Santos L Halper
Earth Bread + Brewery

A-Deep copper with a thin off-white head that left minimal lace.

S-Light malty oak dryness...not much else.

T-Oak fruitiness with a bit of bitterness in the finish. Caramel sweetness is held to a minimum.

M-Medium-light body with an astringent dry finsih.

D-A decent mild, quite dry. Not quite what I expected but decent.

Sampled on tap at the brewpub.

Pours a deep amber, a clear browned sugar crust color, like the top of a Creme Bruleé, layered, smooth, entrancing. A nice khaki cap of head settles down. The pint has visual weight, heft, permanence.

Aroma is calm and a bit briny, floating notes of butter and nuts, toffee and tea. Very nice.

Taste is truly peerless. The slow carbonation allows the flavors to linger on the tongue, glazed hazelnut, cool water, and pure, beautiful, uncomplicated grain. The amount to which you can actually taste the grain in this beer is a revelation, a singular experience of pure malt. The taste of this brew is the closest thing to the casked milds I drank like milk on Jesus Green in Cambridge -- it truly is a brew worthy of a CAMRA Festival.

Mouthfeel is mellow and full, aided by the previously mentioned calm carbonation. Right on target.

As for drinkability, as the beer is served in 20 oz. pints, one glass is enough for me. That being said, a keg of this at my house would disappear quickly.

All in all, a brilliant stroke, a lovely beer, the best thing I had to drink all last year -- and it wasn't even close.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours a deep dark amber with a thick tan head. Aroma of sweet malts and raspberry seed. Flavor of roasted malt, coffee grounds, and sweet finish. An interesting beer and my first mild ale. Nice, well-crafted.
7/4/7/4/14 (3.6/5)

A 13 oz glass served at the brewpub.

A: The mild ale is a fuller brown cola color, not quite black but dark enough. Not much head.

S: The nose is loaded with nutty and caramel malt aromas, full and thick. Hops are present but in limited quantities.

T: The ale is malty, full of caramel, nut and bread flavors. The sweetness of the caramel is the dominating feature, overtaking the other malt flavors. Hop-wise, the ale is underwhelming, offering just enough bitterness to be noticed before allowing the malts to re-assert themselves.

M: The mouthfeel is great, mild but full of flavor. The caramel really works here, full but not too sweet.

D: A great sipper, this one is far too quaffable for its own good.

On tap at Earth Bread + Brewery on 12/30/08.

A - Slightly hazy reddish, copper-tinged body with modest carbonation and almost a finger of bubbly off-white head that diminished to a patchy retention and spotty lacing.

S - Malty nose with a mild burnt caramel aspect and just a smidgen of noble hops hinting of citrus fruit.

T - Initial flavor is caramel malt with hints of toffee and tobacco, followed by subtle earthy hops and an oaky dryness. Finishes with a hefty bit of bready malt with more caramel sweetness.

M - Light to medium body with watery texture and assertive carbonation, almost cola-like, resulting in a bristly mouthfeel. Finish is dry and mildly bitter on the tongue.

D - Pretty decent mild that is situated in the middle of the road, actually. It's drinkable but certainly nothing to write home about.

Brewslut's Quote of the Day:
"It reminds me of that time you home-brewed and I got sick."

Enjoyed on tap at Earth on 12/27.

Poured a dark amber with a maple syrup brownish tint. Thin off-white head had average retention and left some spotty lacing. Smells of vanilla, caramel, roasted grains, and light coffee. Tastes sweet up front with caramel, fruits, vanilla, and cocoa followed by toasted malts and coffee. Medium in body with good carbonation. Smooth and sweet with a pleasant roasty finish, almost like a stout but not as chewy. Low in alcohol and very easy to drink, quite sessionable.

Appearance - Deep maple color with fluffy head and spotty lacing.

Nose - Chalky with mild coffee bitter malt sweetness.

Taste - Stoney, roasted coffee, bitter chocolate, bitter finish. Minerality and bitterness meld into the finish.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability - Wonderfully full and round mouthfeel yet light enough to drink 3 or 4 or 5.