Though many Belgian brews rely on stone-fruited effervescence, this musty lager suffices blue collar American tastes with its taut citric hop bitterness and dry honeyed malt insinuation. Simple mineral water stream filters pungent yeast timbre, moderate barley-rye resonation, and earthen barnyard waft.
STEINLAGER PILSENER
Accessible medium-bodied dry pilsner with long lasting head, delectable citric zest, and lingered mineral graining. Fresh water cleansing seeps into gentle barleymalt sweetness and mild grassy hop bitterness. A fine middle of the road alternative to Bud-Coors-Miller slumming.
(STEINHAUS) MISSION ST. PALE ALE
Mildly piney-hopped apricot-pear-orange tingle gathers floral influence to serene sweet caramel malt finish.
(STEINHAUS) FAT WEASEL ALE
Disappointing oxidized waft and putrid hard-candied bruised orange souring corrupt dubious golden-hued strong ale. Scurvy dry-lagered rye-wheat base and tepid lemongrass funk further denigrate metallic 7% alcohol-smitten weasel. Similar to nearby Pizza Port’s only bad beer, Das Boot Helles Lager.
(STEENBERGE) TIKKA GOLD PREMIUM LAGER
A step down from multi-dimensional Belgian ales, lazy straw-hazed mainstream fodder lacks distinct character to soapy spring-watered finish. Lightweight trash finds sweet-corned pilsner malts going cloy and flaccid lemon-peppered hops getting limp. Closer to dank Eastern European fodder. Accompanies spicy Indian food well.
(STEENBERGE) PIRAAT ALE
10.5% alcohol bodes well for highly carbolic wheat-styled ale. Honeyed yeast sinew enriches burgundy-sherry sweetness and herbal hop resins reminiscent of French-styled farmhouse ales. Spiced pear, apple, and peach get white-peppered bittering above banana dalliance.
(STEENBERGE) MONK’S CAFE FLEMISH SOUR ALE
Brewed specifically for Philadelphia’s terrific Monk’s Cafe, indelible russet ruby Flanders Oud Bruin plies vinous green-yellow-red grape tannins to lactic-soured oaken vanilla insistence, allowing puckered lemon-dried apple, cranberry, and cherry tartness to reach fruition over leathery horseblanket acridity. Tertiary white peach, banana and raspberry melee begets dry sherry finish of debonair moderation.
(STEENBERGE) MONGOZO AFRICAN ARTISANAL DARK ALE
Unconventional copper-hazed African-styled brew reminiscent of Belgian-styled Ommegang Abbey Ale. Lofty 7% alcohol blear rears head above lively yeast, candied malts, and burnt ‘palmnuts.’ Grand Marnier waft consumes fresh cut apple, orange rind, and banana fruiting to dry-smoked white pepper finish. Only its fuzzy carbolic aridity holds this back.
(STEENBERGE) LEUTE BOKBIER
Bold Belgian bock brings spiced hop frisk to musty orange peel theme as tannic grape tartness and dry cider pucker settle above wood-soaked cherry finish. Minor acidity haunts ripe raisin prudence, sugared fig frugality, and creamy mocha restraint.
(STEENBERGE) CHERISH RASPBERRY LAMBIC
Mellow pink-headed ruby-bodied ‘malternative’ betters soda pop or lame wine cooler. Fulsome raspberry signature assaults champagne nose and tutti-frutti tongue. Supportive peach, tangerine, and red cherry tartness perks up sour cranberry-mulberry-strawberry ransom to bittersweet candi-sugared raspberry finish.
(STEENBERGE) CHERISH PEACH LAMBIC
Overt sweet peach aroma and juicy peach palate linger through tropical nectar-tangerine-apricot punch stabilizing dry malted hop fizz for admirable alternative to Peach Snapple.
(STEENBERGE) BRUEGEL AMBER ALE
Nearly vapid in its dryly diacetyl light-bodied appeal and closer to a daintily citric White Ale, opaque burnt sienna-hued sedation hides muted orange-bruised apricot-grapefruit subtlety beneath oncoming prune-fig prominence. Confounding carbolic fizz reduces floral hop tenacity and prickly white-peppered holiday spicing (coriander-allspice-cinnamon) as enormous head and cake-like Brussels lace coat glass.