Oarsman Ale

Thanks to Monte who bought Aubrey this six pack. And thanks to Aubrey for having a Gluten Allergy disabling her from drinking (too much) beer, and further encouraging me to drink the beer stock she had. I enjoyed this with steamed beets and carrots with pestle ground salt and sesame seeds along with a three cheese assortment and Gluten free crackers following a day walking 15 miles around Chicago going to the local breweries

Appearance: Yellow Straw color with no head. partially cloudy perhaps credited to fast chill haze. Carbonation still remains visible.

Aroma: Very light, and almost indescribable. I can hardly pick out any specific flavors, but it still maintains a subtle zest note to it.

Taste: Quite a soured taste with undertones of distilled apricots and breadiness. Very tart from the yeast interaction with wheat malts as well as sour tingle. Similarly this beer takes on a lot of tropical fruit like flavors like the finishing tartness of pineapple. Actually this most reminds me of Dogfish Head's Aprihop gone stale, in which the beer turns into a mouth puckering atrocity. Semi lactic tasting. The beer lacks a lot in the way of malt flavor, and I understand that is the type. It trades it for sour apples as the beer continues. This beer incorporates a lot of aspects pertaining to wild fermentation of most Belgian ales.

Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel is light and blonde like. Carbonation is very prickling at the tip of the tongue, furthering the immense sour taste.

Overall Impression: Not enthusiastic about this one. Bell's never gave a hint in the description on the back of the bottle so I had no idea what I was in for. Definitely a surprise to the palate. I wonder if this is really what fits a pale wheat ale category.


66/100