On tap at Kitchen & Beer Bar, sour ‘second-runnings stout conditioned on spent blackberries’ and cacao nibs retains dry lemon wedged coffee oiling and lightly bitter Bakers chocolate snicker over peaty compost soiling as murky dark cherry/ blackberry tartness and dry bourbon licks linger softly.
Seemingly unvaried takeoff of brewers’ Illuminati (bottle conditioned at Jolly Pumpkin) tosses wild yeast bacteria into bourbon-aged stout, creating sour-fruited raw molasses template over leathery cocoa musk. Dry whiskey waft consumes the nose as oaken cherry-vanilla tartness nearly conceals tannic red wine vinegaring and dry bourbon-burgundy whir while curdled soy milking gains lactic mocha edge.
On tap at Brass Tap, softly creamed milk-soured mocha theme gains soy-sauced snip for silken nitro-like acidulated stout. Musky cocoa-dried dark chocolate and black coffee bittering plus mild hop char undone by soapy finish a tad.
On tap at Ambulance, uncommon peculiarity works tart black lime adjunct into light brandy-rum barrel aging. Wood-burnt smoked molasses influence sweetened by tingly cinnamon-mace-allspice-cardamom seasoning to contrast sour lemon respite.
Oddly compelling Belgian dark saison combines tart red-wined souring and leathery barnyard acridity with chicory-smoked black chocolate roast. Soy-sauced Blackstrap molasses bittering picks up latent black pepper smidge, cocoa powder tinge and espresso quirk.
Well-designed collaboration works creamy mocha malting of Colorado’s Left Hand Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout into sour-candied dried fruiting of Belgium’s De Proef Zoetzuur Flemish Red. The result is an uncompromisingly complex blend soaking musky cherry-dried red grape, plum, prune and fig desiccation with Blackstrap molasses-enriched black chocolate roast. Underneath the surface, ashen hop char contrasts chocolate-covered Maraschino cherry tartness and wispy bourbon-burgundy wining.
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On tap at Ambulance, earth-scorched moderate body loads lemon-peeled oaken cherry souring atop stout-styled dark roast chocolate and raw cacao bittering. Soy-milked souring adds lactic residue.
On tap at Ambulance Brew House, salient 2014 wild ale loads kaffir-limed lemon rind souring and acidic bacterial vinegaring atop diminished smoked chocolate roast. Lemonhead-candied pucker recedes slightly to tart green grape-apple pucker, subtle oaken cherry dalliance and brief blueberry-raspberry-mulberry rasp. Raw cocoa, dried tobacco and Baker’s chocolate seniments vie for tertiary space at unsweetened lemonade finish.