Cranberry Derby
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

 

600 mL bottle from the LCBO; dated Aug 22 2017 and served well chilled. Consumed a few months back, and reviewed from notes made at the time.

Pours slightly foggy, capped off by one cm of bubbly, off-white foam that recedes entirely within the next several minutes. A soapy collar and a few islands of film are left floating atop the brew's reddish-amber body. Looks fine to me. It has a subtle aroma which includes a fair dose of cranberry juice, mixed in with suggestions of grainy malt, oatmeal, and maybe a hint of grassy hay. Inoffensive and approachable, but not what I'd call aromatic.

Flavours are not bad; the cranberry is a continuous presence, overlapping first with steel-cut oats and some bready pale malt sweetness. Next up is some grassy hay and lightly floral hop bitterness, before finishing with a hint of tart cranberry juice, as well as a suggestion of cranberry skin astringency - this seems to be why the aftertaste leans dry. Light-medium in body, with low-ish carbonation levels that provide a gentle, tickling sensation on the palate. Easy enough to drink quickly, and not really interesting enough to take your time with.

Final Grade: 3.69, a B grade. Beau's Cranberry Derby ain't half bad, and I suppose it delivers pretty much what it advertises - my issue with this one is that it just seems to be missing something that would take it to the next level. The cranberry is nice enough, but it's also the only ingredient that provides any major substance to the beer - the malt backbone or oatmeal presence could have been amped up to give it a little more character. A more varied hop presence may also have helped, though I understand they are not supposed to be the focus here. I enjoyed this one, but not enough to pay the $5-8 required for another bottle.

600ml bottle, part of the current Beau's mixed-pack available in Alberta, which apparently must be getting a bit long in the tooth.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium red-tinted amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, rocky, and somewhat fizzy ecru head, which leaves a few instances of coral reef arch lace around the glass as it quickly blows off.

It smells of gritty and grainy pale malt, juicy cranberries, a hint of earthy yeastiness, and some subtle leafy, weedy, and floral green (organic) hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, still tart and fruity cranberries, a bit of oaten breakfast cereal, ethereal yeast, and more leafy, herbal, and dead floral 'verdant' hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly low-key in its perfunctory frothiness, the body a so-so middleweight, and more or less smooth, with a simple airy creaminess worming its way in once things warm up a tad around here. It finishes off-dry, the mixed malt and cranberry essence making a day of it all.

Overall - yup, this comes across as a beery version of Cranberry Oat Crunch, or whatever the hell that it's called - my house's offerings pretty much consist of Honey Nut Cheerios of late, the pre-schooler's preference. At any rate, a pretty tasty affair going on here, with the cranberries none too shy about asserting their influence. Good stuff.

batch 6494 poured into tall pilsner glass. pours Red Cooper opaque. minimal collar and does not stay. not a complex nose at all here. taste tart and oatsy. ok just wish they had sent Dark Helmet in the Fall mixer instead ;)

 

 

600ml bottle served fairly cold into a chalice. Part of the 2017 Oktoberfest pack. Batch 6494 and bottled August 22, 2017.

Appearance - pale cranberry in color, some haze and a thing finger of off white head pour on top. Minimal lacing and retention is sub standard.

Smell - some fruitiness, namely cranberry with a dense grainy backing. Some floral notes too, but not really a big nose.

Taste - some cranberry, smooth grainy flavors here too from the oats.

Mouthfeel - very smooth, silky smooth, middling to low carbonation and very easy drinking. Excellent feel.

Overall - cranberry derby isn't a bad beer, but it's failing to wow, and for the price, I was left expecting more. A little disappointing on this mixed pack, with two fruit and and spiced beers, one fine addition (an export stout) and Lug Tread. Some good beers, but not close to last years most impressive Oktoberfest pack.

 

 

Pours a nice red soil colour. White head that didn't last too long. Cereal and Oat on the nose. Cranberry really comes through on the finish and stays for a little while. Tart but not bitter.