Courtesy johnnypm41.blogspot.com
Profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net
Did we get a bad bottle? Nose in bottle is soapy, pepper, some sweet with some malt otherwise way in the background. Hops in nose? Ah, NO. Hint of corn: DMS, in nose, and butter: diacetyl.
Great clarity, at a golden srm of about 3 or 4. Great puckered pillow head that lasts and lasts. Nice legs.
Yes: I’m referring to THE BEER, perv!
Mouthfeel: pepper phenols, moderate body that lingers, few hops for style: little bitter, more fruity as in hint of orange and grapefruit. Slight corn: DMS, and butter: diacetyl. More corn, diacetyl is more a slight slickness.
Taste: an easy quaff and this might made a somewhat accurate Belgian with pepper phenols. It is not even an IPA. Imperial? Uh, NO. Pale malt is obvious base, no carmelization noticed. Almost honey-ish, but I think this is more just the pale malt. Hardly even an IPA. Slight corn in taste too: DMS.
BA: 63, RB: 15, 0 for style. Both listed as Minhas Brewery, rather than Rhinelander. This, according to Wiki, is basically the old Joseph Huber Brewery. As one reviewer wrote for BA: “they’re trying to slide under the craft radar through their affiliate breweries.”
I simply can’t even go with a 2 here. 2 would be too generous, IMO. They missed the style, they missed the intent of any brewer not to bottle defects and, less important but noted: I’m annoyed at the continual attempt to disguise bigger brewers as craft. This one has apparently worn several suits in an attempt to dress themselves out as craft. Doesn’t figure into the score but here: will be noted.
You know, Matt Brewing rebranded themselves as Saranac years ago, but I give them credit for many serious, respectful, successful attempts, and successes, at being craft-like. I respect that, and only use “like” to reference size of the brewery. Personally, if this is what it’s supposed to be like, I’d fire everyone who made the decision to let it out the door. If I were going to include all that in the score on this review I’d go below 0. But that wouldn’t be professional, and the professor might never let me write here again.
