So I owe you readers an apology. I've been running this blog for almost two months. I bill it as a Cincinnati-centric beer blog yet I still haven't done a full fledged review of a Cincinnati beer. Sure I've talked about Cincinnati beers in my posts on the winter beerfest and bockfest but I've never done a dedicated review and for that I am sorry. I have let you all down. Today that changes. Today I review a beer from what is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries in town: Mt. Carmel. I have yet to have a beer of their's that I haven't enjoyed. Also, since spring is finally here it's time to start getting into some new seasonals. Without further ado, to the beer!
Springtime Ale pours a beautiful reddish copper color capped by a layer of dense white foam.
The aromas are predominantly of caramel malt. Along with some bready toasty malts. And also, interestingly, the slightest hints of some smoky aromas.
Those caramel notes from the aroma return in the flavor. The toasty caramel malt flavors are predominant but they're backed by a floral herbal hop presence. This beer is really well balanced. Both the malt and hop are flavorful and assertive but neither overpowers the other. This is a fairly light bodied beer that finishes very crisp and clean.
A Scotch Ale is an interesting choice for a Spring seasonal. Most of the time Spring seasonals are some variation on a wheat ale or a witbier. Scotch ales are often hearty malt forward beers. Not usually the lighter more refeshing beers associated with spring. Springtime ale definitely has the flavor of a Scotch ale but in pushing the hops forward a bit Mt. Carmel has come out with a very refreshing, eminently drinkable, and perfectly balanced ale. I mentioned before that I haven't had a bad beer from Mt. Carmel. That's still the case. This is a darn tasty yet very sessionable ale. Go grab a six pack. Seriously, right now. What are you waiting for?
HD
No comments:
Post a Comment