UM, I GUESS I DRANK THIS AT WORLD OF BEER?

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Draft sample @ The Stein & Vine, Brandon. Ambrée, col fin blanc-cassé. Arôme note maltée, douceur et épicé en rétro-nasal, touche de vanille. Retrouve un bouquet agréable de lactose sans vraiment tomber dans une réplique exacte du riz au lait. Palais garde un profil rappelant l’horchata, le tout restant assez doux oscillant entre vanille, note cannelle avez une petite épaisseur grains venant du riz.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Bottle. Pours orange gold white head. Nose/taste of rice milk, sweet rice, cinnamon and vanilla extract - Medium body. A touch too sweet.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

750 ml bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy golden orange color with a 1 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big wheat, honey, bread, vanilla, cinnamon, cream, light nuttiness, and light herbal/spice earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance of pale malt and spice notes; with good strength. Taste of wheat, honey, bread, vanilla, cinnamon, cream, light nuttiness, and light herbal/spice earthiness. Minimal herbal/spice bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of wheat, honey, bread, vanilla, cinnamon, cream, light nuttiness, and light herbal/spice earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice robustness and balance of pale malt and spice flavors; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and lightly sticky/bready mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice spiced cream ale style. All around great robustness and balance of pale malt and spice flavors; and very smooth to drink for the ABV. They definitely nailed the dessert aspect of this beer. A very enjoyable offering.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

11 oz chalice at Cellar Door, Downers Grove. Hazy amber color that does indeed look like a caramel cream, under a thin scrum of foam. Smell starts out light in caramel roast malt, not impressive at the start, blame the narrow opening in the glass. Taste is very sweet, and holds up with taste of vanilla and just an edge of cinnamon. It’s sweet taste can edge toward cloying, but that also attempts to add to a creamy mouthfeel, and an alcoholic one, suggesting a Bailey’s Irish Cream. Warming alcohol, even at 7.5%, gives it a note of Bourbon as well, maybe I’m looking at the VSOP Barrel-Aged 5 Vulture on the menu that I’ll probably have next. I still cannot tease a distinct aroma out of it, which will hold down an otherwise big rating, but this is indeed a fine beer meant to have a distinctive and different taste, and one that hits it’s intended target profile instead of he wing to any sanctioned style!