Witch's Brew
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

RBB – Long Beach, CA

Witch’s Brew, 5.0%


Presentation: Listed on the backboard of the Brewery as “Withc’s Brew” at 5.0% ABV.

Appearance: Robust rusty orange body, minimal head, waning bubbled top disappeared very quickly. Looked a little flat and the carbonation was low. A little uninviting looks.

Nose: Light cinnamon and nutmeg sits in the spicy nose. Warm nose.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Middling body with a nice feel, but the lack of carbonation was a disappointment and added to a light watery aspect at times. Finish was spicy, the cinnamon, nutmeg and all spices were held in check but tended to overpower a little thanks to the lack of conditioning. Not at its best but OK.

Drinkability: The low carbonation meant for a heavy drink overall. One was enough.

Overall: I suspect this brew was at the end of its life in the storage tanks, especially considering its low carbonation. Nice enough but nothing special.

Had this straight from the tap. Nice, dark amber color with about a half-inch, white head. Smelled kind of malty with a hint of pumpkin; tasted more like a regular ale than a pumpkin ale. Only really taste the pumpkin as an aftertaste, not in the actual tasting o fthe beer. Nice mouthfeel; slightly thin but pretty good overall. Pretty drinkable, but could use more pumpkin flavoring.

This fall seasonal is released in time for Halloween and is served with a sugar and spice coating on the rim of the glass. It's interesting, and adds a sweet and spicy aroma that should be exciting to their standard beer drinkers. Unfortunately for those interested in the beer over the gimmick, the sugar and spice rim completely covers up the aroma of the actual beer, and even masks the flavor. For a moment I was even toying with the idea that it was just their amber ale with the sugar and spice on the glass. What is present in the beer doesn't exactly scream "pumpkin!", but it passes. This is really about the gimmick though.

In a crowded, overpriced Rock Bottom located on the Waterfront in Pittsburgh, I ordered their seasonal IPA. As a man who loves his IPAs this beer was an embarassment to the microbrewing industry. Appearance, pours copper with a thin head in a 20oz. pint no lacing. Aromatics mild pine and floral notes, but the flavor was a watery soapy epitome of blah. It sucked no malty sweetness just a grainy offness with watered down hops. Mouthfeel: Thin decent carbonation just a disappointment. Drinkabilty: Never ever again, this one just doesn't qualify as an IPA.