6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draft This was listed here as a Stong Belgian Ale, which it does taste closer to than the tripel the rating for San Jose described. A nice reddish brown under a thin head with very little lace. A spicy note is very noticeable, though the exact spice is hard to tell. At least some orange peel and coriander, but I do Not notice any banana. Nice honey taste to it, too. The server said he thought it was too strong for him, but I only felt a slight alcohol warming. A slightly cloying, but pleasant stickiness left behind. I wonder if each brewmaster is using their own recipe.
Additional note:Re-tasted on Feb. 19, and got more of the 'nana taste.
Additional note:Re-tasted on Feb. 19, and got more of the 'nana taste.
Tried
from Draft
on 08 Feb 2004
at 09:04
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Nitro Draft, 11/19/04. Different brew from last year, tapped last night for RB’s "Miracle on State Street" auction, but I’m guessing it’s the same recipe. Light amber body, fizzy dissipative head. A good pale ale smell, but somehow had a "dusty" component. Definitely an American Pale Ale hop profile, orangey and piney, toasty malts, and yes, a sort of oatmeal component, creamy and gummy at the same time. This time, the board lists it as havinf 80 IBU’s and I believe it. Nitro tap, Chicago. 10/3/03 Very interesting combo of styles. The bartender did an expert, Guiness-type two-part pour, which imparted a 2-color head (the head proper and a disappearing layer of fizz beneath). Just sipping the head is both bitter and creamy, and it doesn’t just lace, it coats the glass. Orange-amber body with a toasted pale malt taste. No bubbles, but a nice prickly mouthfeel, bubblier than a pub pull, and redolent of bitterness (29 IBU, it says). Great IPA bitterness melded to a creamy oatmeal body. Good effort on Pete’s part.
Tried
from Draft
on 03 Oct 2003
at 12:35
5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
Downtown Chicago. Seemed okay to me. The one I got was very cloudy, with a thin, lacy head. A light flavor with more wheatiness than I'd expect. Just a hint of clove of other spice, not over hopped, and with a citrsy note (that for having it without the lemon).
Tried
on 08 Aug 2003
at 11:57
7.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Chicago. This is Pete Crowley's entry in the "Replicale" brew for the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, in which members each made a California Common using the same grain bill, and compared results. I couldn't make it to the Roundhouse in Aurora for the "American Beer Month Brew Fest" where they were all tasted, but this was on tap downtown.
IBU was listed on the chalkboard as 40, O.G. as 12.5% potential alcohol. Anyway, a brusque, rowdy smack of northwestern US hops is the first thing that hits you. Each sip seems to bring in a different hop flavor. A nice amber body under a thin head. A roasty malt aspect comes through about halfway through the glass. Render unto it some props, it's pretty good.
Additional note: I got a growler Aug. 8, and it looked like the batch was almost empty. Will I be the only one to get to rate this beer?
IBU was listed on the chalkboard as 40, O.G. as 12.5% potential alcohol. Anyway, a brusque, rowdy smack of northwestern US hops is the first thing that hits you. Each sip seems to bring in a different hop flavor. A nice amber body under a thin head. A roasty malt aspect comes through about halfway through the glass. Render unto it some props, it's pretty good.
Additional note: I got a growler Aug. 8, and it looked like the batch was almost empty. Will I be the only one to get to rate this beer?
Tried
from Can
on 27 Jul 2003
at 06:11
5.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Draft, downtown Chicago. The style of wheat at this Rock Bottom varies seasonally. When I tried it, they were just finishing the Hefeweizen style. Very banana-y with a smack of clove flavor. If I were more of a hefeweizen lover, I might find more subtlety, but this is pretty much "to style" and little else.
Tried
from Draft
on 25 Jun 2003
at 10:55