Last week we drove up near Ottawa, IL to go to a state park, but the parks were closed due to downed trees from the derecho that came through. We tried to salvage the afternoon by walking along the riverfront in Ottawa. Since we had my nieces and kids with us, we only got a chance to stop by Tangled Roots to grab some crowlers. Ironically, proceeds from this beer are donated to helping improve state parks like the one we tried to visit. Last night, I finished replacing the last support column on my deck, effectively finishing my summer-long deck project. While I was too tired to enjoy a beer last night, we decided to chill out on our deck tonight and crack open this crowler. It’s a nice cool evening and I enjoyed it while watching the sun set.
Location: Poured from the crowler into a 24oz Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 5.5% ABV, ~190 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s a light copper color and extremely clear. It had a lot of carbonation in it, giving it a huge rocky head that fell to a thin layer over the top after a couple minutes. It has a very light earthy hop aroma with some maltiness mixed in.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is slightly crisp from the carbonation. Up front, it has an earthy bitterness with a bit of hop spiciness and only a tiny hint of malt is noticeable. In the middle, the hint of malt grows to balance out the bitterness, but the earthy-spicy bitterness grows quickly and takes over the finish. The earthy-spicy bitterness lasts for a minute or so in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This beer has some good earthy-spicy bitterness that would complement mushrooms, and with a hint of maltiness, I can’t think of a better pairing to complement this beer than a mushroom and swiss burger.
Overall Impression: It was a drinkable beer, and although it was a pale ale, it reminded me a bit of an amber, especially with the earthy-spicy hoppiness and decent malt backbone. I’m not sure what hops are used, but it reminded me a bit of noble hop varietals. Overall, it was refreshing and a decent beer for a cool evening on the deck. About halfway through, the earthy-spicy hoppiness made me crave mushrooms – either a mushroom pizza or a mushroom and swiss burger.
My Rating: 
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