Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
On tap January 2005. Completely opaque (hazed-over) dark straw yellow, small, fleeting white head. Aroma of clove, light soapiness, sugar and some vanilla. Flavor is phenomenally sweet. It seems like they add a couple tablespoons of cane sugar to the pint before serving. Yikes!! It’s got a good enough yeast and consequently an ester profile, but it’s just way too much on the sugar. American hops flavor tries to balance, but dosent succeed, IMHO. Slightly watery body, lightly bubbly texture.
Rerate Well I’ve since had this two more times, one of the times, at Bukowski’s tavern, being a horrible, soapy, bland, watery mess and the second time, at the Tap, being a good deal better than each previous time. But it probably balances out in score to an average weizen, which I feel it is. Needs some crispness and more yeast in the flavor, with much less wateriness. No head retention, and not even much head to begin with.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
On tap January 2005. Odd appearance for an IPA. Looked more like what my hefeweizen sitting next to it should have looked like. Deep golden, very hazy with a big white head on it. Aroma strikes a distinct hops note, it’s very floral, with a touch of citrus and something like lime juice too. Flavor starts out with a good amount of pale malt for balance and quickly progresses in to the hops flavor. They hit quite bitter and seemingly quite green and juicy/fresh. It’s a wonderful flavor from the hops, but this seems to be the focal point of the beer, while the rest of it seems to be a bit lacking. Not much going on malt wise, a medium body and just an average, smooth mouthfeel. I appreciate the highly unfiltered nature of this beer, but beyond the good hops profile it just needs something more. The hops halt the finish and it just stops dead and dry, though there is some underlying toasted malt, to its credit. I’m about as far from a hophead as it gets so I guess this one is a bit wasted on me.
Rerate On draught 3/25/05. I should definitely up the palate score on this a point. It has a smooth, lightly bubbly/creamy mouthfeel and I don’t have any problem with balance issues (it’s not too bitter). I still wasn’t wowed by the malt however, it’s there and gives a good balance, but I’ve had much more interesting/complex examples.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
On draught at the brewery January 2005. Fabulous color for a mild. Dark amber/light burgundy red body, almost transluscent with a small off-white head. Aroma is surprisingly strong and smells of coffee beans, light tinges of dark caramel malt, brown sugar and a touch of anise and even some note of yeast. No hops in the aroma! Flavor starts out with a very apparent roast flavor. It’s light but yet so tastey. Mixes well with the soft malting and yet dosent overpower. Smooth, watery, but not thin, body. I’m not very experienced at describing mild ales, but I do know that this stuff was fantastic. It just hit the right flavor notes and didnt leave anything in there that shouldnt have been. No excessive sweetness, little to no hops. Lightly bitter/sour yeast is present on the finish. Probably my favorite sample during my visit. Reminds me of Dragonmead’s Crusader Dark Mild, though less astringent/dry and has a better balance.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
On draught at the brewery January 2005. Pale gold-copper ale, with light yellow tints and a small white head. Aroma of honey, light base malt grains and a touch of yeast, ever so light. Has a medium-light body, quite refreshing, with even some light crispness from the hops. Lightly sweet body, decent dose of malt and just tremendously drinkable. Another wonderful session (been having a lot of those lately). Some light esters from the yeast, with a smooth creamy consistency and a bit of a drying sensation on the end from the hops, though it remains mostly malty. A good deal of wateriness, but not anything out of place for the style.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
On draught @ the brewery Jan. 2005. Pours a lightly wavy deep golden, like a hazy wit bier almost. Small off-white head that sticks around. Smells like light candied sugar, notes of sticky, sweet toffee and some allspice and perhaps a touch of nutmeg. Lighter than expected, this is like a malty, spiced pale ale. Flavor is moderately sweet, lots of sugary bread dough-like notes, sugar cookies, toffee and a touch of hops. Pretty simple, a touch on the sweet side, but not overdone in the least with spices, with a sticky, lightly creamy mouthfeel and a medium body.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
On draught, January 2005 @ the brewery. Hadn’t read the description or read up on the beer so I was expecting a Dortmunder because all it said was Export beer. Very deep cherry red-orange beer, quite hazy, transluscent and with a large, light beige head on it. Aroma smells of sweet oranges, candi sugar (though it’s just a heavily sweet malt I assume), and a touch of bitterness. Flavor starts out very malty. Tons of thick, sweet honey and sugar notes pour from the malt. Halfway through, there is a fruity, yet bitter hops sensation. After reading the commercial description, I definitely agree there is a unique hops flavor. It has a slight metallic, rusty flavor, but also an earthy, juicy, almost pine-like bitterness. Very cool beer. Finishes fairly balanced between hops and malt, though in the end this is just too heavily sweet. Creamy, easygoing mouthfeel. Fresh tasting and flavorful.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Gouden Schoen from The Tap Brewing Company (MA) 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
2004 draught@ BBF. Light brownish-tan-beige color, light haze, with a small wispy white head. Aroma is a ton of dry yeast, moldy, cobwebby and earthy. Has notes of malt and a touch of bitterness. Flavor is belgian yeast all amped up with some sugar and a bit of hops. Slight amount of alcohol, lots of dryness on the finish. Well-made but unremarkeable, IMO.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Scheherezade from The Tap Brewing Company (MA) 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
2004 draught @ BBF. Dark and muddy brown with some lighter beige and cherry-red notes on the edges. Good sized tan head. Aroma of sweet black cherries, sweet red wine vinegar, sweet brown malts and some caramel. Flavor starts out quite sweet with plenty of body and malt. It only gets "sour" on the end, and only lightly at that. It gives a shot of vinegar-like sourness, mixed with the cherry and malt. Lightly dry, earthy, yeasty tones creep in on the end as well, but it’s mostly a sweeter rendition. Low carbonation, great body though. With a beer as sweet as this, and with such a good body and consistency, this just screams to be aged in wood and rereleased a couple years from now. It would be marvelous.
Lubiere (24459) reviewed Supershow 69 from The Tap Brewing Company (MA) 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Hazy gold with a thick white head. Pleasant hoppy aroma. Intense hops and citrus with a crisp tart finish.