Winningly peculiar limited ’13/’14 release spreads sweet mango juice above and beyond candi-sugared orange, pineapple, peach, melon, kiwi, lychee and guava paradise. But it’s the hefty halapeno burn that’ll test one’s tolerance. Minor cayenne-chili peppering contrasts honeyed Graham Cracker spine.
On tap at Copper Mine, interestingly uncommon ancient Danish recipe loads sinewy wildflower-honeyed birch syrup upon curious lingenberry, cranberry and raspberry souring. Rich Graham Cracker honeyed affluence overrides pollenated botanical herbage, white rum spicing and bruised orange tartness as well as casual berry intrigue. Not far removed from a heather-herbed gruit beer.
Thin chartreuse-hazed German weiss/ American fruit ale hybrid offers dainty elderberry influence to washed-out banana-clove sweetness and coarse hop spicing. Light floral-tinged blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry illusions hit the nose but recede flavor-wise.
Unusual purple-paled complexion greets Sauvignon Cabernet red grape wining. Soft green and purple grape tannins as well as sweet strawberry-blueberry-boysenberry conflux creates underlying pleasantries to moderate-bodied subtlety. Earthen bottom parches mild vanilla-dabbed Sauvignon finish. In comparison, Impulse retains better clarity and taste than competing 2012 “Vintage Age” Proximity.
Iffy dry-bodied fruit ale (circa 2011) brewed with Chardonnay grape juice struggles to find a solid groove. Tart white grape tannins and a lemony Pez reminder sweetened by ripe raspberry-cranberry conflux, but acidic esters and citric zest nullified by sharp astringency. Minor cider pucker, washed-out white wining, nominal pink rosé inkling and bland plantain snip become acrid over withered white wheat base.
Sultry fruit ale too washed-out and unassertive. Easygoing dessert treat combines flittering banana-skinned plantain placidity, squelched banana-leafed tranquility and pureed banana cream-pied ambiguity above mild peppery hop astringency. Advertised sultana (golden raisin) influence is a non-factor. Under-whelming banana liqueur nip and light vanilla sweetness quashed by soapy spell.
Beautiful golden-cleared moderate body drapes soft lemon-limed pink grapefruit sugaring over fresh-cut grassing and delicate cracked wheat spine. Vogue-ish Sorachi Ace hops mildly embitter tangy lemon pith, mandarin orange rind, and tangerine spritz to crisp, clean finish.
A fruit ale lover’s delight. Clumped yeast sediment invades sweet melon-y amber-hazed hefeweizen. Juicy watermelon extract brings Jolly Rancher tartness to bubble-gummy banana-clove center and wheat-honeyed cornbread bottom. Salty-hopped Seltzer-fizzed carbonation speckles honeyed nectarine-cantaloupe lacquering. Never gets cloy.
Mildly astringent compost-wafted Thanksgiving-styled fruit ale lacks distinct character profile. Meek cranberry tartness, ester-y grape souring, and residual Vienna malt sugaring lost to phenol hop coarsening. Red cherry, raspberry and strawberry sweetness found in deep recess of easygoing moderate-bodied auburn ale. White-breaded spine falters badly.
Juicy cherry-soured raspberry tartness provides oaken-dried red fruiting to understated caramel malting of light-bodied dessert alternative. Mildly acidic red-fruited Sweet-Tart illusion fades to cherry soda midst. Soapier when warmed.
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.