How worthy is Witty?

Another long-overdue brew tasting! First let me say, the number of my reviews are not equal to the beers I'm drinking (the sign of a reviewer should be the true love of what he/she is reviewing so in this case, drinking lots of beer!).

Today we're looking at a selection from Chameleon Brewing Company.  Chameleon is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their mission is simple: they're in the business of making "innovative craft beers true to the American spirit."  For me, that means they're in the business of making beers that don't suck. Let's see whether my first experience with Chameleon is mission accomplished.

We're kicking back a bottle of Witty, a white wheat ale brewed with spices.  The Frosted Mug (the newsletter that comes with my beer shipment. See my earlier entries to catch up) gives Witty a description pretty floral in nature.  Ginger, coriander, lemongrass, pink peppercorn, and tangerine gum are all in a cloudy golden colored brew. We're supposed to be looking for some apple and even rye toast as it finishes.  Talk about asking a lot from a single beer! Oh, and that's a pretty cool label design.

While pouring this beer, I noticed some sediment on the bottom. It may be natural, given all that's going on in the bottle.  Not unexpected and it didn't transfer to the glass.  Also notice the huge head on this baby!  Could've been a difference in temperature between bottle to glass (or a shitty pour on my part) but I think Witty is somewhat heavy anyway.  The head is frothy.  It's aromatic too, light and hoppy with something I think is somewhat bitter.

On first swallow, I noticed how light the beer was in contrast to how strong and how many flavors were inside. The flavors are just light enough to be considered subtle, but strong enough to bring out individualities. Summer-like flavors (lemongrass and ginger for me) are matched by the citrus which must be attributed to the coriander (citrus spice) and the tangerine gum.  Crisp and clean finish and start, with flavor in the middle. That's a beer I can kick back often.

How do I know this beer was a good ol beer I'd love to keep in my fridge? It was over before I knew it!  That's the sign of a good beer in the white ale category (or any category, right?) and I look forward to more from this brewery.  This beer, for it's ability to separate itself from the class, deserves a French PINTRS mark.  Till next time!

Stone Cat Swatting at Bitter

Welcome to another Good Brew Hunting!

Today we're taking aim at Stone Cat Brewery's Extra Special Bitter (ESB).  Stone Cat is actually just one of the Ipswich Ale Brewery's lines established in 1999.  The brewery has been serving up beer since 1991 though this is the first time this native New Englander (Rhode Island to be precise) has heard of this brewery. Now I know Ipswich has some well-renowned clams, but can they serve up a beer worthy of merit?

Amazing Clubs' newsletter The Frosted Mug describes ESB as being quite smooth despite what it's name would suggest. Gotta say, I'm loving the label. I'll be one of the first to admit, I've judged a beer by it's label.  I've found good craft breweries put as much ingenuity on the outside of their bottle as they do in. A lack on the outside isn't a good start, but here we have something unique and eye-catching.

All Stone Cat Brewery gives us to go with on their website about ESB is that it's "dark, well-balanced, copper-colored ale is smooth and satisfying with a malty sweetness." Amazing Clubs adds that it has "an earthy hop taste with a wonderfully clean and healthy finish." Well, the picture sums it up that the beer looks as described. Dark amber is a good visualization for both its color and clarity. What should be added in the website's description is the flavorful aroma. Tart and fruity with some hops in the air, I was looking forward to what my taste buds would be telling me.

The best way to taste this beer in your head is think of an IPA. It lacks some of that citrus in an IPA, but overall flavor is powerful. It's really a balance of the citrus in an IPA and the flavor undertones in a copper ale.   It maintains some good carbonation throughout the bottle and has a much stronger alcoholic flavor to it than the 5.6% a.b.v. would suggest.

There's still bitterness here, there's no denying it. But bitter isn't bad! It's tart without the sour, and in a beer with a correctly described malty sweetness the two tastes fit together well. I'm giving this solid performance in the bitter beer category a Imperial PINTRS score. Can't wait to drink more!

A note: I've only spoken highly of this beer, so why haven't I gone higher than an Imperial score? Because in a  Frenche or Scottish score, I'm looking for more. More is different in each beer. It's usually something ingenious, something that really drives off the normal beer course. I can't tell you what was missing from this one, cause I only know it when I taste that it is there. Let the quest for great brews continue!