Fluctuant Belgian dark ale brings aromatic cider souring to dry-hopped herbal citric tranquility. Bruised lemon, green apple, dried fig, red currant, and oaken grape esters inform unassuming 12% alcohol luster of bronzed grist-grained medium body. Marinated tealeaf finish secures refermented-in-the-bottle fizzle.
‘Rustic’ tan-headed brown-bodied dark ale retains Sugar Daddy appeal above nutty maple malting. Chocolate-y cocoa creaminess lingers through sour-fruited raisin-fig-date tartness and hop-roasted cola-macadamia-hazelnut nuttiness. Frothy molasses-sapped black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, coconut, and coffee ice cream illusions sweeten busy backend to oats-toasted almond-buttered toffee-candied finish.
Lavish candi-sugared Belgian-styled dark ale much closer to warm barleywine. Rich orange-bruised cherry puree uprising, sweet caramel apple bounty and tertiary banana-pineapple-mango tropicalia enhance whiskey-slurred bourbon-burgundy-brandy boozing. Brown chocolate-spiced continuance heightens rum-soaked raisin, plum, fig, and date fruiting. Luscious dessert treat is perfect as a nightcap.
Kitsch-y oak-aged Belgian-styled ’09-initiated dark ale boasts candi-sugared barleywine-spirited complexity elevating compost-wafted cola-hued oak-chipped full body. Expansive cinnamon toasting drapes Belgian chocolate, banana bread, cherry puree, sugar plum and dried fig seduction. Bruised orange sweetness contrasting mild grapefruit rind bittering never ransack creamy rum-spiced brown-sugared vanilla uprising and toffee-glazed recess. Tertiary cookie dough, buttered pecan, and almond illusions cake everlastingly creamy molasses-chocolate-cocoa malting.
On tap, robust cola-hued dry-bodied Belgian wit/black beer merger leans towards darker side. Sharp chocolate nuttiness fends off hop-roasted black coffee bittering and wood-burnt charcoal tarring before candi-sugared crystal-malted cherry puree, prune, and plum illusions provide sweet counteractive splendor. Bourbon warmth mellows cocoa nibs-informed mocha finish.
Though lacking distinct character, cascading brown-bodied tan-headed Belgian-style dark ale (with yeast speckles) retains heartiness. Medicinal candi-sugared dark-fruited intrigue fades into fleeting cinnamon-spiced chocolate midst. Sour wildflower honey acerbity upends ginger-clove nuances as well as underutilized citrus peel bittering.
Roasted malts deepen moderate hop bitterness of reddish-coppered, dry-bodied, Scottish-styled Mexican. Finish goes from grain roasted sweetness to citrus rind sourness. Not nearly as efficient and too soapy when compared to aggressive Modelo Negra.
Dry oaken white grape waft fills out front end of turbid prune-hued amber ale. Perfumed fig-plum tartness, green raisin prop, and faint barleywine-bourbon remnant found in recessive smoked peat backdrop. Peppery hop fizz burdens chocolate-coated pecan-almond scamper.
Robust white-bottled prune-clouded ale gains candied brandy charm above dried-fruited chocolate-soured spicing. Concentrated carbonation grips the tongue, allowing clove-allspice adjuncts to seduce. On tap, ripe apple, red grape, and raisin-fig nuances reinforce alcohol-soaked malts.
Tepid brown-bodied middleweight suffers from lackluster up-front toasted hop thrust, fleeting dry prune souring, and astringent roasted chocolate malting to earthen nutty bottom. Meek cola sweetness hardly felt.
Merely duplicating other British brewers’ weaker attempts, bland ale lacks distinct oatmeal persistence, and strangely, could be better defined as a dark lager thanks to fizzy hop bitterness tucking away cracked barley sweetness and slackened mocha-chocolate influence. Rich toasted graining saves this from complete mediocrity.