Category: Beer

Nicie Spicie

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Maker: Short’s, Elk Rapids, Michigan, USA

Style: Spiced wheat ale

ABV: 4.5%

Appearance: Dark straw, cloudy and foamy.

Nose: Moroccan spicy. Coriander, Meyer lemon, hint of white pepper.

On the palate: Light bodied with lots of spice tempered with a little wheat character. Coriander, faint hints of citrus. Maybe even a little creamy.

Finish: Sweet and slightly fruity. Fades fairly quickly.

Parting words: This is a summer limited release from shorts in the vein of spiced wheat ales like Whitsun. The spice dries out (in a good way) the normally fruity wheat beer profile. It’s a fun drink, especially in late summer when thoughts of pumpkin ale are in the air. Another good solid offering from Short’s. If I have a criticism it’s that the coriander is a little too strong. I would have appreciated more citrus and pepper. At any rate, Nicie Spicie is recommended.

Narragansett Summer Ale

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Maker: Narragansett Brewing Co., Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Brewed: Genesee Brewing, Rochester, New York, USA (North American Breweries)

Style: American Blonde Ale

ABV: 4.2%

Note: Pint cans.

Thanks: to Jennifer & Pete for this can.

Appearance: Pale gold with a big foamy head.

Nose: Bright. Some hops, orange, lemon grass.

On the palate: Easy-drinking and light. Pilsner-like. Bright, hoppy, slightly floral with maybe a touch of lemon.

Finish: Pleasant. Long and bitter.

Parting words: This beer was brought to me by a couple friends who were vacationing in Cape Cod and this was their go-to beer for the trip. It’s not bad for what it is. It’s simple and easy. It’s light, refreshing beach fare, like a pulp novel. Narragansett Summer Ale gets a mild recommendation.

Old Curmudgeon Ale

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Maker: Founders, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Style: Old Ale

ABV: 9.8%

Appearance: Slightly cloudy, dark auburn.

Thanks: to Oscar for this bottle and photo.

Nose: Malt, molasses, toasted wheat bread.

On the Palate: Medium bodied. Sweet and toasty, but not cloying. Like drinking Boston brown bread. Some faint ginger notes.

Finish: Bready and slightly sticky sweet.

Parting words: I am a big fan of Old Ales as a style. Long time readers may remember my glowing review of Big Dick’s ale from Arcadia. This one is very good, if a little one-dimensional at the moment. The ginger notes add some interest and hint at how the character of this beer may change after a year or longer in the bottle. Unfortunately this is the only one I have. Making a mental note to buy some as soon as I can! Old Curmudgeon is recommended.

Helios Pale Ale

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Maker: Upland, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

Style: American Pale

ABV: 4.9%

Appearance: Rusty orange

Nose: Hoppy but malty. bitter and floral but balanced.

On the palate: Medium-bodied. The nose follows through on the palate. Brash hops, tempered by big malty ale notes.

Finish: Mildly sweet and slightly floral finish. The nose carries through to the end.

Parting Words: For those of us who graduated from Anderson University, when we think of  Helios we think of a pile of greenish panes of glass piled up in a twisty formation in the middle of a fountain into which squirrels used to throw themselves in the spring and then freeze to death, bobbing to the surface inside of a large chunk of ice as it thawed the next morning.

That was an unpleasant memory. Helios, on the other hand, is a very pleasant beer. It’s not as complex as my go-to Michigan pale, Axl from Millking It Productions, but it’s food friendly and easy drinking. I likes it. Helios Pale Ale is recommended.

November Gale Pale Ale

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Maker: Keweenaw Brewing Company, South Range, Michigan, USA

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: ??% (not particularly high)

Appearance: Old gold with a foamy head.

Nose: Hops, sweet hay, lemongrass.

On the palate: Medium bodied. Sweet Woodruff, malt, Meyer lemon.

Finish: Slightly citric and mild, then a big hit of hoppy bitterness on the back end.

Parting words: Keweenaw rarely disappoints, and November Gale is no disappointment. It doesn’t do a lot to distinguish itself from its heavy competition other than coming in a can. The citrus notes and slight grassiness make it a great summertime pale ale; more of a summer zephyr than a November Gale. Like most standard Pale Ales, it is also food friendly. November Gale Pale Ale is recommended.

Oak Aged Hatter

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Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USA

Style: Barrel-aged IPA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 5.1%

Appearance: Burnt orange with a creamy head.

Nose: Vanilla whipped topping, hops, bergamot, hops.

On the palate: Medium-bodied and creamy. Orange toffee, key lime pie, lemon chiffon pie, lemon thyme.

Finish: Vanilla, bitter hops, sweetness balanced with pleasant hoppy bitterness.

Parting Words: In another sign of how out of touch I am with my own generation, I’m not a huge IPA fan. In general, I find adding metric tons of hops to beer to be obnoxious. Some of the hop bombs that garner praise these days, I find undrinkable. I do like Mad Hatter, though, so I had high expectations for this beer.

It did not disappoint. The time in “Kentucky Oak” (not a bourbon or rye barrel, apparently. Corn or wheat whiskey maybe?) has turned a very good IPA into a symphonic masterpiece. The barrel notes are a sweet, creamy counterpoint to the citric, bitter hops. No matter how many times I have gone back to this one, I taste something else. Something good. Oak-Aged Hatter is highly recommended.

ControversiALE

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Maker: Shorts, Bellaire, Michigan, USA

Style: IPA

ABV: 6.55%

Appearance: Slightly hazy copper.

Nose: Effervescent, fruity, floral.

On the palate: full-bodied, very bitter and hoppy. Lemon pepper, hay, urn with dead flowers in a drained pool.

Finish:  Floral and bitter moving to just straight up bitterness

Parting words: It says a lot about the hop-mania the nation is in the grip of that this hop-monster is considered by some to be between an IPA and a Pale Ale. I taste very little in this beer other than hops, and I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of IPAs. But this  grew on me after a while, I must admit. It reminds me a lot of Two-hearted ale, but with a more aggressive edge. ControversALE gets a recommendation, if only because I know others will love this one.

Cabin Fever

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Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USA

Style: Brown Ale

ABV: 6.25%

Appearance: Dark Coffee Brown

Nose: meaty, cocoa

On the palate: Thick, caramel brownies, dark chocolate, brown butter.

Finish: long and pleasantly bitter and chocolately

Parting Words: This is a delicious, luscious brown ale. Loads of chocolate and caramel, similar to many barrel-aged ales, but not overly boozey. I wish I could say more, but this is just a damn good beer. Cabin Fever is highly recommended.

Full Circle

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Maker: New Holland

Style: Kölsch

ABV: 4.9%

Appearance: Bright gold with a foamy head.

Nose: Malt, some hoppy bitterness, light and lively. Similar to American pilsners.

On the palate: crisp, lightly hoppy with big malt character.

Finish: Bitter, with very little in the way of sweetness.

Parting words: Full Circle is something I drink more of in the summertime that the winter, but it is refreshing anytime. It tastes like what American beers like Bud, Miller and Rolling Rock should taste like. Fresh and clean with some light bitterness that goes well with spicey foods. A well-executed Kölsch. Recommended.