Intense high-altitude jungle roasted Honduran coffee beans combine with nutty cocoa nibs bittering and a wispy citric rind twist for dry porter. Brisk clean water flow lightens the bitter mocha end of freshly roasted percolator coffee resilience and unsweetened cocoa bean continuance regaling bold porter.
All posts by John Fortunato
CHECKERSPOT BEAR IMPERIAL PORTER
Smooth watered dried fruiting and winy whiskey response seep deep into dark cocoa base. Dry anise-spiced raisin, prune and fig combo receives Muscat-wined burgundy and blackberry brandy snips plus rye whiskey nip overriding musky mocha murk.
CHECKERSPOT HIGH & MIGHTY IMPERIAL IPA
Nicknamed ‘A Force Of Nature,” heightened 8.3% ABV adds boozy conviction to sunshiny dry bodied Imperial IPA. Bright lemony yellow grapefruit stead gains tangy tangerine-pineapple zing as salty pine licks and subtle herbage lightly come forth.
CHECKERSPOT FANCY PANTS NEW ENGLAND IPA
Tropical fruited NEIPA (using Idaho 7/Citra/Cashmere hops) lets candied orange, tangy tangerine, salted pineapple, sweet nectarine and lemon-limed guava, lychee and mango tartness combine alongside mild pine lacquering above porridge oats creaming.
CHECKERSPOT JUNIPERUS IPA
Refreshingly dry juniper berry bittering guides zestful Mosiac/Idaho 7-hopped IPA as lemony grapefruit peeled orange rind sunshine and candied pineapple tang briskly scour parched pine tones above mild oats creaming.
CHECKERSPOT STOOP SESH IPA
Sessionable IPA lets zesty lemon pitted grapefruit bittering stay soft alongside peachy mandarin orange licks, salted pineapple-papaya-guava tropicalia, tart passionfruit wisps and subtle blueberry-blackberry hints given delicate resinous pining over dry pale malt base.
CHECKERSPOT 24 KARAT KOLSCH
Mustier kolsch brings dry lemon pith spritz and desiccated orange musk to mild cilantro herbage above doughy white breading. Simple golden clear moderation.
STOSH’S
FAIR LAWN, NEW JERSEY
An inconspicuous hole in the wall serving the finest craft beer plus pizza and cocktails, cozy Fair Lawn, New Jersey tavern, STOSH’S, retains a friendly neighborhood atmosphere. A colorful hop design at the front door welcomes patrons to the blue collar establishment.
Stosh’s U-shaped wood lacquer-topped bar features fourteen tap handles plus top shelf liquor. Its bronze tin ceiling adds a cool prohibition feel to the one-room pub. There are several TV’s along the red brick walls and a few 2-seat tables plus a pinball machine at the diminutive hotspot.
As for the beers, Stosh’s takes pride serving mostly local microbrews. On my initial March ’24 trip after scoring at Paterson dispensary, Rise, my wife and I downed Wayne-based Seven Tribesman’s Chieftain Witbier and Clifton-based Ghost Hawk’s Sentience West Coast-styled pale ale (both reviewed in Beer Index).
BLACK FLAG FILLETS WITH TRUFFLE BUTTER
Luscious barleywine aged nine months in apple brandy barrels with Ugandan vanilla beans picks up caramelized toffee spicing and candied molasses glaze to override lightly pungent earthen truffle fungi musk. At the sweet whiskeyed brandy finish, wispy white truffle pastry, creme brulee, bruised cherry and fig cake illusions arrive.
CENTRAL WATERS TWO SCHULMAN’S WALK INTO A BREWERY BOURBON AGED IMPERIAL STOUT
Dry bourbon serenity cloaks day-old coffee musk and black grape esters contrasting dark chocolate-coated cherry cordial sweetness and dark cherry tartness of richly smooth 10% ABV barrel aged stout.
FOUNDERS KBS SPICY CHOCOLATE 2023 IMPERIAL STOUT
Mole-inspired Kentucky Bourbon Stout variant circa ’23 lets dried chili peppers influence fudgy brown chocolate creaming, bourbon vanilla sweetness and roasted coffee depth of rich barrel-aged nightcap. Mild chili pepper heat simmers below mocha bourbon coffee theme as tertiary candied molasses, bold burgundy, burnt caramel and espresso licks emerge.
CUSHWA RAMBO
Heavily viscous dark chocolate creaming reaches fudgy froth as vanilla-beaned espresso nuttiness, Blackstrap molasses bittering and hop-charred dark-roast barley contrast nutty Mud Pie confection. Beneath the thick surface, trickled anise, burgundy and spiced toffee illusions underscore the syrupy cacao finish.
