Charlotte, North Carolina’s Sugar Creek Brewing Company has crafted a unique and alluring Pale Ale that has a richness and fullness to the effort that separates it from other pale ales currently on the market. There is a good amount of off-wheat head that sits on top of the beer. The decent amount of malt that is included in this effort makes the beer stand up well; the sharpness of…
Illinois’ own Destihl Brewery has created a dubbel that hits all of the high notes of the Belgian style without moving too far into the pruny tastes that sink many a dubbel. The beer pours with a brown to mahogany coloration and a small amount of off-white head that rapidly dissipates. The initial nose of this Dubbel is sweet, heavy with raisin. and concludes with a bit of malt at the…
While nutty flavors are quite commonplace in beers, the presence of nuts in the brewing process is slightly less so. Of the top of my head, we last encountered nuts in our beer with the Black Walnut Dunkel from Perennial. Smuttynose’s Smuttlabs label has challenged the common conception of what a saison can be with their latest, a Chestnut Saison. What results here is a bold blend of nutty, spicy, and…
Newberry Eruption is an aggressively-hopped imperial red ale that makes for a formidable brew, something that will warm individuals as we move towards the winter months. The effort pours with an intense red coloration and a small amount of off-white head. The sharpness of the hop bitterness that is experienced here is moderated by an similarly-strong malt presence. The thin to moderate mouthfeel of Newberry Eruption is the perfect vehicle…
Colorado’s Breckenridge Brewery has made a high-octane variant of their 471 Small Batch IPA, making for one of the best double/imperial IPAs that we’ve reviewed this year. The 471 IPApours with a copper to gold coloration with a nose that is heavy on woodsy and piney elements. An initial sip yields vanilla, spice, cantaloupe and bit of honeydew. As the 471 Hull melon warms, a greater amount of sweetness swells up…
One of the smoothest scotch ales we have received, Founders’ Dirty Bastard is a beer that pours with a dark brown to reddish coloration. A good amount of tannish head pours on top, yielding a tremendous amount of lacing as an imbiber continues along their journey.
Breakfast Exorcism is a limited-distribution beer from Massachusetts’ Clown Shoes brewery, with a base of Undead Party Crasher (imperial stout). The beer is aged in rye barrels that have had espresso beans from the Barrington Coffee Roasting Company. This imperial stout has a good coffee nose and a little bit of sweetness at the end, something that is expanded upon when one takes their first sip. The mouthfeel of Breakfast…
Shark Bait is Miami Brewing Company’s wheat beer that separates itself from the pack with the inclusion of mangoes. The beer pours with a hazy golden color and a fair amount of white head that sits on top of the effort pretty consistently. There is only a minor amount of lacing that appears at points during one’s journey with the beer, even as the foam on the top of the…
New Belgium and Ben and Jerry’s have collaborated to make a delectably sweet and refreshing brown ale. The beer pours with a mahogany red to burnished brown color. There is a small amount of tannish head that remains on the beer for a decent length of time. The thicker mouthfeel of this beer is luxurious, with hints of cocoa and vanilla pointing through at points to cut through more of…
471 Small Batch IPA is a double/imperial IPA created by Colorado’s Breckenridge brewery. The effort pours with a deep yellow to brown coloration and a decent amount of off-white head that sticks around through a glass. The nose of 471 links together grain and floral elements with a hint of spice. An initial sip of this imperial IPA showcases a luxurious mouthfeel that successfully sails between the…
Thriller is Asheville, North Carolina’s Green Man Brewery’s blood orange saison, part of the brewery’s high gravity series. This saison is an effort that has a vibrant reddish-brown to ruby red color and a good amount of beige head that dissipates in short order. Hints of yeast and malt are married to more barnyard (grassy, hay) elements. The 7.7% ABV of the brew is hidden perfectly among the distinctive flavor…
The Smoked Peach Short Weisse from Smuttynose ($6 from the brewery directly, available through normal distribution) is the latest release from the Smuttlabs line, available in 16.9 ounce bottle. The beer pours with a goldenrod coloration and nothing in the way of head or lacing. The peach nose is intense here and is matched well during the initial quaff. Equally present during this early segment of Smuttynose’s Smoked Peach Short…
California’s Coronado Brewing Company has just released their Stupid Stout for the year. The 2015 iteration of Stupid Stout is one of the most rock-solid imperial stouts that we have reviewed at NeuFutur. When one pours into a goblet or glass, they will be greeted with a black color that is dark as night with a good amount of tan heads that is slow to dissipate. The effort comes in…
Avery’s Old Jubilation Ale pours with a dark brown and a very small amount of tannish, off-white head. There is a good amount of effervescence to this effort, which immediately invites with a nose that links together dark fruit with just a hint of alcohol. When one begins to sip the beer, they will be greeted with a good amount of toasted malt, nuttiness, and a bit of coffee. The…
A Pale Mosaic is an India Pale Ale (IPA) from Austin, TX’s Hops & Grain brewery. The beer pours with a hazy yellow to goldenrod coloration. The nose of A Pale Mosaic is floral with hints of grass and citrus elements. There is a spotty lacing that makes an appearance variously in one’s glass. With the initial sip, imbibers will be hit with strong pine and lemony, orange-heavy flavors.
Blue Point Brewing Company’s (Long Island, NY)’s Winter Ale pours with a dark, rich brown coloration and a small amount of tannish head that disappears quickly. The initial nose of this Winter Ale is sweet, heavy with dark fruits, and with just enough grain and malt to invite imbibers in. The first pull that one will take from the Winter Ale links together brown sugar and a bit of bitterness…
Brian’s Remorse is a barrel-aged stout (Saugatuck has placed it in oak bourbon barrels including those from Woodford Reserve, Heaven Hill, Wild Turkey and Buffalo Trace); the time spent ensconced in wood has imparted a distinct and unique flavor to this stout that typically is reserved to beers that are at the 9-12% ABV mark. The richness of this beer makes it eminently drinkable and complex as all get out;…
Pecker Wrecker is a seasonal offering from Texas’ Rahr & Sons’ brewery. The beer pours with a good amount of off-white head that sticks around for a good amount of time; Pecker Wrecker pours with a dark yellow to golden coloration. The nose showcases malt and sweeter elements, two tastes that come forth at various points during the body. Rahr & Sons’ latest is a downright dangerous effort, hiding the…
16-Bit DPA is a double pale ale from Manhattan, Kansas’ Tallgrass Brewing Company. The beer pours with a hazy dark-yellow to orange coloration and a small amount of persistent white head; lacing is spotty. There is a great blend of hoppy and wheaty that plays out as one continues to quaff. Toastier elements are present as the 16-Bit DPA continues to warm, while the floral and citrus elements remain considerably…
Based on the successes of their initial efforts in the Wild Sour Series, Bloomington, Illinois’ Destihl Brewery has continued to expand the line. We were fortunate enough to receive samples of their Lynnbrook, a Raspberry Berliner Weisse. The beer pours with a vibrant pink color and a complex nose that showcases the sharp bite of raspberries; Lynnbrook’s head sits on top of the effort for a short time before dissipating…