On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Haledon, rapturous hop-bomb loads yellow grapefruit peel and orange rind bittering atop lingered bone-dry piney hop astringency. In the backdrop, tangy lemon, mango, orange and tangerine illusions subside as piquant grapefruit wallop continues.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead – Hoboken, slight oak char affects dark-roast coffee frontage, cocoa nibs-influenced dark chocolate syruping and bitter tobacco-chawed hop resin of crisply clean-watered porter. Beneath the bittersweet mocha surface, charred walnut respite contrasts tangy black cherry, fig and blackberry spell.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, peculiar 9.5% ABV collaboration with New York’s Finback brings raw-honeyed plastique nature to mild wood-dried hop bittering and dank hemp oiling, leaving orange-peeled grapefruit and pineapple tang in its wake.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, fine Turkish coffee-related porter offers brown-sugared cardamom and cumin spicing to vanilla-creamed black chocolate malting. Bittersweet cocoa-powdered coffee bean theme never relinquishes exquisite Indian spicing.
On tap at Amazing Grapes, refreshingly clean “Imperial” pale ale (not IPA) tosses ripe peaches into crisp citric hop bittering, unexpectedly leaving prominent yellow grapefruit overtones on the palate. Peachy grapefruit zest intensifies as tertiary pineapple, mango and lemon illusions wisp by.
Most likely brewed a few miles east at Magnify and on tap at Rockaway River Barn, faux golden ale is really a semi-bold pilsner with cereal-grained honey malts and light lemon sugaring contrasting phenol hop astringency and mildly musky acridity.
On tap at Amazing Grapes, soft-toned saison-influenced citrus souring and farmhouse-dried barnyard leathering affect lemony IPA-like yellow grapefruit and orange rind bittering above polite honeyed malt sweetness. Tropical Nelson Sauvin hop influence reaches fruition at the brisk mineral-watered citric finish.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, ‘divergent’ stout fermented with Italian red wine yeast happily marries dark ale mocha tendencies to tart grape tannins, oaken bourbon whims and black cherry snips. At the finish, dry cocoa, bittersweet chocolate and molasses oats take charge, leaving dark-fruited aspect to linger behind.
On tap at End Of Elm, ‘uber juicy’ medium body allows sour lemon-seeded yellow grapefruit tang to invigorate mild floral-perfumed hop prickle while deepening dry wood tone. At finish, brusque citric overtones pick up latent marmalade tea herbage as well as setback tangerine, peach and mango illusions.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, Napa Valley-barreled red wine esters positively affect tart saison yeast fruiting and desiccated barnyard acridity of nifty offshoot. Lemony yellow grape acidity, puckered orange juicing and zippy apple cider bite receive sedate black peppering beneath vinous Cabernet Sauvignon influence.