A Flowery Song

Background: The brewery’s a new one on me, and I’m not even sure offhand where Mount Pleasant is. The beer has a decent label and is described by the brewers as a “classic, sweet stout”.

Nose: Repressed, slightly sweet and roasty.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, counterbalanced by a deep coffee roastiness and medium to high hop bitterness.

Overall: Quaffable though not spectacular. The finish is slightly acrid, but there’s none of the smokiness that would make that acceptable.

Background: Made from clover, wildflower and buckwheat honeys along with fresh-pressed Michigan apple cider, cinnamon, and cloves. Aged at least partially on American oak.

Nose: Crisp apples and floral honey with mild pie spice influences. Faint hint of acetone.

Taste: Medium sweetness, hints of malic tartness. Dark, sweet flavours from the buckwheat and earthy apple cider. Middling amount of cinnamon on the finish.

Overall: Very competently done. Not too sweet, with a good balance of flavours where the spices complement rather than overwhelm.

Background: Low-alcohol (6% ABV) dessert wine from the Golan Heights in Galilee. Kosher for Passover.

Nose: Floral and fruity; peaches, mangoes, and papaya.

Taste: Lightly effervescent, which helps to offset the sweetness. Fresh tropical fruit with citrus influences.

Overall: Very light and refreshing, plus it tastes good and has some acidity. Good accompanying a dessert or on its own as an aperitif.

Background: Yes, I’m a sucker for collaborative beers (among many other things). This was brewed at SN’s facility using their own barley and maple syrup from the Calagione family farm. Clocking in at 10% ABV, it was fermented using a mix of the house strains from the two breweries, and bottle-conditioned (with Alaskan birch syrup used for priming). There was also a companion beer called Limb and Life made from the second runnings, but that was a very limited release and draft-only.

Nose: Boozy. Darkly fruity. Not much else, to be honest.

Taste: Hot alcohol. Mildly sweet, with some dark toasted character. Medium hop bitterness. Chewy maple toffee.

Overall: Disappointing. I was hoping for a bit more complexity, but whatever was there was buried under an overwhelming alcohol presence. The combination of the heavy alcohol and the unsubtle hops also makes the bitterness a bit too prominent in comparison with the other components.