Bottled by Shipyard for Virgin Islands-based St. John’s Brewery, refreshing tropical-fruited pale ale punctuates ripe mango sweetness with brisk lemon-hopped papaya, passion fruit and pineapple delectation. Peach-lacquered maraschino cherry, strawberry, blueberry, and tangerine illusions come and go above honeyed wheat spine. Unfortunately, quality has gone down. Phenol-hopped fizzing and perfumed tongue overwhelm soapy watermelon and mango illusions of light summery dessert treat.
Tag Archives: fruit ale
THOMAS HOOKER WATERMELON ALE
Worthy ‘strangely refreshing’ fruit ale perfect as easy-drinking light-bodied poolside fodder. Juicy Jolly Rancher watermelon theme maintains sweet thrust above dainty hop-fizzed strawberry Seltzer spritz to cereal-sugared wheat-honeyed spine. Tangible lemonade tartness works its way into artificial melon flavoring. Serve to anyone with a sweet tooth.
EEL RIVER ACAI WHEAT (CERTIFIED ORGANIC)
On tap, soapy washed-out yellow-cleared fruit ale lacks luster. Brazilian acai berries, a dietary antioxidant, never bolsters pallid softie. Fizzy dry-hopped raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, and cherry souring mires subsidiary lemon-limed green apple, Granny Smith apple, and white peach tartness. Dull white-breaded spine of arid light body only makes things worse.
TRADE ROUTE MANGO WEIZEN
Updated, downgraded, unbalanced version of former ‘Laughing Buddha’ labeled fruit beer (with sinewy yeast sediment) lacks proper mango influence to fragile pale wheat spine. Leathery white grape acridity, comparable to Belgian gueuze, encumbers lemon-soured mango tartness and unripe peach nullity that becomes overbearingly mouth-puckering in its acidic dryness. Serve with barbecue steak or pork to bring out further illusions.
CONCORD GRAPE ALE
SARANAC MOUNTAIN BERRY ALE (LIMITED RELEASE 2002)
(D’AUBEL) BIERE D’AUBEL
Pour slowly champagne cork-scented nickel-coppered apple blossom special. Dry-hopped seltzer fizz caresses vinous quince souring and sparkling cider essence to barley-wheat backdrop. Pacific mandarin orange, white peach and persimmons tartness stays distance. But dubious finish assumes pilsner-like blandness.
SARANAC WILD BERRY WHEAT
DOGFISH HEAD FORT ALE
Alarming $17 price tag for 22-ounce bottle justified by astonishing 18% alcohol volume. Deeply penetrating pureed raspberry fortification dissipates slightly to medicinal apricot-brandied cherry tang as accumulative perfumed waft brightens sinewy pink-glowed amber-pruned fruit ale. Sharp apple cider tartness underscores bitter hop bite. Sticky whiskey malting nips at the heels, securing tertiary naval orange, purple grape, peach, nectar, and clementine illusions.
SHMALTZ HE’BREW GENESIS 10:10 ALE
DOGFISH HEAD RAISON D’ETRE
Heady mahogany ale with dry stout characteristics such as cocoa-powdered bitterness, dehydrated prune essence, and mild burgundy boozing. Billowy bubbles form sharp beige head for dirty-grained ‘raison’ (raisin) brew. Malt-lacquered yeast-soured green raisin finish gain depth with each sip. On tap, pinpoint fruited malting increases beet sugared raisin-fig depth, bruised orange souring, and sarsaparilla tease.




