West Sixth American Strong Ale
West Sixth Brewing Company

Hop dominant, ...no, wait. ...malt balanced. But bitter at its core. ....but sweet on the tongue... the schitzophrenia of American strong ale has always suggested that there's both a hoppy beer and a malty beer living in the same glass. But where conflict in flavor might be expected, there's a harmony in tragedy.

West Sixth's American Strong Ale pours a handsome mahogany color that coddles a medium haze. Its frothy sepia stained foam structure laces evenly and sheds a balanced fragrance of pine, citrus, toast, toffee and dark fruit. Its taste is sticky sweet as the malty elixir grazes the lip, bursting in flavor with brown sugar, nuttiness, toffee and light molasses.

But the tide turns on the middle palate as the malt sweetness is met with the zesty flavors of strong orange peel and grapefruit. Stubborn in its sweet linger, the hops quickly develop into a peppery, grassy and herbal taste to balance the malts before trailing with the sappy stickiness of pine resins and toasted woods for a final hop forward impact on the late palate.

Deliciously toasty, nutty and grainy, the finish of bitter granola gives the palate a bittersweet taste and an impeccably balanced demeanor from sip to finish. Its a uniquely American taste that's well suited for the winter season- sustaining in its malty bulk and its boisterous strength yet daringly refreshing and crisp with an aftertaste of peanut skins and citrus peels.