On tap, intense limited edition barrel-aged Double India Pale Ale combines candi-sugared Belgian yeast with aggressive American hop bittering for fruitful medium-full-bodied paragon. Twig-leafed lemon-dried orange rind bittering contrasts lively peach-tangerine-grapefruit juicing and dark floral herbage, leaving advertised rye malting to linger in the alcohol-burnt midst. Crisp, clean, tropical-fruited splendor for serious hop-heads and casual IPA buffs.
BLUE HILLS IMPERIAL RED I.P.A.
Interesting bottle-conditioned copper-hazed India Pale Ale does about-face as caramel malt profile unexpectedly surpasses stylistic hop bitterness. Toasted lager attributes such as creamy butterscotch-marzipan sweetness and cereal-grained toasting anchor crisp tamped-down clay-hopped fruiting. Cantaloupe, melon, honey dew, pineapple, and red grapefruit tropicalia brighten corners. A very approachable IPA perfectly suited for lighter thirsts.
BLUE HILLS WAMPATUCK WHEAT
Well-balanced, if under-whelming, traditional German hefeweizen with viscous saffron hue, sinewy yeast particles, and clay-hopped plasticine waft brings lemon-bruised banana-clove sweetness and refreshing carbolic spritz to glutinous wheat bottom. Curacao orange zest and herbal eucalyptus-ginger nuance register alongside baguette midst. Subtlety is its saving grace.
BLUE HILLS WATERMELON WAMPATUCK WHEAT
A fruit ale lover’s delight. Clumped yeast sediment invades sweet melon-y amber-hazed hefeweizen. Juicy watermelon extract brings Jolly Rancher tartness to bubble-gummy banana-clove center and wheat-honeyed cornbread bottom. Salty-hopped Seltzer-fizzed carbonation speckles honeyed nectarine-cantaloupe lacquering. Never gets cloy.
BLUE POINT TOXIC SLUDGE INDIA PALE ALE
Busy ‘toxic sludge’ mix of dry-hopped crayon-wafted Black IPA works in stages. Initial coffee bean roast tethers herbal hop-oiled mesquite-grilled charcoal bittering temporarily concealing back-tongued dry fruiting. Creamy chocolate-seeded midst picks up surfacing grapefruit rind, fig, and apple pleasantries to contrast pine-charred earthen wood singe. Not for the faint of heart.
DEFIANT CHRISTMAS ALE
Eureka! Resolute generic-labeled reindeer-pointed 2010 bottled version of seasonal Belgian strong dark ale may shun usual Christmas spicing (nutmeg-cinnamon), but never lacks sufficient flavor profile. Fungi-soured yeast funk boosts raisin-pureed prune-stewed date nut breading. Belgian chocolate, blackstrap molasses, and burgundy illusions usurp candied apple, bruised orange, sugared fig, and blackberry fruiting alleviating dark-spiced cider sharpness, grape-skinned Merlot wining, and ashen walnut char. Initial recipe rearranged for each succeeding year.
DE MOLEN RASPUTIN IMPERIAL STOUT
Engaging Russian Imperial Stout (now sold under Cease & Desist name) matches punctual dried fruiting and subtle bourbon-burgundy tranquility to creamy chocolate-vanilla malting. Viscous anise goo deepens soy-sauced mocha resolve and mild hop-charred oatmeal graining. Date nut-breaded plum-raisin surge, earthen tobacco parch and latent hazelnut espresso bittering fill out busy full-bodied Dutch scallywag.
FLYING FISH EXIT 13 CHOCOLATE STOUT
Commendable flesh-headed mahogany-bodied ‘import-export’ stout utilizes Irish ale yeast and Belgian chocolate to propel robust full body. Creamy dark-roasted chocolate entry picks up immediate cocoa-chalked hazelnut coffee resilience and unexpected floral fruited frolic for rounded mouthfeel. Beneath, tar-like tobacco-stained wood-charred bittering seeps into vanilla-espresso conflux and docile blueberry-pureed black cherry rasp.
FULL SAIL SESSION BLACK LAGER
Amiable brown-bodied schwarzbier in pudgy brown bottle brings dewy rye-breaded molasses-smoked malting to dry black-purple grape souring, moldy fig-date-raisin astringency, reedy hop-charred cola-pecan-macadamia nuttiness and sneaky black cherry snips. Latent bourbon hints gain foothold above brown-sugared chocolate roast and earthen peat bottom.
KELSO ST. GOWANUS BELGIAN ALE
On tap, amiable amber-hazed dry-bodied cask-conditioned Belgian Golden/ American Pale Ale blend allows apple cider tea entry to inform white-peppered rosemary-thyme herbage and zesty Caracao-mandarin orange tartness. Mildewed earthen fungi, bitter chai tea spicing, oaken vanilla, and lemongrass consume backend.
L’ORGE DU BOUFFAY
Approachable dry-bodied saffron-hazed Biere De Garde brings soft-watered champagne-like carbonation to vinous grape souring, creamy Chardonnay buttering, and mossy mineral-grained grassy-hopped stead above polite herbaceous chamomile whim. Mild lemon tartness zips by. A subtler, blonder stylistic change of pace.
MENDOCINO OATMEAL STOUT
Robust lactose-aided jet-black winter seasonal competes favorably against best full-bodied oatmeal stouts marketed year-round. Creamy molasses-sapped black chocolate roast and wood-charred hop-oiled black coffee bittering saturate sharp hazelnut, walnut, and Brazil nut toasting to setback earthen peat grouting. Tertiary vanilla bean, raisin, black cherry, and anise illusions jut in and out.