799. Ecliptic Brewing – Regulus Sparkling Ale

Posted By kkozlen on Jan 10, 2016 | 0 comments

I’m working on my webpage today, and am sitting in the kitchen enjoying the gorgeous view of all of the snow we had last night. I thought I’d knock out a couple of beer reviews, and I’ve been meaning to have this one for quite a while. My friend Betty sent it to me from Portland, after I asked her to send me some beers from Ecliptic Brewing. When I did my Cuisinturnship in Portland, I brewed with John Harris, the owner/brewmaster at Ecliptic Brewing, when he was at Full Sail. The bottle says, “Named after the brightest star in the constellation Leo, visible in the spring night skies, Regulus Sparkling Ale is a welcome to sunshine and warmer days. Pale and light caramel malts form a smooth malt body. A crisp hop profile completes the beer, lending Regulus a big hop flavor and fruity spiciness.”

Location: Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL

Numbers: 5.8% ABV, 55 IBUs, 14° OG, ~180 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s perfectly copper in color, with some red hues. It’s extremely clear, with a lot of carbonation, giving it a pillowy white head. The aroma is mostly piney-spicy hops with some caramel maltiness behind it.

Taste & Feel: It has a medium body, and the mouthfeel is fairly smooth, with a little bit of creaminess from the head. The flavor up front is lightly caramel-malty with some graininess.  The sweet caramel maltiness grows in the middle, and some earthy-spicy bitterness comes in during the finish. The bitterness edges out the sweetness in the finish and lasts for a minute or so in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: I love this type of caramel maltiness and earthy bitterness with a burger, as the maltiness contrasts nicely with the savoriness of the burger and complements the breadiness of the bun.  I might also pair this beer with some nice summer BBQ, such as ribs or pulled pork.

Overall Impression: I think this is a great seasonal beer for the transition to winter or spring. The warm, caramelly sweetness and earthy-spicy bitterness is great during those times of year.  This beer has a very nice balance, and changes from the front to the back of each drink.  Overall, I think it’s a very good beer and I hope my friend Betty will send me a few more from Ecliptic.

My Rating: