Stylistically shifty amber lager ‘brewed with grapes’ proves to be rather obtuse as advertised grape influence takes a backseat to brisk fruited malting of ancillary autumnal Octoberfest. Seasonal apple-peach-pumpkin-pied gourd spicing usurps barley-toasted almond pasting and leafy hop resin above metallic phenol whim, creating creamy frothed opening. But musty grape-stemmed earthiness, dinky red-yellow-green grape speck, and thin mineral-grained Scotch lick lose out to sterile Band-Aid astringency, leaving unrealized finish to flounder.
WACHUSETT LARRY IMPERIAL I.P.A.
Superior soft-toned stylistic selection maintains balance, richness and distinction. Creamy caramel buttering rides alongside brisk piney-hopped, orange-peeled, grapefruit rind bittering, allowing tangy peach, apricot, mango, pineapple, tangerine, cherry, nectarine and melon illumination to sweeten the busy midst. Juicy tropical fruiting picks up delicate floral-spiced nicety along the way. Serve to West Coast IPA lovers.
WACHUSETT RYDE BEER
Uncomplicated moderate-bodied rye ale brings sesame-seeded pumpernickel spicing to sweet honeyed molasses sugaring, fading too quickly by mild tea-like finish. Peppery rye-hopped influence lingers at the midst, picking up resinous citric twist. Never overdone, but possibly too frivolous.
BRECKENRIDGE AGAVE WHEAT
Peculiar straw-hazed spiced beer relegates advertised agave flavoring to simple backdrop. Musty orange-dried spoilage and lemon-rotted souring cushioned by gentle resinous hop bittering to blanched white wheat spine. Residual cider sharpness, tart white grape snip, and delicate plantain leafing linger below. Herbal agave influence negated by acidic citric-influenced sour ale finish.
SHINER OLD-TIME ALT
Thin for its Dusseldorf-originated German styling, losing luster at nebulous rye-breaded finish. Musty citric waft proves to be natural lead-in for distant orange-dried bittering. Pungent earthen grained musk and mossy peat fungi subsume tertiary fig-date-walnut illusions. Biscuit-y gingerbread nuance hidden deep inside.
GUINNESS BLACK LAGER
Lackluster premium Guinness for the unrefined masses only. First off, mired Irish schwarzbier should be canned instead of bottled so aeration could properly activate yeast. Secondly, washed-out grain roasting, ashen chocolate wretchedness, and slick hop-charred bittering turn plastic by faux-nutty freeze-dried coffee finish.
ESTRELLA DAMM DAURA LAGER
Less pathetic, but nearly as drab, as typical gluten-free pale lagers. Unlike competitors repulsive sorghum-based output, dried-out barley (lacking gliadin proteins) proves to be wise substitute for celiac sufferers. Nonetheless, watered-down toasted cereal graining and gentle prickly-hopped rice slip derailed by nasty corn-oiled malt liquor immensity as well as acrid vegetal musk.
STONE JAPANESE GREEN TEA I.P.A.
Indistinct 2011 collaboration between Stone, Japanese brewer Baird, and Guam brewmaster Toshi Ishii promotes Tsunami relief but lacks firm theme. Heavy yeast sediment clouds amber-hazed dry body. Advertised green tea influence lost between bitterly lemon-seeded Aramis hop dryness and honeyed ginger sweetness, recalling earthen herbal crisping and tea-leafed bittering of an English ESB by forgoing expectant citric-fruited tenacity of typical American IPA. Tertiary pineapple, grapefruit, and peach illusions merely warble across dark-spiced nicety. Not bad, but inessential.
AUGUSTINER EDELSTOFF
Easygoing clear-yellowed Munich-styled helles lager offers polite pale malted mineral graining and delicate grassy-hopped dryness to salted citric intimation. Earthen fungi bottom reinforces lemony orange-grapefruit spritz of snazzy summer seasonal.
ARCOBRAU ZWICKL
Approachable yellow-hazed pale lager brings fizzy peppered spicing to dry-grained breading and mild lemony orange caress. Vegetal celery and asparagus illusions linger below crisply elegant moderate-bodied sedation.
VICTORY HEADWATERS PALE ALE
Bold amber-hazed pale body closer to brisk piney fruited IPA. Sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and rising lemon peel tang heighten hop-oiled juniper berry bite. Bright pineapple, mango, tangerine, kiwi, pear, and quince fruiting sweetens caramel malt backdrop. Resinous wood-grained alcohol assertiveness plies grassy hop bottom.
OPA OPA BLUEBERRY LAGER
Mild blueberry tartness stays complacent over phenol citric-hopped acridity. Bigger swig reveals blueberry pie, blueberry seed, and blueberry muffin illusions above sweet cornbread bottom. Light cranberry pucker adds minor sour-fruited pungency.
