Episode 4: The Nearly Extinct Style & A Google Beer

This week we discussed:

Surly Darkness 2011 (2:45)
Devon’s Halloween costume (6:33)
August Schell’s resurrection of the nearly extinct English-style Burton Ale (9:50)
The Google and Dogfish Head collaborative beer “URKontinent” (16:19)

We reviewed:

Episode Notes:

If consistency of sound volume is again an issue (it is), fear not, we’ll be picking up some monitor headphones so we can keep tabs on our levels as we record.

New Glarus ‘Raspberry Tart’

Review

Appearance: Just gorgeously clear, this brew is a darker burgundy color. It has nice head initially, but with little retention. Nice carbonation, light but pleasant lacing.
Smell: Super fruity, berry in abundance with raspberry prominent. There is sweetness from fruit, to be sure, but also from malt. Strangely, it almost smells like a slightly sour ruby port.
Taste: The raspberry is tart, as the title implies, but isn’t too tart or sweet, and though strong, not overpowering. It has enough grain that coupled with the raspberry, it almost has a pie-like quality to it.
Mouthfeel: Slightly sticky, moderately carbonated, nothing super polarizing anywhere here, but well done to open up the beer and capitalize on the flavor potential.
Drinkability: Medium drinkability; I can’t wait to refill my glass, though it is in danger of becoming cloying.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 3.0
Devon: 4.0

Review

Appearance: Stunning clarity, very light in color, somewhere between orange and carnation pink, with a light ruby heart. visible but very mild carbonation, with almost no cover or lacing.
Smell: The cranberry smell is up front, and has a candied quality to it. There is very little to the smell other than candied cranberry and a slight alcohol, as in a low gravity wine.
Taste: Simultaneously sweet and sour, it ignites many tastebuds along the tongue and asserts an almost crabapple tartness on the finish, which is very unique. Pleasant and interesting, but not amazing.
Mouthfeel: Slightly sticky, the carbonation leaves a little to be desired, though it does ‘pop’ on the finish, and just a trace of heat is detectable.
Drinkability: A couple of bottles would go down great; all the candied fruit, and the antipodal quality of the sweet and sour, can become overbearing.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 3.5
Devon: 3.5