Rio Salado Blizzard Bock Winter Wheat Ale
Rio Salado Brewing Company

Acquired via trade. This one rubbed me the wrong way from the start for some reason. Maybe it was the seemingly random mashing of words/styles (Wheat! Bock! Winter! Applesauce!) but unfortunately this didn’t seem to gel for me. Pours dark brown with a thin light tan head and little lacing. Aroma of sour fruit and toasted malt. Medium-bodied with a sourness that permeates, making me wonder if this might have been a bad bottle. Malt, wheat and clove flavors are dominated by the sourness. The finish is dry and fruity. I’d like to try this again to determine if there are problems with the beer in general or if is what the it is supposed to be like.

Pours a brilliantly clear ruby color when held up to the light, otherwise it is a deep amber color. It is topped by a thinnish, frothy light brown head. As I pour this beer I get strong notes of banana, when I go in for a better smell I get hints of higher alcohols and fusels, as well as banana and clove notes. The taste is palate filling and sweet up front, almost like a banana cream pie. The finish is sour and salty with a dry finish that actually balances the front part of this beer despite the fact that it might be a bit infected. Along with the sour finish this beer evokes thoughts of sour cherries, and oak. The finish has hints of roasted malts, but mostly the astringent notes of burnt grain husks.

I am not quite sure that this beer is supposed to be as sour as it is, the sourness is only a bit here, and perhaps it is just yeast derived, but whatever I certainly like it. This beer would perhaps be a bit unbalanced without it.

Dark black color. Medium head. Aroma is roasted malts and cherries. A medium bodied dark bock. Malts are roasted and fruity (cherries and plums). Hops are slightly spicy. Very fruity. Interesting beer, very fruity for a bock. Was fruity added? Well balanced. Very drinkable. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Appearance: dark brown (like a porter), thin cap of tannish head w/ some large bubbles interspersed, good clarity

Aroma: a big wheaty/bready sweetness followed by roasted-grain/coffee notes, touch of banana and vanilla

Flavor: tangy then sweet then tangy then sweet again (seriously!), this thread is underlaced with roasted grain flavor which kicks in as bitterness at the end, the finish starts off sweet but the aftertaste turns tangy/bitter, pretty complex

Mouthfeel: medium body, creamy and smooth, tight carbonation, a nice warming alcohol hit

Overall impression: a very interesting beer that I'm definitely pleased with, though the first tangy note is verging on being overpowering. This beer, along with the Schwarzbier and the seasonal Cherry Wheat, is one of their best offerings. Try to get down to the tap-house to taste them on draft.

Enjoying a Blizzard on a cold, clear, crisp New England day. Very dark brown in color, with light not able to pass through at all. A hard-pour produced a creamy, tan head, yet it faded rapidly to a wispy thin layer, congregating mostly around the glasses edge. Lacing was decent. The nose has a slight sour, roasty, bitter lean to it, with even a smidge of banana. Body is middle-of-the-road, and it is semi-smooth on the tongue, with a creamy carbonation as well. A mild fruitiness pervades the taste; it has a bit of citrus (though it probably shouldn't) as well as a mild banana flavor. I did not find much maltiness present, though. The finish had a slight, puckery dryness. Interesting brew. Thnx go to Gusler! Cheers!!

Black as night, topped off by a small mocha brown head. Roasted aroma with fruity esters, banana and apple, just a touch of spiciness, mainly clove, and some Bavarian yeast sourness. The flavors blend very well. Big malty sweetness with vanilla, and Bavarian yeast sweet and sour fruitiness, kind of a sour apple. Roasted undertones and spiciness. Fairly thick mouthfeel, which is very nice. Not my favorite style, but it's a great interpretation of it. I look forward to trying more by this brewery.

On the pour a dazzling pitch-black color with a masterful in size creamy chocolate brown head, that produces a fine sheet of lace. Nose nice malt, hints of caramel, also a bit earthy, with the start sweet and the malt profile perfect, the top is medium to full in feel. Finish has a pleasant hop presence and the acidity middling with the aftertaste somewhat dry, all in all a quite pleasing beer to quaff.