collaboration by respected Cali-Oregon-DC triage) stays as velvety and plush as its leathery moniker indicates. Herbaceous marigold-flowered calendula influence and sweet jasmine tease nearly lost below rich molasses-like avocado-honeyed black chocolate theme. Not unlike a hybridized lactic milk stout, its dark-roasted chocolate frontage and coffee-cocoa-toffee smackdown picks up syrupy maple sapping. Distant black cherry, raisin and fig undertones flutter far below silken mocha sweetness. Latent vanilla, marshmallow and anise niceties add further delicate complexity. In the bottle, rich vanilla-creamed dark chocolate frontage picks up bourbon whiskey smear, syrupy blueberry-blackberry fruiting, light anise influence, ashen hop char and well-disguised acetone astringency.
Silken milk chocolate entry juxtaposes mild soy-soured coffee burn. Malted milk ball likeness reinforced by cocoa-dried burnt caramel sweetness. Cola, hazelnut and pecan illusions deepen impact. A smidgen of anise and a dollop of bourbon smear the dark-roasted oatmeal backend.
Smoothly creamed mocha porter allows bittersweet black chocolate fudging to spread across dark-roasted oats char and cocoa-dried cola nuttiness. Light tarring embitters ground coffee ascension, sharp hop spicing and molasses-breaded walnut snip. Well-balanced and approachable dark ale will win over moderate thirsts.
Perfectly sessionable moderate-bodied India Pale Ale (with lighter stylistic piney hop bittering) ups the biscuit-y wheat cracker sugaring to compete equally against expectant pineapple-grapefruit-orange tang. Helles bock-like almond-pecan roast and marzipan-sweetened candied apple frisk take ancillary positions. Some minor phenol astringency deters bright citric finish, but not by much.
Easygoing salted coriander expectancy softens lemon-candied tartness, unripened green apple souring and vinous green grape pucker, narrowly avoiding acidic lactose overload. Delicate white wheat spine and wavered herbal nip lost in the shuffle.
Inviting auburn-browned Belgian dubbel brings bittersweet raisin-pureed bruised banana to clove-spiced hop sharpness and mossy fungi earthiness. Brown-sugared stewed prune, dark cherry and pecan illusions contrast vinous black grape souring above musty cellar funk. Creamy caramel finish retains chewy dried fruiting. On tap, enjoyable candi-sugared dubbel blends sweet ‘n sour cider pucker into creamy caramel malting and wintry clove-gingerbread spicing. Lingering white peppered hop sharpness usurps peat-mossy red grape, fig, and raisin subsidy.
