Riverwest Stein Beer

I picked this bottle up from the Midwest Brewers Fest in Plainfield last month. Reviewed while watching South Park on the new movie site Jen showed me: http://tubeplus.com/

Appearance: Brilliantly clear with strong carbonation, apparent from the accumulation of medium sized bubbles on the sides of the glass. Soapy white head leaves behind a styrafoam dry lacing. Darker amber in color.
Aroma: Lightly toasted barley makes a brief appearance along side a more pronounced hop character. A bit woodsy and dry smelling with an undertone of vininess.
Taste: A bit watery was my first impression. However at second taste, the malt comes through more pronounced characterized by subtle roastiness and toasted barley. Rather light, but with the finishing neutral hops, the beer eventually leaves a rather palatable caramel flavor on the palate for a long lived aftertaste. The viney flavor is a bit more masked here than in the aroma, but can still be picked up near the end, along side the bittering tannic hops. An element of chocolate evolves as the beer reaches room temperature.
Mouthfeel: Light and bubbly. The carbonation maintains a frothy texture within the beer while the mouthfeel itself is relatively smooth. Finish is dry and somewhat clean.
Overall Impression: A nice step back from all the pales and stouts, while still remaining light and refreshing. Malt profile is present, though not exaggerated. Flavorful yet refreshing.


83/100