Sessionable dry-bodied moderation offers light lemony grapefruit sugaring to mild mineral-grained Cascade hop bittering. Clean Adirondack water crisping freshens daintily herbal citrus florality and raw-honeyed wheat spine.
ADIRONDACK BEAR NAKED AMBER ALE
Barren raw-honeyed spicing and dry nutty smidgen barely surface above brisk mineral-watered crisping. Buttery biscuit backside picks up lemony orange snip and earthen blip. Grassy hop astringency meanders across sludgy mix.
ADIRONDACK BEAVER TAIL BROWN ALE
Dry reedy-hopped nuttiness battles back brisk citric pining and varnished wood tones for unspecific medium-bodied dark ale. Phenolic nature and soapy undercurrent blur ashen walnut-roasted Brazil nut bittering and resinous hemp oiling.
VICTORY 4 HOP BOCK
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, springtime heller bock brings German pilsner yeast to zesty lemon dusting and floral honey mead wining. Delicate clay-hopped spicing tingles effervescent citric-soured finish. Grassy reminder nudges light white wheat spine.
NEW ENGLAND PREMEDITATED MURDER BARLEYWINE
“Ominous” full-bodied barleywine layers creamy dark-roasted mocha richness into resinous piney-hopped dried fruiting. Caramelized brown chocolate malts allow cocoa, molasses, toffee and vanilla undertones to graze fruit-caked fig, raisin and black cherry illusions as well as Madagascar bourbon vanilla nuances.
(CAPE ANN) FISHERMAN’S IMPERIAL PUMPKIN STOUT
Essentially, a more robust and intense version of brewers’ pumpkin stout. Larger dark-roasted black chocolate contingent rides above dry ginger-cinnamon-nutmeg spicing and brown-sugared molasses creaming. Beechwood-like smokiness drapes rich mocha malting. Distant florality adds depth to pumpkin-spiced backdrop.
STARR HILL BOXCAR PUMPKIN PORTER
Murky English-styled porter buries autumnal pumpkin pie spicing below fleeting black chocolate prominence. Dark-roasted mocha malt smokiness and ashen hop-charred nuttiness deplete vague cinnamon-nutmeg-ginger spicing. Black licorice reminder done in by dull plastique veneer.
TERRAPIN TREE HUGGER ALE
Bland German-styled altbier with diacetyl ESB-like toasted graining obstructing indifferent fig-soured herbal spicing. Raw molasses acridity picks up nasty metallic sheen.
NEBRASKA MELANGE A TROIS BELGIAN ALE (AGED IN CHARDONNAY)
Exquisite Belgian-styled blonde ale aged in French Oak Chardonnay barrels balances sweet n’ sour accents well. Vinous white grape pucker and oaken cherry bittering beautifully contrasted by vanilla-creamed honeyed mead sweetness. Ancillary peach, nectarine, pineapple and green apple tang envelops champagne-bubbled dry bourbon perk, musky white-peppered lemongrass tingle and latent lemon curry snip.
BALLAST POINT SEXTANT OATMEAL STOUT
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, thin one-dimensional dark ale loses initial Hershey’s Kiss black chocolate delight and settles for arid hop-charred nuttiness. Despite adding Cafe Calabria coffee to barley-flaked oats roast, lactic cocoa-powdered acridity and sooty peat reminder outdo quick java swipe. Mucky mocha murk diverts black cherry snip. Way too watery, inefficient and uninvolving.
(COLORADO) GUANABARA IMPERIAL STOUT
Curious Brazilian stout (a.k.a Ithaca) nearly drowns out stylistic brown chocolate creaming with vinous purple grape souring and dry burgundy-wined plum, fig and date uprising. Warbly coffee-burnt molasses undertones drape sharp hop-spiced sensation. Soy-milked snip and charcoal blip make cameos. But expansive flavor profile seems murky.
(LOCAL OPTION) BLOOD OV THE KINGS
Balanced, though nondescript, pale wheat ale (bottled for Illinois’ Local Option Bierwerker) recalls rich multi-grained Extra Special Bitter. Clean-watered minerality allows brisk lemon crisping to soften bread-crusted wheat biscuit midst. Dewy herbaceous remnant and a hint of brown rice found at unresolved finish.
