Indecision Ale
Round Barn Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bought this when my wife and I stopped by Round Barn while doing the local wine trail and thought this one sounded interesting. With a moderate pour this beer produces a head that is 1 finger in height and is a light frothy appearance. The head dissipates rather quickly to a thin lacing. The beer itself is a deep amber in color and clear with moderate to high carbonation readily visible. 3.5/5 The aroma reminds me of a Vienna lager in that is relatively sweet but not quite as sweet as a Marzen. The sweetness is based on the malt profile with a sweet caramel note as well as a medium toasted wheat bread aroma. Dark stone fruit, in this case dates, come through right behind the caramel and bread, adding to the sweetness. There is an herbal hoppy profile to the nose as well as a bit of grass. No real spiciness comes through, distinguishing this from a Vienna. 3.75/5 The same caramel and medium toasted wheat bread from the aroma comes through on the palate as well, although there is quite a bit of raw graininess to the flavor too. The dark stone fruit present in the aroma comes out somewhat in the flavor but not as much as in the aroma. Grass and herbal hops are noticeable on the back end, providing a moderate bitterness that lingers after swallowing. Significant carbonation burn up front dissipates fairly quickly to a wet, watery feel that persists throughout the profile. Light drying on the back end with a light lingering dryness after swallowing. 3.5/5 Light and watery, with flavors that are strong at times, and undertones at best at others. This beer is definitely indecision at it's finest and obviously does not know what to be. Some sips the flavors comes across really well and other sips they don't. When it's good, it's good. When it's watery, not so much. Very drinkable regardless. 3.5/5

 

 

 

 

L: After reading that it was a gusher, I started the pour cautiously, but there was very little head despite a fairly aggressive back-end pour. I don't know if it was temperature dependent - the beer was quite cold when poured (just less than 40˚F), but came up to room temperature as I was sipping. The color is a coppery, hazy red.

S: The smell was a little faint, but quite sweet with enough hops for balance. The malt was toasted, with some possible hints of nuts or dark fruit. The scents present were very nice, I just wish it had been a little stronger.

T: In my opinion, this was the best part of the beer. Well balanced, with sweet toasted malts tempered with earthy hops. The finish was very crisp, if a bit bitter.

F: Medium-bodied, with a bready and creamy feel. Despite the lack of head, the carbonation was very bright; more than I'd like it to be, but not overly distracting. Again, a very crisp finish that I found very pleasing.

O: Despite the aromatic shortcomings, it's a well-rounded amber/red ale. Nothing spectacular, but it's balanced and I really enjoyed the crisp feeling it leaves.