Chubby Squirrel
Right Brain Brewery

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From:
Right Brain Brewery
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
Ranked #55
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
83
Ranked #24,068
Avg:
3.61 | pDev: 11.63%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
39
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 02, 2023
Added:
Aug 26, 2015
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  10
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bwood06:
Photo of bwood06
Reviewed by bwood06 from Wisconsin

3.74/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
My Father-in-Law & I are both big on craft beers so whenever we go somewhere on vacation, we try to bring back beer for the other person to try. This happens to be one of those beers. In this case my FiL picked this one up while visiting the brewery during a recent trip to Traverse City.

This beer pours a frothy, khaki colored head that has a bit of an amber tint to it. The head dissipates nice and slowly to a thin lacing that is retained. The beer itself is clear and a very dark amber, almost mahogany color with high carbonation easily visible. 3.75/5 The aroma is quite heavy on the spices, which makes sense considering that the label says that this is a "Spiced Amber Ale." I can make out notes of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, and a bit of lemony tartness. There is an underlying malty sweetness as well that cuts into the spicy nature of the aroma a bit. This beer straight up smells like the holiday season. 4/5 Right away the spices really take hold with cinnamon and nutmeg especially coming out with cloves playing a reserve role that acts as an undertone. Cardamom really comes out after the cinnamon and nutmeg melt away and at the same time an earthy, grainy malt comes through but this is very light. There is a bit of herbal bitterness on the back end from the hops with the bitterness just slightly cutting into the spices. The flavor is really spice-centric throughout the entire profile. Maybe a little too much so. 3.5/5 There is a bit of a light carbonation tickle up front, but not much of one, which leads into just a hint of dryness while the majority of the beer seems to wet and coat. This beer is medium bodied with a light lingering dryness after swallowing. 4/5 This is one one of the better fully spiced beers that I have tried but I would still like to see more of the malt come through. This beer definitely does highlight the flavors of the fall and early winter. 3.75/5
Oct 24, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.87 by JustLikeMyDad from Michigan

Oct 02, 2023
Photo of xmanden
Reviewed by xmanden from Michigan

4.04/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours opaque/cloudy, brown/amber. Smells of vanilla, nutmeg and slight bread yeast. Taste fantastic! All the flavors (vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and lemon peel) are well balanced but never over powers the beer. Great smooth flavor that stays well away from being a cider, that sometimes haunts this type of release.
Nov 20, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gemini6 from Michigan

Nov 12, 2022
 
Rated: 3.85 by Buck_Jones from Michigan

Nov 13, 2020
 
Rated: 3.25 by rare_bird from Michigan

Dec 03, 2019
 
Rated: 2.16 by lakewy17 from New Hampshire

Oct 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.16 by crash8per from Michigan

Aug 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.79 by BarryMFBurton from Indiana

Aug 21, 2019
Photo of TheBierdimpfe
Reviewed by TheBierdimpfe from Canada (QC)

3.62/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Medium: Capped, regular glass.
Opacity: Slightly hazy and veiled.
Color: Brownish dark amber.
Head: Soft creamy light beige 2-3 finger.
Legs: Okay.
Smell: Nutmeg/Cinnamon/Vanilla.
Taste: Brown sugar/Walnuts/Lemon.
Feel: Toasty/Red ale spices/Light peppers.
Body: Medium oily, a bit dull.
Carbonation: Good prickly.
Overall: Good quality amber ale. The ingredients are high quality but the construction could be better executed.

Visual 6/10 - Flavors 7/10 - Sensations 6/10 - Balance 7/10 -
Freshness 5.5/10 - Intensity 5/10 - Complexity 6/10 - Appreciation 6/10
Mar 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.49 by shivtim from Georgia

Oct 27, 2018
Photo of Tripel_Threat
Reviewed by Tripel_Threat from Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Very nice amber! Had this one camping outdoors on a typical Michigan fall day. The warm, spice aromas went well with the hint of chill in the air, cinnamon clove, toasty, nutty malt and vanilla notes. Caramel and biscuit flavor carries those same spices over the tongue, bright and tasty. One of my favorites from Right Brain.
Sep 29, 2018
 
Rated: 3.29 by jroof1 from Massachusetts

Sep 22, 2018
 
Rated: 3.8 by Isarnan from Michigan

Apr 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by Lonewolfwmv from Michigan

Dec 03, 2017
Photo of StoutHunter
Reviewed by StoutHunter from Michigan

3.49/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
I picked up a six pack of Right Brain's Chubby Squirrel last week at Meijers. I've had a lot of beers from Right Brain, but somehow I've never had this one, so lets see how it goes. 2017 Vintage. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks nice, it goes well with the name and it's a little eye catching. It poured a red and brown color that took on a little more of a brighter hue when held to the light and it had almost a finger worth of slightly creamy light tan head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left some spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium of sweetness with the spices being the first to show up and they are the most noticeable aspect in the aroma with some nutmeg, clove and cinnamon like aromas coming through with just a light amount of vanilla showing up in the background. Up next comes a slight bit of lemon rind that goes in the malts which impart some toasted malt, caramel malt, brown bread, caramel and sweet malt like aromas with a little bit of doughy yeast in the background and there's a nutty aroma right at the end. This beer has a nice aroma, but I wish the malts showed up a little more.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma, but a little more balanced this time and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the spices still being the first to show up and they impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but this time they are lighter and not as dominating. Up next comes a little bit of doughy yeast with just a slight amount of that lemon peel and it goes into the malts which impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but they show up more this time which is nice. On the finish it's just slightly watery with the same nutty aspects that I got in the aroma and it has just a little bit of bitterness with a light spicy, malty and slightly watery aftertaste. This is a nice tasting beer, I like the balance, but I wish the finish wasn't a little watery.

M- Smooth, very crisp, a little prickly, dry on the finish, medium bodied with a high amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is decent, but i wish the carbonation was toned down some.

Overall I thought this was a nice beer and a nice example of the style, it was a little rough around the edges, but in the end it ended up living up to it's description and it wasn't bad for what it is. This beer had ok drinkability, one is a good amount for me, I don't really have the urge to have more than that. What I like the most about this beer is the appearance and the balance in the taste, to me those are the highlights of this beer. What I like the least about this beer is the mouthfeel, it needs a good amount of work. I don't think I would buy this beer again, and I can't say I would recommend it, but it might be worth trying if you want a spicy and malty beer that's a little on the lighter side. All in all I liked this beer, but I didn't love it and I think with a little more work on the taste, aroma and mouthfeel and this could be a pretty good beer. It's not a favorite beer from Right Brain and it's a solid example of the style. Nice job guys, but with a little more work this beer could be even better.
Oct 10, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by Marvicsin from California

Sep 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.65 by Gravewalker from Washington

Apr 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by Mambajahamba from Michigan

Nov 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.91 by Calraven from Michigan

Oct 27, 2016
Chubby Squirrel from Right Brain Brewery
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 39 ratings