Weeping Reaper Blood Orange Helles Bock
Dead Frog Brewery

Appearance: Opaque, muddy and cool yellow - between a wet straw and golden yellow. A rather light finger head of haphazard white foam that dissipates quickly to a light ring around the glass and a Jackson Pollok-esque spatter on the surface.

Aromatics: I know they are blood oranges but they are so floral like Mandarin orange blossoms, I actually envision walking through a grove with my eyes closed, taking in the super sweet floral fragrance that is carried on a light autumn breeze.

Taste: Sweet and tart that leads to bitter in fairly short order. The florals really doing a nice job of smoothing out the leafy earth bitter. The hints of orange peeking about at the start of the sip and then once it has you hooked in starts it’s meandering down the brightly green pastures of earthy hops with little pieces of orange peel. The only thing missing is a glimmer of clove.

Feel: A juicy middle ground brew, with plenty of fluid and creamy texture just a bit of carbonation to entice the palate into another sip. A good presence of fresh water to keep the flavours from disturbing the balance and distinctive mouthfeel that each component brings.

Overall: Almost full marks on scent for sure - all other departments it was a modestly good bock.

Pairing : Such a Halloween themed brew, it’s going to pair nicely with most meats. Including turkey dinner - and thanks be to the gods of the 10 heavens, it’s Thanksgiving weekend here north of the North American 49. I’m definitely going to tip another glass of this with a dijon and crusted wild turkey breast with sweet potato and marshmallow casserole, and roasted, spiced, and garlic buttered brussel sprouts this weekend.

Clear. Amber to orange. very little head. Orange and sweet malt smell. Blood orange taste. Nice sweet finish

 

A blood orange helles bock is a bit of a different choice for a Halloween-themed beer. Change the name and the label and it could just as easily and perhaps more appropriately be a summer beer. That said, I'm intrigued and looking forward to trying it, no matter the season.

A: crystal clear, slightly orange amber. Visible carbonation. Head dissipates fairly quickly.
S: orange and sweet malt. Fairly mild.
T: I can definitely taste the blood orange, mostly in the aftertaste. Finish is a bit boozy.
Very refreshing.

Pour a nice golden colour with a slight orange hue and a finger thick bright white head with great retention. The nose does lead with citrus along with a sweet malt, grass and a earthy hop. The malt comes to the forefront of the taste on the tongue followed up, yeast and a hoppy bitterness that hits hard and then dissipates quickly leaving a fairly clean finish that only has a lingering citrus mouthfeel. The body is in the high medium range. Quite the tasty beverage but there is a alcohol burn that I think exceeds its 7.0% ABV.