India Pale Ale

Spent the morning getting in a long run and having breakfast at the local food joint - Sarkis. Tasted Monday afternoon while playing a board game with the family and enjoying some organic pea dip and raw chocolate. Received from Great River's cooler.

Appearance: Rubied colored with a very nice clarity. Head is off white with a tie-die design lacing, though the head itself wasn't that substantial.

Aroma: Biscuity and sweet with a bit of a worty/underfermented beer scent. Hops are characterized with an earthiness. Fruity undertones characterized of plum and even notes of tea.

Taste: Again, like the aroma, there is an upfront biscuit malt bill followed by a brief toasted malt. There is a big accentuation on the sweetness in this beer. The fruitiness emerges around the midtaste with the profile of dark roasted fruit, like raisins and figs. The end is earthy that leaves behind a very foresty-like sensation n the mouth. Otherwise it is relatively clean, only leaving a basic bitterness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Bigger bodied with a sticky feeling texture and a lightly incorporated carbonation leaving the beer feeling both thick, yet drying at the end and refreshing.
Overall Impression: An interesting IPA for sure. I found that there was a lot of upfront malt, more so than most IPA's I've had, and more importantly it was earthy..Less citrus tropical and even pine.


78/100

Brown Ale

Tasted after a 10 mile tempo run in 58:30. Reviewed prior to a breakfast prepared by luke of blueberry pancakes and cranberry juice! Got this beer from Great River's cooler a couple weeks ago.

Appearance: Atop the beer lies a beige soapy cream colored head. Retention is strong and eventually dissipates into a spotted film after 3 minutes. Lacing takes a fire whicked appearance. Dark brown in color, yet still maintains a clarity with a red hue when held to the light.

Aroma: Biscuit and toasted malt at the forefront of the smell. Large graininess is present along side a caramelized brown sugar and chocolate scent.
Taste: Robust toasted malt backbone that parallels a bittersweet chocolate that is present throughout the flavor profile. Grains and even spiced notes of rye develop by the mid-taste. At the finish one can decipher the alcohol and Golding hops. Chocolate becomes more present at the end, especially as the beer warms. A simple complexity with very notable flavors.
Mouthfeel: Nice mouthfeel that remains smooth and soft textured. There is a microbubble feel that brushes the tongue and goes down the throat in a refreshing manner. Crisp to say the least.
Overall Impression: A great basic brown ale that emphasizes the flavors that one draws from specific specially grains. Hops are simply present to balance and give the perception of chocolate and rich toasted malt. Well balanced.


86/100