Morning After Mild Ale
Clemson Bros. Brewery at The Gilded Otter

My pint, arriving with a creamy, bubbly, short-lived head, was a not-quite-opaque dark brown. When held up to the light it became hazy and redish. Like other Gilded Otter brews it had very little scent; it smelled mildly of hops, and nothing more. The lacing was nice, but rather wispy and sparse.

The first sip yielded a brief burst of creaminess. This was quickly replaced by the taste of malts that had been roasted just beyond the caramel stage and only slightly into the coffee stage. This is a very good place for me. The finish carried a roasted, almost woody flavor.

As I made my way through the pint I saw the first problem with this beer. It feels like there are only two stages to the taste because the first sensation you get is really more of a bracing sensation than a taste. That's a big problem for this one because, unlike their other beers, its head disappears quicly. So the creaminess that characterizes those other brews is absent here. As far as taste goes, that leaves you with nothing but a roasted, almost-woody maltiness and a long, slightly hoppy fade.

By the very end I notice two other minor problems. By that point the woodiness has built up on my palate to the point where the drinkability drops. Also, the finish carries an almost metallic overtone like the Awosting Amber, but unlike the Amber it's not interesting enough to be appealing.