A coffee shandy anyone? Tart lemon-candied pucker usurps polite light roast coffee influence for uniquely hybridized American IPA. At times like a ginger-herbed lemonade, this lightly soured sucker casually caresses its lemony center with mandarin orange and tangerine wisps. Probably should’a upped the coffee tones, but needless to say, this works fine.
Bright grapefruit tang leads the way for splendid tropical-fruited medium body, picking up sharp lemon souring and mild earthen pining to contrast underlying candy-spiced malt sugaring. Orange-peeled pineapple, mango, papaya and peach glaze its grapefruit-forward surface.
On tap at Taphouse 15, lightly spiced yellow grapefruit tang picks up sugary vanilla creaming and caramelized pale malting to contrast mild earthen wood tones (from Amarillo-Simcoe hop combo) for worthy moderate-to-medium-bodied New England-styled IPA.
On tap at Plank Pizza, rangy 11.5% ABV porter drapes creamy dark chocolate syrup atop mildly spiced dried fruiting. Mocha-bound black cherry, raspberry, raisin and prune tones gain slight rummy molasses and bourbon vanilla licks while ashen hops relegate distant wood-seared tobacco leaf crisping. Yummy chocolate cherry cake dessert alternative.
On tap at Taphouse 15, crisply clean Citra-hopped medium body sparkles with bitter orange-peeled grapefruit rind luster and tangy lemon zest riding above mild crystal malt sugaring. Subtle mango, tangerine, peach and passionfruit undertones flicker.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, sweet ‘n sour orange-candied mango, tangerine and grapefruit tang gains mildly creamed crystal malting to contrast sedate pine hops and oats-dried herbal snips.
Modestly soured pale ale lets mildly acidic lemon rind tartness and vinous yellow grape bittering pick up oceanic alkaline saltiness, causing toned-down brettanomyces-like pungency to increase sourness.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, easygoing moderation lets Nelson Sauvin hop acidity bring subtle grapefruit, orange, gooseberry and passionfruit tropicalia to the fore, becoming slightly astringent by the citric-soured finish.
Brewed and bottled at Michigan’s Dark Horse, richly creamed stout aged in bourbon-barreled maple syrup proves to be another worthy Jesus descendant. Brown-sugared maple syrup usurps brown chocolate liqueur, fudged brownie, vanilla bean, coconut, marshmallow, blackberry and dark cherry sweetness over oak-charred smoked cedar . At the syrupy bourbon chocolate finish, lovely sherry-brandy wining, tingly anise spicing and raw molasses bittering increase complexity of robust dessert treat.
Beginning with a heavy black coffee influence, astoundingly thick and chewy full body (with well-hidden 10.5% ABV) gains moderated cinnamon, almond and cocoa nibs adjuncts draped by viscous black chocolate syrup. Arguably bettering the original Imperial Biscotti Break (and brewed in conjunction with fellow South Carolinians Westbrook), luxuriously rich variant takes time developing a true almond or cinnamon biscotti flavor as wispy habanero peppering contrasts sharp sugar spicing below the chocolate fudge-caked dessert midst. Bittersweet vanilla-beaned dark cocoa and sticky anise goo thicken the massive mocha plot while tertiary black grape, black cherry and fig illusions add complexity to splendid dessert treat.
On tap at Taphouse 15, elongated rebel-rousin’ moniker opposes summery soft-watered moderation. Delicate piney-hopped yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering gains mild juniper nip to contrast sedate pineapple, mango and tangerine illusions.
“Iconic” 1985-styled Americanized IPA layers lemony grapefruit, pineapple and orange tang above bready cereal-grained malting and freshly cut-grass hop astringency. Modest herbal snip, light pine resin wisp and aspirin-like chalking scrape the metallic edges. Stylishly thin and insubstantial.