Happy marriage between robust brown ale and hop-centric India Pale Ale works dark chocolate nuttiness into citric-oiled hop resin and latent wood char. Burnt caramel malting picks up hazelnut molasses sweetness as recessive grapefruit, pineapple and tangerine fruiting dwells beneath.
Ironically, Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast while I consumed this hybridized ‘hop-flooded’ amber-hazed brown ale. Grapefruit-peeled pine resin leads the way for citric-laden medium body. Fruited hop spicing heightens subsidiary toffee malting. Tertiary pineapple, prune and raisin illusions abound.
On tap at Copper Mine, mildly creamed stove-burnt coffee persistence and astringent carbolic fizz outdistance anticipated peanut-shelled hazelnut-walnut roast. Brown-sugared burnt caramel, vanilla latte, toffee and almond untertones envelop grain-charred hop roast. Tertiary cedar snip and dried fig-cherry nip waver through peaty backend of resilient medium body.
Impressively nutty chocolate creaminess aligns brown-sugared vanilla, caramel nougat and coffee bean influence with hazelnut-walnut-almond conflux above oats-toasted hop roasting. Mossy tobacco leafing and musty cellar dankness drift by tertiary raisin-fig souring. Moderate-to-medium-bodied mocha splendor will appeal to wide ranging dark ale, nut brown, porter and stout fans.
Wayward altbier with ‘crisp German lager’ tendencies and a ‘hoppy pale ale punch’ brings ‘brown ale malt backbone’ to nebulous nutty finish. Acrid phenol astringency overrides any taciturn flavoring. Ashy peanut-shelled oiling negates frail walnut-hazelnut-pecan pinch as mired mocha malting dissipates. Crusty burnt bread reminder seeps into dirty earthen graining.
On tap at Morris Tap & Grill, up-front coconut juicing regales toasted almond, praline and pecan riffs above sweet vanilla malting, but watery nature lowers flavor profile. Brown chocolate-y toffee, caramel and fudge illusions drift thorugh sharp hop spicing, but intimidating alcohol burn and coarse charred nuttiness overtake sugary yeast pleasantries by depleted finish.
On tap at The Office-Ridgewood, robust Belgian-styled brown ale hybrid brings creamy molasses-malted dark chocolate entry to brown-sugared oats flaking and cocoa-chalked vanilla sweetness. Downplayed hop-spiced Belgian yeast adds dewy cellar dankness to large mocha contingency, but gets skewered. Honeyed chestnut midst allows tertiary hazelnut, maple, tobacco and peat illusions to find a foothold.
Approachable dark ale places dried-fruited black cherry, raisin, fig and date sugaring over soft-watered dark chocolate base. Tamped down hop toasting allows minor nuttiness to ensue. Easygoing carbolic flow lighter than most stylistic competitors.
In the can, peculiar Mexican brown ale retains weirdly sour lactic impulse above soy-sauced chocolate rye malting. Tart raisin-prune-fig-date conflux, vinous white cherry pucker and lemon-limed green grape curio bring saison-like appeal to sour ale-styled porter. Bottled version’s sourer mocha persuasion discernible.
Emulating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, medium-full-bodied brown ale places Concord grape-jellied Muscat wining below an increasingly pervasive walnut-shelled peanut butter mouthfeel. Nutty burnt toast harshness may put off soft-toned drinkers but dark ale hounds will find favor with its ample backend bittering. Pictured below is initial Drewery PB & J label.