Beer Review Too

01 Jan, 2009 by Marq Manner

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St. Peters India Pale Ale (United Kingdom)

ABV 5.5%  Rating: C

This was served from the standard St. Peters flask/medicine bottle. St. Peters is well known for it’s Cream Stout and English and Golden Ales. All are excellent beers so I figured that they had a good shot at making a decent IPA.
Appearance: Light orange hazy straw color with some lacing and a quickly disappearing head. B
Smell: Kind of funky, defiantly not the typical desired odor of a well crafted IPA. C
Taste: There is a subtle signature flavor that lets you know that it is a St. Peters beer, but it doesn’t work too well with the IPA. Kind of dull and bland for an IPA. Some citrus and a bit of bitter hops, and not all that well balanced. Lacks the zing of a good lively IPA. C
Drinkability: It’s not horrible, but in a time when there are some fantastic IPA’s on the market, even by local brewers, this would sit at the back of the fridge waiting for a night where I forgot to stop by the liquor store.

CBoulder Beer Co.  Obovoid-Emperical Russian Stout

ABV 8%  Rating: B-

This was served from a bomber into a typical pint class. This is the 8th release in Boulder Beer Companies “Looking Glass” series of craft beers.
Appearance: Dark brown with a nice thick head. Two fingers for me. Excellent lacing on this stout that lasts for the majority of ones experience with this beer. B+
Smell: Coffee and chocolate with very little oak smell considering that it is hyped as being aged in oak. B-
Taste: Again coffee and chocolate (dark?). Again not much oak. Some bitterness which seems typical of Boulder Brewing Company Beers. B
Mouthfeel: Light for a stout. This beer is not as thick as your typical imperial stout. B-
Drinkability: The Obovoid is a drinkable beer and one that might catch up to you quicker than one would expect. Decent effort from a company that consistently makes slightly above average craft beers. B

Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison Ale (United States)

ABV 7.7%  Rating: A

An offering from the Ommegang family known for their Beir De Mars and Three Philosopher beers. This was served from a bomber into a goblet.
Appearance: Yellowish straw color with white fluffy head. Two more fingers. A steady lasting lacing for most of the trip with this beer. A
Smell: Smokey citrus with a some spice to it. A
Taste: Citrus with a spicy finish. Apricots and oranges. A+
Mouthfeel: high carbonation, with some layers to it. Medium body and very smooth. A
Drinkability: very drinkable. Probably too much so, as two bombers would be easy to put down and would put all but the hardcore drinkers down as well. A+

Marq Manner

MarQ Manner is a fan of Americana. He is interested in small town cafe's, roadside BBQ, getting a hotdog from a stand made in the likeness of George Washington, and the grittier eating atmospheres found in out of the way places. MarQ has been writing about the local music scene for The Omaha City Weekly for the past five years and has also written music features for many other rags and blogs.

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