From the smell one would assume this would be a very malt-heavy beer and lacking on the hops but one would be wrong. The flavors found in the smell are also very present in the taste with sweet bready malts hitting the tongue first followed by those dark candied fruits like figs and prunes. Then the hops come into play with a commanding citric-pine spiciness. For the remainder of the beer the flavor passes from brown-sugar sweet to citrus-zest bitter while the hops and malt fight for dominance. The finish is both dry and slightly sweet leaving your taste-buds ready for the next drink. Read More »
Tag Archives: seasonal
Anchor Bock Beer
This was quite an interesting review as site and smell aspects of this review were some of the best I've done, yet the flavor didn't match up. Anchor is no slouch when it comes to making some incredibly flavorful beer, however I think more of a balance could be struck with this Bock style beer. Read More »
Mudslinger Spring Ale
Mudslinger Spring Ale is a re-branding of their nut brown ale. I’m not sure why they rebranded it, I can only assume it’s to match their catchy seasonal naming convention (ie: Rope Swing, Late Harvest, etc). Either way it’s a great name for this sweet nutty ale. Being a nut brown the predominate flavors are going to be sweet and this doesn’t disappoint. This heavily malted beer has lots of chocolate, nutty, caramel and vanilla flavors to satisfy even the most discerning sweet tooth. Yet all is not lost for the hope heads among us. Certainly this is a sweet beer but Red Hook has added just enough hops to give this sweet ale an earthy, grassy bitterness that not only does a great job at balancing the beer but really tastes like springtime. The only downside I found was the thin mouthfeel. The carbonation was quite high so it gave a thin and somewhat watery feel. Your millage may vary so make sure you check this beer out for yourself. Overall I’m happy with the beer and could easily drink a few on a nice spring day. Cheers! Read More »
Blue Moon Winter Abby Ale
Candied sugar and sweet toasted malts make up a predominant amount of the flavor. While it's very sweet it's still a very thin, watered down flavor. There is some bready-malts that come through on the end but it's just not give this beer any sort of body. There is pretty much zero hop bitterness or taste. Which is would have really helped cut through the heavy sweetness of this beer. The finish is muddy and malty with a hint of alcohol. Read More »
Old Jubilation
Avery is a known champion when it comes to developing full-flavored rich beers and their Old Jubilation is no slouch. With it’s big malt profile this Winter Warmer certainly tips the scales on the sweet side of things with flavors of hazelnuts, caramelized sugar, chocolate and roasted malts. This brew actually drinks more like a porter than a winter ale. Read More »