Docile straw-hazed unfiltered witbier receives lively yellow-fruited entry above thin wheat wafer frailty. Prickly-hopped lemon-soured orange peel bittering upends dry coriander-spiced mandarin orange frivolity and zippy banana sweetness to unstable white-breaded floral wheat spine.
GOOSE ISLAND NIGHT STALKER IMPERIAL STOUT
Interestingly complex full-bodied ink black stout pleats deep-roasted espresso into oats-sugared chocolate-caked dried-fruiting and resin-hopped charcoal-smoked cedar stain. Mighty ethanol-like 11.7% alcohol fuming saturates vanilla-creamed chocolate-covered cherry sweetness, gooey anise upheaval, and recessive raisin-fig conflux. Muscat grape, molasses cookie, and black coffee illusions fill out dry backend of richly overpowering heavyweight.
GENESEE ICE
Nasty ice-brewed dreck offers cloy glutinous wheat slickness and stale sourdough breading to oily hop astringency. Clean water crisping makes up for cat urine waft, but this is some offensive stuff. A poor step up from Schaefer – the dumb beer to have when you’re having less than none.
FIRESTONE UNION JACK INDIA PALE ALE
Marvelously ‘aggressive’ golden-hazed IPA conceived as veritable spruce-tipped fruit punch alternative. Chewy vanilla-creamed caramel-crystal malting contrasts piney-hopped fruiting (and floral hibiscus-daisy-dandelion nuance). Moderate grapefruit peel bittering informs juicy orange tang, lusty maraschino cherry ascension, and tropical pineapple-mango-papaya-cantaloupe sweetness to cereal-grained cookie dough spine. Totally approachable for pale ale and strong lager aficionados.
FIRE ISLAND PUMPKIN BARREL ALE – 2010
Tinny metallic shard cuts too deep for pumpkin-spiced amber-hazed medium body. Muted pumpkin muffin illusion seeps into ginger-breaded nutmeg-cinnamon-cardamom seasoning, chai-spiced black tea bittering, and sharp alcohol whir. On second tasting, herbal gourd mustiness, earthen fungi acridity, and leafy hop bittering overload dank allspice-nutmeg spicing. Apple-seeded lemon-pitted black tea motif barely registers above iodine harshness.
ELLICOTTVILLE NUT BROWN
Passable English Brown Ale bottled for upper New York’s Ellicottville Brewery by Southern Tier. Hop-charred grain-toasted peanut-shelled cocoa bean salience above dry earthen astringency affects scant hazelnut-pecan-cashew influence, oaken vanilla acridity, and ashen chocolate malting to marble rye spine.
DEFIANT BEAR MOUNTAIN ALE
Well-balanced golden-hazed dry-bodied triple ale brings lively hop spicing to herbaceous citric drift and dark floral bouquet. Tucked away grapefruit-peeled orange marmalade effervescence and woodsy bark-like parch evoke IPA styling, but candi-sugared yeast funk and peppery hop bite conjure Belgian-style ale.
BROWN’S CHERRY RASPBERRY ALE
Juicy cherry-soured raspberry tartness provides oaken-dried red fruiting to understated caramel malting of light-bodied dessert alternative. Mildly acidic red-fruited Sweet-Tart illusion fades to cherry soda midst. Soapier when warmed.
(BOONE) BLOWING ROCK HIGH COUNTRY ALE
Inoffensive amber lager stays mild. Scotch-licked orange-spiced barley malting overrides astringent hop flop. Metallic shard interferes with smooth nature.
(BOONE) BLOWING ROCK SUMMER ALE
Rich sourdough yeast sediment provides dense viscosity to citric-sunned amber-hazed Belgian-styled witbier. Bitter Saaz-hopped orange-peeled lemon juicing caresses tangy apricot-tangerine-apple fruiting, mild coriander-spiced banana ripeness, and sugar wafer reminder. But sharp cider souring works against summery pleasantries just a tad.
(BOONE) BLOWING ROCK OKTOBERFEST LAGER
Nifty cocaine-sniffing moniker aside, autumnal amber-hued marzen-styled medium-bodied lager really rocks. Barley-hopped cereal-grained entry unfurls citric brown-sugared dark spicing to eye-squinting citric-soured hard-candied tartness. Caramel-malted black cherry sweetening ascends above almond-toasted pecan-pied sugared wheat spine.
(BOONE) BLOWING ROCK BOCK
Chewy chocolate-covered raisin entry levels off to thin brown-sugared chocolate-spiced caramel malting. Prune-dried black cherry puree souring ascends above mild cinnamon-nutmeg-pinched grape nut bottom. A little watery by mocha finish, where dried fruiting rapidly dissipates.
