There’s an ice storm outside and everything is coated in a thin layer of ice. On my way back from picking up dinner, I slid across the driveway and couldn’t even make it up to the garage. It’s a perfect night for staying in, having a beer, and watching the Saturday Night Live Christmas special. My friend @Bettywriter sent me this beer last winter, and I didn’t quite get around to drinking it, but it seems like a great beer for a night like this one.
Location: Poured into a TEKU pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL
Numbers: 7.3% ABV, 70 IBUs, 17° Plato OG, ~260 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s light brownish in color with some reddish highlights, and its pretty hazy. It had a decent, foamy white head, which fell after a few minutes to a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. It has a big earthy-floral hop aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body is full and the mouthfeel is a little viscous, with a bit of a carbonation tingle. The flavors up front are sweet and malty with an earthy-floral hoppiness. The bitter hoppiness comes through solidly in the middle and opens up in the finish. The hop flavors become more citrusy in the finish, with some earthy-spiciness as well. All this hoppiness stands on a strong malty base. Both the maltiness and earthy-citrusy hops last briefly in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This is the type of beer I love pairing with a huge, juicy cheeseburger as the hoppiness adds complexity of the cheese and the maltiness mixes perfectly with the savoriness of the burger and the breadiness of the bun.
Overall Impression: This beer really reminds me of some great red ales I’ve had before, with plenty of maltiness and hop flavors. The maltiness is a great warm winter flavor, and the hops add a nice complex flavor to it. Overall, this is a very good beer, and I’m super thankful @Bettywriter sent it to me.
My Rating: 
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