I’ve been at my new job for about three days now at Advocate Health Care. I’m a bit overwhelmed with all there is to learn, but I’m excited about the opportunity, and think there’s a lot of potential to make a great impact. Tonight’s the first night of religious education for my kids and wife, so I’ve got an hour so by myself to hang out on the deck and have a beer. This beer was sent to me a couple of months ago by the veteran beer company, to give a couple of their beers a try. I already tried their Blonde Bomber and it was very drinkable.
Location: Poured into a Stella Artois chalice at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 5% ABV, 23 IBUs, 13 SRM, ~120 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s a rusty brown color, and extremely clear. There’s a lot of carbonation in it, but there’s just a thin layer of bright white tiny, tightly packed bubbles across the top. It has a lagery-lightly caramel malt aroma to it as well.
Taste & Feel: The body is light and the mouthfeel is crisp. The crispness made it difficult to pick up flavors up front, but there is a little bit of caramel maltiness there. The caramel maltiness pickes up in the middle, but it’s more of a dry flavor than sweetness. The finish has a little bit of an earthy bitterness along with the dry caramel malt flavors. The dry finish leaves a little bit of caramel malt aftertaste that lingers only for a brief time.
Food Pairing: This beer is light enough in flavor that it could go with almost anything, but with the dryness and caramel maltiness, I think I’d pair it with something spicy, like a Mexican or Thai dish.
Overall Impression: I was expecting your typical American pale logger, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw the dark color come out of the bottle. It had a little bit of caramel malt flavor throughout, however, it was missing the light sweetness that I was expecting from the caramel malt. That made it somewhat bland, and I was also surprised by the dry finish as well. Overall, it was more flavorful than most American lagers, and I would definitely pair this with some spicy food the next time I have it.
My Rating: 
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