Witty White Wheat Ale

Thanks to Vlad for bringing this beer over for our beer dinner and tasting night a couple weeks ago. This was part of an assorted six pack from Rock Island's Hy-vee. Tasted Monday afternoon following a run through Rock Island.
5.4% ABV

Appearance: Poured a golden hazed yellow with a puffy white head. Dissipation was exasperatingly quick to leave behind a faint bubbly film across the surface of the beer. Hazed and rather still looking.
Aroma: Spicy phenols amount at the front of the beer with brief hints of banana, clove as well as nutmeg and coriander. Some wheat citrus is present. Even a bit doughy. But the spice dominates over all.
Taste: There is a front bready sweetness with a yeast bite and a citrusy zest flavor. Some honey is present. Orange peel from the coriander and a profound nutmeg and cinnamon is right there along with the wheat sweetness as it moves to the midtaste. Lots of coriander. The end is nice and actually quite clean. Some yeast flavor resides in the finish but all the spicing ends pretty abruptly. Zesty and choked full or orange peel flavor. Blue moon counterpart, but boasting more flavor.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is high and bubbly, nearly spritzy. The mouthfeel is medium in feel (probably oats) along with a bit of a cloying texture at the roof of the mouth.
Overall Impression: A lot more spicing in this one, but I'd still say it's balanced against the wheat sweetness very well. Very spicy.

Ryediculous IPA

Tasted following a 10 hour day at the brewery. I can successfully say I've learned to clean and prep the fermenters on my own, filter and back flush on my own, and run an acid loop on the kettle...on my own! This was tasted following another organic rice mix with my garden vegetables. Pint served. Purchased from (and new to) Rock Island Hy-vee.

Appearance: Shady brown with a faint red tinge. The head is very strong maintaining a cream color and a fine micro bubble density. Lacing is netted along all sides of the glass. It is generally somewhat hazy, though carbonation is somewhat visible.
Aroma: Clean but with a splash of tropical citrus and orange peel. A bit floral and earthy. Malt profile is basic caramel. A faint rye scent is permeable to the nostrils, but is seems to meld with an underlying grassiness at the very end of the smell. Perhaps some plum is present.
Taste: Nicely balanced between a ever prominent caramel malt bill, with notes of brown sugar sweetness, but then equalizes a much floral hop bitterness. One can draw orange and bitter grapefruit, but also apparent notes of pine and other resinous flavors. Between all this, the rye helps a developing oak flavor blossom from the depths of the layered complexity. Near the end there is a bit of spicing, probably from the rye adjunct. The finish is grassy, while the aftertaste remains in a state of stale alpha acids and leafy dry hopped complexion, almost astringent. Subtle hints of plum and other dark roasted fruits emerge in an overall afterthought
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, but the fine carbonation could give the misconception of being bigger than it really is. Mouthfeel is soft, and a bit heavy in texture. The finish is very dry and astringently resinous leaving a bitter feel/taste in the mouth long after.
Overall Impression: I think this beer goes overboard on the bittering hops in the boil. Perhaps too alpha-acid-happy with Warriors or Noble hops? The Cascade just don't give this beer what it should have... The rye idea is cool, but had this beer used maybe..liberty? or Simcoe? Then I think we'd be in business! Otherwise it's just too plainly bitter at the end. Body is interestingly deceptive.


79/100

Hop on Top

Thanks to Jaron Gaier for bringing over a sixpack of this beer for an enormous pizza dinner! Reviewed Wednesday night following my second interview with Modern Woodmen (yay!) and before a night out in Rock Island with the Tim Faith.

Appearance: Pours a clear, golden yellow and with a very thin cream-colored head which dissipates to leave a patch of bubbles in the middle and around the side of the glass. Carbonation bubbles layer the side of the glass, reminding me of a sparkling apple cider, those non-alcoholic drinks you may have had as a child at holiday parties.
Aroma: Very light and apparent presence of citrus hops. Possibly some apple vinegar sort of aroma following a light malt base. Personally, I detected an underlying pungent aroma that reminded me of a barnyard smell, possibly due to the bouquet of dried flowers Hop On Top features.
Taste: Flavor is very simple and light. It has a basic toasted malt bill that is complemented by the slightest touch of hop bitterness at the end which doesn't stick around for long. Weird...in an after burp I tasted flowers. Can't pinpoint which kind, per say, but it was there! There is a slight tartness (perhaps apricots) and a slight presence of pine as well.
Mouthfeel: Light body but it is very creamy and goes down smooth. Bubbly active carbonation that quickly removes any aftertaste one may experience. Crisp, nevertheless
Overall Impression: Interestingly enough, this beer tastes better in the bottle than it does in a glass. It is very easy to drink, bordering on the lightness of a lager but with a big aroma that is misleading. I would suggest this as a gateway beer for those getting into the craft beer and a very easy drinker for those summer days.

Jen: 77/100
Tim: 77/100