SIERRA NEVADA ESTATE HOMEGROWN WET HOP ALE

Beers A-Z
Leisurely wet-hopped India Pale Ale stays stylistically light, bettering most blandly unsweetened organic competitors. Freshly tilled earthen graining complements zesty grapefruit rind bittering, sharp herbal hop spicing, and resinous piney bottom. Silken crystal sugaring underlies mild stone fruiting. As it warms, honeyed peach, apricot tea, red cherry, lemon zest, passion fruit and a hint of mint find tertiary space.

SAMUEL ADAMS THE VIXEN CHOCOLATE CHILI BOCK

Beers A-Z
Expressively easygoing single-batch bock maintains mellow disposition despite wide-ranging mocha-bound flavor profile. Advertised ‘spicy heat’ from the chili peppering stays subtle beneath milk chocolate creaming and nutty dried fruiting. Intricately woven sherry-bourbon warmth underscores black-breaded molasses stead, coffee-roasted tranquility and cinnamon-spiced cola nuttiness. Belgian chocolate spicing heaped upon ancillary bruised cherry, purple grape and sugared fig nuances. 2012 re-tasting: Improved obsidian-browned dessert beer gained richer chocolate-covered cherry theme above bourbon-doused raisin puree, stewed prune, fig and cherry fruiting dovetailing soft chili backdrop. Chocolate-caked toffee-butterscotch sweetness, maple-sapped Blackstrap molasses sinew and wavered espresso-cappuccino hints crowd back-throated black anise tongue coating.    

MIKKELLER NUGGET SINGLE HOP I.P.A.

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Wonderful ‘American-styled’ barleywine-like India Pale Ale goes beyond any stylistic comparison, maintaining an easygoing ‘nugget hop’ appeal that won’t preclude softer palates. Stimulatingly sumptuous syrupy Scotch sweetness embraces bruised orange-cherry juicing and wafting orange blossom nicety. Tangy cantaloupe, peach, tangerine, melon and orange marmalade illusions sweeten cotton-candied marshmallow undertones. Way more expressive than coarser Scotch-licked orange fruited elixirs. What's Going on with Mikkeller?

BRUGSE HENDRIK QUADRUPEL

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Exquisitely detailed multi-layered strong ale (11%) brings immediate warmth as engrossingly rich dessert tranquilizer. Floral-soaked cognac, bourbon and spiced wine illusions float to the surface above dank-cellared fungi yeast, informing dried-fruited black cherry, raisin, prune, and date nuances. Chewy brown-sugared caramel malting and sweet vanilla daub contrast underlying black-peppered hop bittering and vinous grape snip.

AVERY JOE’S PREMIUM AMERICAN PILSNER

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Terrific light-bodied straw-hazed pils contrasts mild bitterness with tingly citric sweetness to perfection. Wafting skunked pungency never negates easygoing grassy-hopped crystal malting. Challah-breaded biscuit, sourdough and flour undertones whisk by arid straw-grained pine-barked astringency and sudsy carbolic Seltzer fizzing. Docile lemon custard, key lime pie and marmalade illusions fill floral backdrop. A simple soft-toned pilsner with some legs.

SAMUEL ADAMS THIRTEENTH HOUR DARK BELGIAN STOUT

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Vigorous ‘Kosmic Mother Funk’ aged in oak barrels overlays sour Belgian yeast funk with dark-fruited rum, bourbon, burgundy, and Courvoisier toxicity as aromatic black pepper fills the air. Chocolate-spiced raisin, plum, fig and dried cherry illusions form at the vanilla-daubed molasses midst while back-tongued cardamom-nutmeg-ginger seasoning reaches a light-roast brown coffee simmer. Advertised ‘oaken’ aspect gets downplayed.