Tonight we begin the first of two reviews of the Lake Placid Brewing Company. Lake Placid Brewing Company is the culmination of two people who loved the craft of beer and took up residence in a small pub in (you guessed it) the village of Lake Placid. The flagship beer of the brewery, Ubu Ale, will be the subject of tonight's review. This is, literally, a presidential beer and I highly recommend checking out the Lake Placid Brewing Company website for the full story. After reading it, I was excited to see what could be so special in this bottle (though, given the president in question and his taste in women, perhaps I should have approached it a little more cautiously...)
Now that you see the label of the beer (and if you know what an Adirondack village is) you know where I went with the title. It's simple yet effective. This is the flagship of the brewery and it stands on it's own two feet. The label is a little 'busy' if I want to get picky. A solid tone label with the Adirondack chair and the title would help it stand out a bit. Now what's under the cap?
You'll notice the beer has little to no head. I was somewhat surprised at that considering it's described as an English Strong Ale and I would expect a little bit more in such an ale. The smell was very distinct to stat with, first with a molasses sweet smell with the scent of chocolate. This quickly faded to the background and provided a hint of the smell for the rest of the tasting.
Upon taste, I was impressed with the smooth, rich, malt flavor. Described by Lake Placid Brewing Company as deep garnet red but really looking more brown, it certainly delivered on the flavor I would expect with a beer of reddish hue. It reminded me of dark chocolate; balanced in sweetness and bitterness that felt genuine. When the beer is described as being complimented by just the right amount of English hops I have to agree. Hardly over powering but certainly there in adding depth to the beer. The beer left behind a stickiness which resembled a scotch ale both on my palate and in the glass but with less bite.
This beer belongs beside you, certainly in an Adirondack chair, relaxing by the camp fire or as a colder day on the beach begins to end. It's much more refreshing than it's darker hues would suggest, and it has a level of complexity which is astounding given it's relatively simple ingredients and description from Lake Placid Brewing Company. The beer deserves a French on the PINTRS and I can't wait to drink the rest of them!
No comments:
Post a Comment