SANTA ISN'T REAL!!!!
Okay, that out of the way, let's continue on our trek of bringing you humorous and informative reviews on beer (mostly craft, but also broke beers like Olde English, Burger, and Stroh's). By the way, speaking of Burger beer, why is it so damned hard to find? Meijer has a spot for it on the shelves, but never stock it, Kroger has a spot, never stocked, Savor Market carries it, and hopefully it's not sold out. I would like to take this time to publicly raise my personal rating for Burger to 3.5/5 caps (when previously it was rated at 3.3/5 caps). But I seem to be rambling again.
Onto this beer.
Now, why are we reviewing a wintertime seasonal selection in the 90 degree heat of June? Because we haven't reviewed this yet. My first experience with this came in the form of a mixed 6 pack from my brother-from-another-mother as a birthday gift. I recall, from a drunken sleep deprived memory from November, that this wasn't your typical winter brew- that it didn't have the cinnamon and spices that seem to be typically added to winter/Christmas ales. Apparently, this memory was correct as this brew follows the German Purity Law of 1516. Hops, malted grain, water and yeast. Nothing else.
This pours a rich darker amber color, with a small amount of off-white head that dissipates quickly. The aroma is earthy, herbal, malty with some hints of orange and apricot. The flavor is a very earthy and herbal tea like with hints of some spice (clove?). There's not much of a malt tone, just slight hints of biscuit and caramel that hit fast and fade faster. This ends with an earthy tone with a slight bitterness that fades slowly. There are some hints of spice in here, but not powerful, just enough to add to the concoction that is this hoppy red ale. This has a lighter mouthfeel and drinks faster than you'd think. I cannot find a properly documented ABV on this, but the IBUs, according to Rogue's website, is 65.
Worth checking out to entice your taste buds when the colder weather hits, or if you have a bottle around in hot weather, this is equally enjoyable.
4.3/5 caps
-Nathan
Hockey is cold. It's played on ice, it lasts throughout the winter season, and the arena is usually pretty chilly to preserve the playing surface. I think this fits, even though it's still above 80 degrees after midnight in June. Sigh. Ohio. I'm still bitter about missing most of the audio of the game, which was placed on a split screen with the regional radar. We're now nearing the end of the second overtime (and if you aren't familiar with playoff NHL hockey, they play 20-minute periods until someone scores a goal). So these gents have been on the ice for, as of now, almost 100 minutes. It's pretty fucking insane, and one more reason that I believe hockey to be superior to all other sports. Want some proof? Can you chase a puck on skates? Can you do anything on skates? What, no? I've made my point. And don't compare it to figure skating -- there is so much athleticism in hockey.
At least they're only covering the stupid storm during intermissions now, with the scrolling updates running across the top of the screen. So I can watch hockey and drink beer. It's as good a pairing as an IPA and a good, smoky barbecue. Don't question me. I'm pretty surly over StormGate.
Oh wait, there's beer to drink, and incidentally, soothe my soul.
This has had significant time to warm, so I may pick up some different notes than Nathan. I find the aroma bready with a little citrus and caramel and ok, I get the apricot. The flavor is... yummy. Let me take another sip and see if I can pin it down more. I pick up a lot more biscuit and bready tones, with again some orange, and yes, some clove (or perhaps a bite of black pepper). According to BeerAdvocate, it's 6% ABV. As Nathan mentioned, it is very light-bodied and disappearing too quickly for my liking.
This has a familiar flavor to me... but I can't figure out whether I've had this before or whether it's reminiscent of another beer I cannot immediately recall. It's definitely good, and yes, pick some up if you can still find it.
4.2/5 caps
-Jennie
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