Friday, April 27, 2012

Oberon Ale

My apologies for the infrequency in my posts. As many of you know, I've re-located to Holland, MI. Where I am fortunate enough to be working as a brewer at New Holland Brewing Co. In any case, I'm going to make my best effort to get back on track. This is my first review since moving to Michigan nearly three weeks ago. Thanks to my housemate, Austin for picking up a six pack of this the other night as we rounded season three of Breaking Bad.
5.8% ABV

Appearance: Golden and bright, yet with a hard presence of flocculent and particles throughout. Even within the bottle, this beer displayed a thick layer of sediment. I did my best to avoid pouring it into the glass. The lacing is speckled and wet, while a soapy white bubble accumulation on top.
Aroma: Faint malt bill of 2-row and wheat. Citrus carries on in an under current while a yeasty nose rounds out the finish. Some faint orange/coriander comes through, but remains second nature under a more malt/wheat based sweetness.
Taste: The introduction on the palate is reminiscent of coriander and wheat, with a bit of extra sweetness to carry through to the second half. Citrus fruit begins to emerge on the palate in the second half, along with a overwhelmingly familiar orange rind flavor...as if one had just bit down on an orange in order to start the peeling process. However, the finish carries on to a very refreshing status with a prominent wheat and yeasty sweetness on to the end.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation hits the tongue right at the start, and then begins to dissipate as it reaches the back of the throat. The body is a bit heavier, most probably due to the wheat. Some stickiness remains on the lips. The very end is dry and crisp with a bittered dryness remaining on the palate long after the last gulp.
Overall Impression: I knew what Oberon was before I even knew who made it... Obviously this goes back many years. The beer lives up to its hype. I could drink this any day of the week and certainly see this as something nearing the perfect hot-summer-day beer. The rich orange/coriander flavor is something I'm unfamiliar with when tasting wheat beers, so this remains one of its own.

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