On tap at Ambulance, curiously distinct brownish-marooned farmhouse ale utilizes relegated tart cranberry adjunct and spicy date-sugared dried fruiting to contrast bitterly amplified chocolatey rye black malting. Latent black grape esters usurp desiccated fig, plum and prune snips while dewy earthiness ensues. An effectively expansive, if offbeat, dark saison.
Best of class. Dewy peat moss seeps into cocoa-dried Bakers chocolate malting and musky dried fruiting in a profound way. Rustic farmhouse yeast provides proper cellar-like mustiness to sweet n’ sour plum, prune, black cherry and burgundy alacrity as well as purple grape esters. Not far removed from a doppelbock with its brown-sugared breading, sweet toffee linger and spiced chocolate dalliance.
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, caliginous saison lets well-watered minerality heighten stylish cellar musk for overriding plum-dried purple grape tartness. Charcoaled hops and barnyard must add mild acridity to parched Bakers chocolate snip. But it’s the wild oats-malted dried fruiting that wins out.
On tap at Ambulance, indecisive brown-clouded, wheat-based, farmhouse-styled Christmas ale (circa 2015) provides tart plum-fig-raisin tones, sour citrus acidity and light grape juicing to leathery barnyard rusticity. Light black peppering and crisp tobacco leafing contrast wispy cinnamon-nutmeg seasoning at the back end.
On tap at Barcade – Jersey City, affluent candi-sugared dark chocolate sweetness inundates plummy black cherry tang above oak-toasted pumpernickel base. Burnt caramel, toffee and coconut illusions contrast earthen barnyard-dried hop char.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, well-rounded dark saison squeezes many fine illusions out of dark-fruited souring, smoky mocha malting and variable nuttiness. Dried fig, prune and apricot tones deepen black chocolate roast, cola-hazelnut-walnut conflux and mild peppercorn herbage, finishing with a frothy pineapple-grapefruit fondue frenzy.
On tap at Copper Mine, unique black-peppered saison loads Indian accents atop black patent malts, winey citric herbage and fern-like pine nut hints for semi-dry medium-full body. French saison yeast brings out spicy cumin, curry and cinnamon accents. Well-hidden 10.2% ABV allows varied flavor profile to fully form.
Loosely defined as a decadent noir saison, its musky stout-like dark-roasted chocolate malting and molasses-smoked dried fruiting receive an unusual hop-charred rosehips-hibiscus spicing. Soured fig, purple grape, black cherry, prune, raisin and blueberry tartness scurries above dry licorice snip. Headier than its 8% alcohol volume lets on.
Adventurous nickel-hued Belgian ale retains viscously creamy Guinness-like thickness as peculiar cocoa nibs/ chili pepper blend informs unconventional ‘saison-styled’ oddity. Ashen chocolate malt retention invites dry rauchbier finish to counter corky quince-grape souring ultimately consumed by hot peppery aftertaste.