Creamy tan-headed, obsidian-bodied oatmeal stout lets dryly debittered black malts scurry thru coffee-burnt espresso tones, dark chocolate bittering, ashen walnut sear and dark roast hop char – gaining slight hazelnut sweetness at nutty oats-dried coffee finish.
Classic West Coast-styled IPA (Columbus/ Simcoe/ Citra hops) lets lingered grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and tangy pineapple whims settle across dry piney hop resin and above pale malt sugaring. Sharp citrus bittering never coarse or astringent.
Lemony yellow grapefruit bittering stays soft alongside milder pineapple, mango and guava tropicalia as well as latent peachy tangerine tang swirling above lightly creamed pilsner malting. Tidy perfumed juniper licks spark light vodka boozing cutting thru sunny citric-pined finish.
Approachable NEIPA with less briny guava-gooseberry souring and more lemony yellow grapefruit sunshine and zippy pineapple tang than typical stylish New Zealand-hopped fare. Prickly lemon seltzer fizz picks up subtle mandarin orange licks and slight vodka whir as mild pine lacquer drapes its frisky fruited frolic.
Sessionable summertime moderation enraptures with sunshiny yellow grapefruit bittering, spritzy orange peel sweetness, spry lemon zesting, tangy peach-pineapple-tangerine conflux and wispy coconut snips. A polite, easygoing, citric-hopped IPA.
Modest New Zealand-hopped (Nelson, Rakau, Motueka, Wai-ti) pale ale lets lightly salted guava-gooseberry tartness flow softly into lemony grapefruit sunshine and delicate pine tones above mild flaked oats.
Offbeat fruited Berliner Weisse with mildly acidic black peppered mango and tangerine pureed tartness skewering stylish cat-pissed brettanomyces yeast funk with puckered lemon liming and mild guava souring.
Debonairly mellow Makers Mark bourbon influence could use a push – but caramelized whiskey warmth, candied butterscotch serenity, leathery oaken vanilla tannins and dewy cellar funk stay elegantly subtle upfront atop lightly spiced brown chocolate base. Mild Amaretto, plum wine, prune pudding, dried cherry and roasted chestnut illusions waver. Confectionery fruit-pasted Fig Newton finish seals deal.
FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside a beige professional building at the coastal Cape Cod town of Falmouth on Main Street, AQUATIC BREWING CO. opened November ’20. The casually intimate brewpub was started by local MIT-grad residents Greg Horning and Alex Bergman, two homebrew hobbyists serious enough to take their ambitions to a higher level of prosperity.
A sterling operation, Aquatic Brewing’s porcelain-floored brewroom features an oak top serving station, five community tables, hanging pendant lights and rear brew tanks. A wood-boarded Aquatic insignia hangs above the silver tap handles.
My wife and I showed up on a Thursday eve in April ’24 prior to visiting Martha’s Vineyard for trivia night, downing five of Aquatic’s well-rounded offerings.
A fine yeast-lagered steam beer, Highly Common California Common gave its honeyed amber grain toastiness, lightly smoked peat malting and rustic hop earthiness a spritzy lemon pep as gluey paper pasting ensued.
Tart lemon souring overrode herbal hibiscus adjunct and light black peppering for muskily leathered saison, Hibiscus Shrewd, leaving a candied lemon peel bittering on the waxy crayon-like citrus finish.
A Northeast/West Coast IPA-styled pale ale, Defendable Draft placed dry grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering across spruce-tipped pine resin as candied papaya-mango-pineapple tropicalia seeped below.
Dark chocolatey light roast coffee and Madagascar vanilla headed rich Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Faint Glimmer, picking up ancillary espresso, mochaccino, caramel latte and burnt marshmallow banter over Black patent malt(?) bittering.
Cold-brewed milk-sugared coffee overtones ruled debonair Oatmeal Stout, Pie In The Sky, sweetened by toffee-candied burnt caramel malting.
During late September Cape Cod trip, discovered three more Aquatic draughts while taking home another eight new offerings (see Beer Index for reviews).
Brisk summery helles lager, Supergeil, a cold conditioned pilsner-malted light body, brought dewy orange oiling, sour lemon musk and dank leafy hop herbage.
Vibrant tropical fruited NEIPA, Planktos, spread zesty orange peel sweetness and yellow grapefruit bittering across light pine resin as lively pineapple salting, peachy papaya tanginess and guava souring emerge.
Nitro version of Woods Hole Stout retained light frothy head, dark-roast nutty coffee tones, dark chocolate bittering and powdered cocoa tartness as well as mild soy breading.