Big Stump - Spruce Golden Ale
Dead Frog Brewery
- From:
- Dead Frog Brewery
- British Columbia, Canada
- Style:
- Herb and Spice Beer
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.78 | pDev: 12.43%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Nov 06, 2017
- Added:
- Aug 14, 2014
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
3.81/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
650ml bottle - a local spruce harvesting project very much like one undertaken here in Edmonton by Alley Kat a few months ago.
This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium copper amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, rocky and mildly bubbly beige head, which leaves some decent streaky lightning bolt lace around the glass as it lazily sinks away. Nothing all that 'golden' about this ale, eh?
It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, a bit of biscuity toffee, candied orange peel, a touch of wayward son yeastiness, and some complex piney, leafy, and yup, sprucey green bitterness. The taste is more of the same - grainy and bready caramel malt, even sweeter toffee pudding, muddled domestic citrus notes, some fading innocuous yeast, and a steady earthy, piney, and uh huh, spruced-up hoppiness (spruce tips are not hops, I get it).
The carbonation is structurally sound, via its quotidian frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and generally smooth, with a wee airy creaminess trying in vain to get off the ground. It finishes off-dry, the malt holding tight, while the leafy and piney nature of the hops continues to bully the guest spruce around.
Overall, this seems much more akin to an IPA with some shy spruce added to the mix - 'golden ale', are you kidding me? Anyways, fairly tasty, the green forest floor character well balanced by the citrus and strangely robust malt. Worthy of checking out, especially if you're afraid that this, like others before it, would be like chewing on a tree branch - it's not.
Aug 01, 2016This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium copper amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, rocky and mildly bubbly beige head, which leaves some decent streaky lightning bolt lace around the glass as it lazily sinks away. Nothing all that 'golden' about this ale, eh?
It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, a bit of biscuity toffee, candied orange peel, a touch of wayward son yeastiness, and some complex piney, leafy, and yup, sprucey green bitterness. The taste is more of the same - grainy and bready caramel malt, even sweeter toffee pudding, muddled domestic citrus notes, some fading innocuous yeast, and a steady earthy, piney, and uh huh, spruced-up hoppiness (spruce tips are not hops, I get it).
The carbonation is structurally sound, via its quotidian frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and generally smooth, with a wee airy creaminess trying in vain to get off the ground. It finishes off-dry, the malt holding tight, while the leafy and piney nature of the hops continues to bully the guest spruce around.
Overall, this seems much more akin to an IPA with some shy spruce added to the mix - 'golden ale', are you kidding me? Anyways, fairly tasty, the green forest floor character well balanced by the citrus and strangely robust malt. Worthy of checking out, especially if you're afraid that this, like others before it, would be like chewing on a tree branch - it's not.
Reviewed by starclimber from Canada (BC)
4.16/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.16/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Splooshed into the typical (for this reviewer) big ass wine glass. Rather lovely light copper well flecked with darker particulate. Uber-persistent .5 cm or so fleecy white head with fascinatingly goblinesque lacings lingering in what seems permanent fashion on the glass.
Gorgeously apricot laden aroma. Oh baby.
The flavour profile really makes sense now that I've pinned that aroma down. Dry apricot long finishing bitter happiness. Take your time with this brew and its beauty will disrobe in full view of your engorged senses. Oh yes. Yes it will.
The mouth feel could be fuller, but its spruce, not hemlock, eh?
In summation, think 'what, spruce?' but then declare "solid, curiously fruity IPA that hits a mark no one knew existed"
Mental note: on sale for a buck off at our price gouging gov. liquor stores.
Sep 25, 2015Gorgeously apricot laden aroma. Oh baby.
The flavour profile really makes sense now that I've pinned that aroma down. Dry apricot long finishing bitter happiness. Take your time with this brew and its beauty will disrobe in full view of your engorged senses. Oh yes. Yes it will.
The mouth feel could be fuller, but its spruce, not hemlock, eh?
In summation, think 'what, spruce?' but then declare "solid, curiously fruity IPA that hits a mark no one knew existed"
Mental note: on sale for a buck off at our price gouging gov. liquor stores.
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)
3.31/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.31/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Appearance - Pours an amber tone with two fingers of creamy white head.
Smell - hint of piney and citrus hops, bready malts, hints of spruce, orange.
Taste - Piney and citrus hops followed by bready malts. The spruce is there but is dominated by the hops.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with a lingering bitterness.
Overall - A spruce beer that has the right elements in place. This needs to be more "earthy" to be true to the style. The hops add a nice punch; too bad the spruce isn't all there.
Aug 02, 2015Smell - hint of piney and citrus hops, bready malts, hints of spruce, orange.
Taste - Piney and citrus hops followed by bready malts. The spruce is there but is dominated by the hops.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with a lingering bitterness.
Overall - A spruce beer that has the right elements in place. This needs to be more "earthy" to be true to the style. The hops add a nice punch; too bad the spruce isn't all there.
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