A Touch of Taste

There is something enigmatic about this Nebraska brew.

You embrace toasted bread, sweet and almost chocolaty malt, sweetness and something lowdown like chalk on the nose. Yet there’s a subtle bite indicated in there somewhere, akin to pine needles or marinated cherries—it’s difficult to pin down.

The flavor is equally involved. Spicy pepper and bitterness prickles your palate and dissipates, leaving a casual, swaggering cocoa powder ease that edges more toward toffee than malted milk. Toasted bread crust comes to mind, as well, before the hoppy side returns to have a say in Luna Sea’s finish....