#argentina

22 oz. bottle, $5 at HyVee in Iowa July 2010, kept in the fridge since then. First, I want to respect this for being, as the label says, totally sourced from Argentine-grown ingredients. And for being brewed, if you’ll Google Map the location, in a village so far up in the Andes that anyone stepping out back for a smoke is in Chile. That said: Pours a golden color with amber highlights, some particles floating around. Sudsy head. Smell is malty and beery, a touch of fruit ester. There may also be a note of bacterial contamination, but I can’t say for sure. Taste seems pretty square within the Blond Ale style. They’re calling it an Argentine White Ale, but I only get barley malt here. Slight note of wood smoke. Just slightly tart. A bit of dead yeast way in the background. Frankly, I kind of like it. Maybe it’s the luck of a well-sealed bottle kept on a shelf without too much light. Ah, but trying to pour the rest of the beer into the glass brings up a big chunk of sediment.

I bought this beer for a new country rating, and it turns out I already had a rating from Argentina - I really need to stop doing that - anyway, this beer isn’t nearly as terrible as the ratings suggest - the first whiff presents tart, dry, white wine character, but deeper sniffs reveal, surprisingly, nothing at all - weird - fairly creamy mouthfeel - a bit earthy character up front, some crisp herbal bitterness, dry malt qualities - things are a bit muddled and indistinct, and the bitterness hangs around in the finish for a bit too long - not terrible, just boring - when will I stop being suckered in by marketing phrases like "fine aged ale" in fancy-schmancy gold lettering?