Respectable mocha-bound dry body placates powdery dark chocolate with caramel-roasted brown breading and dark-spiced hop resin. Dried-fruited black cherry, purple grape, prune and plum undertones pick up Blackstrap molasses sinew. Sarsaparilla, cola nut, hazelnut and vanilla illusions hide beneath.
SARANAC CHOCOLATE ORANGE PORTER
Worthy 2012 limited edition Baltic porter hybrid plies cocoa-dried chocolate malting and black coffee bittering to subtle blood orange peel bittering that’s pleasingly overwhelmed by peaty mulch composting. Dark chocolate-roasted cocoa nibs influence fortifies dusky mocha finish.
BLUE POINT WHITE I.P.A.
Excellently sessionable Belgian witbier with hybridized India Pale Ale fruit spicing retains soft-tongued smoothness. Strong grapefruit peel tartness and white-peppered piney hop bittering contrast tropical fruiting. White peach, mandarin orange, pineapple, mango and tangerine illusions sashay across honeyed crystal malting. Perfect crossover for lighter thirsts readied for mildly stronger fare.
EPIC MID MOUNTAIN MILD ALE
Calm moderate-bodied English-styled pale ale brings dainty citrus spicing to mild vanilla honeyed creaminess. Soft peppery hops prickle zesty lemon fizz, honeysuckle orange blossom snip and abrupt herbal tea nip to doughy almond-pasted backend. Fine summertime session beer perfect with mixed nuts and varied cheeses.
EPIC PFEIFFERHORN LAGER
Sessionable straw-paled light lager betters most stylistically similar moderations. Mineral-grained hop spicing and lemony spritz contrast rugged Eastern Euro-like corn-sugared maize-dried malt liquor smudge. An astringent bittering and tertiary grassy hay earthiness counter its backend doughy lightness.
ITHACA THIRTEEN ANNIVERSARY ALE
Strong limited edition (2012) wheat wine brings citric splendor to weedy green-hopped black peppering and musty earthen leathering. Lemon-peeled grapefruit rind bittering seeps into mild orange zest as well as tertiary white peach, mango, pineapple and pear illusions. Gin-soaked juniper bite soaks dry wooded midst to wheat-breaded backbone.
KNEE DEEP BEAUTIFUL BLONDE
Self-proclaimed ‘easy drinking ale’ is actually a sidewinding sessionable summertime salutation corruptively balancing bitter with the sweet. Stylistically bold raw-honeyed medium body develops weirdly. Glutinous honeyed wheat astringency attacks corn-oiled diacetyl buttering and tempered fungi musk up-front. Soapy midst disturbs ancillary Scotch-rye notch, musty peat blotch and rotted cantaloupe-melon-banana splotch. Soured honey musk retains nasty bitterness, overriding gluey beeswax sweetness. Confusingly inconsistent flavor profile undermines medium-bodied dog.
NEWPORT STORM SABRINA
Splendidly designed and well-balanced limited edition (2012) Belgian-styled pale ale counters sour lemon-seeded hop bittering with candied crystal sugaring. Bubblegummy banana-clove sweetness and lemony orange zest perk up tertiary basil-thyme herbage. Musty black tea peppering seeps into dank Belgian yeast fungi below citric regalia.
(SOLAN) OLD MONK 10000 SUPER BEER
Disgusting straw pale malt liquor places sour yeast pungency above cloying corn-sugared malts, spoiled lemon skunking and acrid maize-oiled sinew. Buttery dimethyl sulfide nastiness infects cabbage-smeared cat urine follow-up and cheap vodka reminder. Offensive mass produced India brew gains nasty cider-soured burnt rubber splotch at scabrous finish.
TROUBADOUR MAGMA
On tap at Mews, winningly efficient Belgo-American hybrid combines tangy fruited bittering of an India Pale Ale with the candi-sugared white peppering of a Belgian tripel for a booze-lacquered strong ale. Scotch-licked corn sugaring elevates tropical melon, cantaloupe, pineapple and apricot tang contrasting heightened ethanol-like 9% alcohol whir.
BRECKENRIDGE REGAL DOUBLE PILSNER
Ethereal Imperial pilsner (small batch series 2012) is well moderated. Mild peat-y rye influence slips inside citric daintiness and doughy baguette snip. Polite honeyed malt sugaring contrasts tranquil grassy hop salting. Fresh-watered mineral grains underscore subtle grapefruit, orange and cherry illusions. Delicate sessionable lawnmower fare.
RJ ROCKERS BELL RINGER
Tamer strong ale (with quieted high gravity 8.5% alcohol volume) brings citric-spiced sweetness to grassy-hopped pining contrasting honey-roasted malting. Lemony pineapple, cherry, orange and grapefruit illusions get scattered through polite moderation. Oaken vanilla pinch wavers. A crisply approachable changeup differentiated from stereotypically stylish ethanol-fueled fare.