Marvelously mellow espresso-beaned stout so soft and creamy it’s got to be a godsend. Prodigious Jamaican roast coffee theme soars above milky black chocolate backdrop where pithy cocoa, vanilla and hazelnut illusions lurk. After a few sips, distant black-peppered jalapeno heat creeps into resilient green coffee bean extraction. Mild enough for softies but rich enough for mocha lovers. Arguably the best canned dark ale from America.
OK tin-canned version of amber-hazed moderate body proves to be a dependable, if subdued, Irish Red Ale blending saison-like fruiting with toasted caramel malts. Wispy orange-soured grapefruit peel entry fades into cherry-dried green apple tartness above peppery juniper hop spicing. Black tea dalliance and earthen minerality negatively affected by coarse metallic rusting as well as funky compost waft.
On tap at Chappy’s, first-rate Belgian India Pale Ale brings herbal black-peppered seasoning and sweet crystal malting to frisky floral fruited frolic. Lemon zest, grapefruit rind, mandarin orange, honeydew and melon rally past the boozy midst above soft lemongrass, basil and thyme undertones.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, lackluster 2012 tapped version stays indistinct. Its autumnal pumpkin spicing fades too quickly, becoming an afterthought as bleary lemon-soured orange rind bittering eclipses seasonal expectancy. Phenol gingerbread-nutmeg-cinnamon spicing and vegetal squash-gourd acridity further mire drab liquid.
Truly middle-of-the-road canned pale body merges sour Kolsch fruiting with toasted lager crisping. Tart orange oiling, parched lemondrop-candied pucker and dry cherrywood reminder waver through sedate grassy-hopped prickle as well as distant corn-sugared Vienna malting. Musky sourdough breading envelops honeyed biscuit wheat spine. Tertiary banana, apple and grape illusions need ripening.
Velvety smooth fireside sipper picks up piney molasses sapping over soft hop roast, wavered chocolate liqueur spell, dry-roasted coffee resin and wet-grained wort-like aromatics. Busy backdrop gathers dark chocolate chalking, black grape tannins, astringent nuttiness and fudgy vanilla. Arguably South Carolina’s best dark ale.
On tap at Chappy’s, vibrant tangy fruited full body seduces the senses immediately. Brisk grapefruit peel bittering, resinous hop oiling and sugary malt sweetness get captivated by luscious cherry-apricot-apple entry. Ripe orange-tangerine-pineapple-mango-raspberry blitzkrieg storms ahead, magnifying the zesty fruitful resilience and distant rosebud-dandelion-tulip bouquet. A terrific fruit cocktail.
Jubilant full-bodied merriment’s the pride of Strong Island. Cognac-spiked bruised orange overtones provide a tart lead-in above pine-sapped bittering hops and spicy floral nuances. Ripe cherry, cantaloupe, pineapple, peach and melon illusions add depth while buttery Chardonnay undertones receive a strong ‘whiskey back,’ affecting the fresh fruited finish, where a brazenly boozy alcohol burn awaits.
Well-rounded medium-bodied tropical-fruited refresher stays less hop-embittered than defensive war handle suggests. Soft-toned grapefruit/orange-peeled bittering receives grassy hop respite contrasting juicy pineapple-tangerine-peach-apple tang sweetening its creamy malt subsidy. Subdued ethanol crescendo ensues.
