We’re in the home stretch to Christmas and we’re doing a four-day beer tasting we call “The Four Days of BEER-MAS”! Today, we’re on the first four beers in the Clown Shoes Beer pack, “The 12 Beers of Christmas”! This will take the first three days of our journey and we will finish off with a random winter beer sampling at the end to send you into Christmas happy!
So, pour yourself your favorite alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, sit down, kick back and join us for the first night of “The 4 Days of BEER-MAS”!
Our first beer is…
BEER: Lil’ Crispy Crisp Ale
ABV: 4.8%
MATT: 3.75/5
DANIELLE: 3.75/5
LOOK: Clear and gold
SCENT: Some wheat and some citrus
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Slightly thick mouthfeel. Some citrus flavor and nice balance of hops and wheat. Crisp finish.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: A nice light ale to start things off, Lil’ Crispy offers a nice, very crisp and refreshing ale that isn’t at all overpowering or overbearing with its hops. It has a nice crisp finish to it and is balanced very well.
BEER: Clementine White Ale
ABV: 5%
MATT: 3.75/5 (changed from recording)
DANIELLE: 3.75/5
LOOK: Gold with a slight bit of haze
SCENT: Wheat, sweet banana, white pepper
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Slightly thick mouthfeel. Nice Belgian style white ale — but with a citrus aftertaste that lingers on the tongue.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: This beer is this close to being complete. It doesn’t have the spice like Blue Moon or Allagash White, but it does have that great Belgian hop and wheat flavor. The thing that throws the entire game away for me is the sour taste left on the tongue like a citrus or high fructose corn syrup flavor. It just doesn’t belong here.
BEER: Mango Farm IPA
ABV: 5.75%
MATT: 3.5/5 (changed from recording)
DANIELLE: 4/5
LOOK: Gold and pretty hazy
SCENT: Some wheat and some fruit on the nose
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Slightly thick mouthfeel on this beer
FINAL REFLECTIONS: Good, refreshing IPA — though the fruit juice element isn’t all that noticeable except maybe on the back end. I am detecting a hint of spice but that may be because of that hard IPA “bite” at the end. It’s a crisp and refreshing IPA but I’ve had much better “juicy” style IPA’s than this one and it’s lacking a lot of character and flavor. Danielle liked it a bit more than I did.
BEER: Space Cupcake IPA
ABV: 6%
MATT: 2.25/5
DANIELLE: 2/5
LOOK: Gold and pretty clear
SCENT: Not much on the nose…maybe some hops if I try
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Slightly thick mouthfeel on this beer
FINAL REFLECTIONS: Good, refreshing IPA — though the fruit juice element isn’t all that noticeable except maybe on the back end. I am detecting a hint of spice but that may be because of that hard IPA “bite” at the end. It’s a crisp and refreshing IPA but I’ve had much better “juicy” style IPA’s than this one and it’s lacking a lot of character and flavor. Danielle liked it a bit more than I did.
FINAL THOUGHTS: A decent tasting for the first night. It started strong with the opening ale, then ended on a bit of a limp note with a weak, flavorless IPA. Still, there are eight more beers to taste in this pack and 12 more overall, so Merry Christmas to us!
HEAR OUR FINAL THOUGHTS HERE!:
TOMORROW: We dive back into Clown Shoes Beer’s “12 Beers of Christmas” and taste the next four beers in the ladder! Join us!