7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Tap at Atwood’s tavern. It pours cloudy bright orange with a thick white head. The nose is soft, fresh, mellow orange, tangerine, spice, bread, hay and a touch of farmyard. The taste is smooth, clean, mellow orange, fresh tangerine, light spice, cracker, straw and light minerals with a dry finish. Medium body and soft, foamy carbonation. Super mellow and well-rounded. Not big and showy, just rather mellow and quaffable.
Tried
from Draft
on 27 Sep 2015
at 17:51
8.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at Atwood’s Tavern, 9/12/15.
Lightly to minimally hazy blonde-golden liquid has a good amount of foamy white head with moderate-to-strong retention.
Fruity nose with a good backing of honey-like maltiness, some perfume-like notes and good earthiness/slight mustiness from the yeast, giving it a fairly authentic saison-like aroma.
The flavor is even more eye-opening than the aroma. Wow. This is good. Really good. I’ve had some good Belgian ales from Idle Hands, but this one is one of their best. Now that they’re brewed by Englightenment’s brewer, obvious similarities to their saisons exist here, but it’s got enough of its own character, not to mention the fact that this was brewed on Night Shift’s equipment. Clean, yet not sterile, with plaster/cellar/earthiness and yet tons of brightness from the flavorful, fruity, moderately bitter but not-overdone hops. Fantastically tight carbonation and a supple, but well-attenuated texture/body really steal the show here, as lime and merengue notes linger on with bits of crackers, baked bread and floral and herbal hop notes. Awesome stuff, excited for their next venture at Night Shift.
Lightly to minimally hazy blonde-golden liquid has a good amount of foamy white head with moderate-to-strong retention.
Fruity nose with a good backing of honey-like maltiness, some perfume-like notes and good earthiness/slight mustiness from the yeast, giving it a fairly authentic saison-like aroma.
The flavor is even more eye-opening than the aroma. Wow. This is good. Really good. I’ve had some good Belgian ales from Idle Hands, but this one is one of their best. Now that they’re brewed by Englightenment’s brewer, obvious similarities to their saisons exist here, but it’s got enough of its own character, not to mention the fact that this was brewed on Night Shift’s equipment. Clean, yet not sterile, with plaster/cellar/earthiness and yet tons of brightness from the flavorful, fruity, moderately bitter but not-overdone hops. Fantastically tight carbonation and a supple, but well-attenuated texture/body really steal the show here, as lime and merengue notes linger on with bits of crackers, baked bread and floral and herbal hop notes. Awesome stuff, excited for their next venture at Night Shift.
Tried
on 14 Sep 2015
at 16:28
7.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
750 mL bottle, shared at Ale Alpharetta. Cloudy brown, with a rocky, beige head. Nose is allspice, caramel, oak, vanilla, pine, and syrup. Very sweet, light savory spice, and low bitterness. Light to medium body, very effervescent, silky. This is a pretty nice, surprisingly light, very sweet and complex beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Aug 2015
at 20:24
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draught at Glenville Stops, 8/7/15.
Good clarity, light blonde and has a moderately well-retained white head atop.
Soft esters, honey and other pale malt notes all are quite gentle/graceful on the nose. Light hops are grassy, lightly herbal and feel very at home here. Again, so nice to not have a "we made a belgian golden with a twist!" beer (twist being out-of-place American hops). Flowers, a touch of perfume from the yeast and more dough and bread-like maltiness on the finish, with no alcohol or flaws noted.
Soft, supple malt texture with light honey, graham cracker and other pale grain notes joined by soft, floral and lightly spicy hop notes towards the finish. Very reserved yeast notes provide yellow fruit notes (light apricot, light orange, no peach and very little banana) and little/no acidity. Just a touch of white pepper-like phenols and no alcohol or flaws. Very well-done beer. It’s malty but still well-attenuated with no messy/sloppy Americanized phenols/esters and no astringent or sourdough-like malt character. Like River North Quandary, perhaps not the most complex beer in the world, but that’s fine with me if it means a cleaner, more reserved, less messy beer.
Good clarity, light blonde and has a moderately well-retained white head atop.
Soft esters, honey and other pale malt notes all are quite gentle/graceful on the nose. Light hops are grassy, lightly herbal and feel very at home here. Again, so nice to not have a "we made a belgian golden with a twist!" beer (twist being out-of-place American hops). Flowers, a touch of perfume from the yeast and more dough and bread-like maltiness on the finish, with no alcohol or flaws noted.
Soft, supple malt texture with light honey, graham cracker and other pale grain notes joined by soft, floral and lightly spicy hop notes towards the finish. Very reserved yeast notes provide yellow fruit notes (light apricot, light orange, no peach and very little banana) and little/no acidity. Just a touch of white pepper-like phenols and no alcohol or flaws. Very well-done beer. It’s malty but still well-attenuated with no messy/sloppy Americanized phenols/esters and no astringent or sourdough-like malt character. Like River North Quandary, perhaps not the most complex beer in the world, but that’s fine with me if it means a cleaner, more reserved, less messy beer.
Tried
from Can
on 17 Aug 2015
at 13:14
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle sourced from the brewery. Pours deep brown, somewhat clear, with a bubbly tan head. The aroma holds lightly tangy dark fruits, berries, leather. Medium sweet flavor with some further leathery notes, raspberries, plum, slight earthy hops, bread. Medium to full bodied with fine carbonation. Warming finish with some raisins, further tangy dark fruits, berries, old wood and leather. So so.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jun 2015
at 18:36
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Another bottle purchased at RedStone Liquors, Stoneham, MA in my most recent trip. Color is a deep ruby/ borderline brown color, fast dying head, with soft carbonation level. Nose is subtle yeast, pumpernickel bread and light molasses.
The flavor starts with sweeter malt and hints of dark fruit. Plum, dates, brown sugar. Again pumpernickel hints. The flavors are all correct, the only true negative is the thinner then normal body and texture. Drinkable but the body could use some improvements.
The flavor starts with sweeter malt and hints of dark fruit. Plum, dates, brown sugar. Again pumpernickel hints. The flavors are all correct, the only true negative is the thinner then normal body and texture. Drinkable but the body could use some improvements.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 May 2015
at 22:24
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
500 ml bottle purchased at RedStone Liquors, Stoneham MA. Label reads bottled APR 2015 with an ABV of 6.3 percent. Color is a dirty straw gold with a good amount of lasting head. Nose is some a very subtle yeast with a strong amount of citrus hops, mild rye, very pleasing aroma.
The flavor starts with with spicy rye or perhaps yeast comes into play. The finish shows a nice citrus hop punch that lingers slightly. Bitterness overall is on the mild side and plays nicely with the yeast character. Correct carbonation level that gives a tingly sensation over the palate. Damn, I really enjoyed drinking this and wished I had another bottle after downing this one with ease. Highly drinkable for me on a warm May evening.
The flavor starts with with spicy rye or perhaps yeast comes into play. The finish shows a nice citrus hop punch that lingers slightly. Bitterness overall is on the mild side and plays nicely with the yeast character. Correct carbonation level that gives a tingly sensation over the palate. Damn, I really enjoyed drinking this and wished I had another bottle after downing this one with ease. Highly drinkable for me on a warm May evening.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 May 2015
at 22:04
7/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle from Redstone Pretty clear for an unfiltered lager. Light golden color with a huge frothy white head. Spicy, earthy, floral hops on the nose with faint sulfur and even fainter malt character. The flavor is sharp spicy earthy hops with an almost metallic edge in there. The malt has no character, it needs something to stand up to the hop bitterness and it just isn’t there. I should have saved some of that Heide I just finished and mixed some in. Not horrible, but the recipe needs a little work imho.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Apr 2015
at 16:38
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from Redstone. Pours a lightly hazy light golden color with a decent sized but quickly dissipating white head. Big sweet bready pilsner maltiness on the nose with just a hint of skunk when first opened. Light floral hop barely balances the sweetness. Simple, tasty easy drinking lager I really enjoyed this!
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Apr 2015
at 16:16
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Pours dark brown tan head. Nose/taste of cherry, dark fruit, toffee and caramel - medium body.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Apr 2015
at 18:27