Horchata Cream Ale
Epic Brewing Company

 

What a surprisingly flavorful beer...

...I haven't had much success with cream ales. In fact, I have from the very start wanted to love them, but they haven't loved me back - very sad indeed. Anyway, for this one, I think I am feeling a little love. It looked pretty good and smelled good as well, but I found it's mouthfeel to be very creamy along with a taste that was lightly sweet and mildly hoppy. Overall, one of the better cream ales I have had to date...

Pours a gold color with a minimal head that disappears quickly. Aroma of cinnamon and vanilla. Taste is sweet and cinnamony. No hoppy bitterness with this beer at all.

Pours a nice straw gold with a sizeable head. smells pretty mild but defientely get the cinnamon. Defientely a refreshing beer with a smooth mouth feel and notes of cinnamon. All in all a good refreshing beer that i prefer over a standard cream ale or kolsch

Horchata Cream Ale from Epic, 16 oz can. Purchased from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA on 20/02/23 for $ 4.00 (Including tax) - $ 0.25/oz. In reefer at store, stored at 34 degrees at home. Reviewed 28/02/23 (Review 3053). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Can stamped on bottom rim “B.B. 09/30/22”. Served at 48.3 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 54.6 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, same pigmentation but with a greenish tint: translucent.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.5 cm, aggressive center pour), white, medium density, receding to an undulating 0.4 – 0.5 cm crown and a thin complete cap.
Lacing – Fair. Partial band of tiny to small bubbles and a couple of small islands.
Aroma – 3.25 – Smells like Bud Lite. No malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.25 – Begins slightly sweet. No hops, no malt, no yeast, no cinnamon. No ethanol (5 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. No gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3. – Very light body; watery; soft, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 Looks good. Think Bud Lite with fewer hops.

cream ale with corn flakes, lactose, cinnamon, and vanilla. lots to like about it, even if the branding on the can is a bit weird and doesnt look like epic at all. its nicely subtle, cream ale before flavored beer which i feel like is rare with these, but here we get the pale malt and the corn leading the way, with the minimal but crisping yeast there as well, vanilla sweetening the nose some, cinnamon warming the finish in the taste, but the added ingredients are not heavy handed, and they are all real cohesive, milk sugar is not overdone either, another common pitfall in beer like this. the cinnamon and the vanilla are great together, the corn stands out in the grain base too, and the sweetness thats here is right on, the beer is still refreshing and light. the lactose does give it a creamy horchata vibe which gives it some authenticity, and nothing is forced in here. of course the overall quality is high, its epic after all, and while this might be a little outside their usual wheelhouse, i think they nailed it. i have been avoiding beers like this lately as most of them are sugar bombs that are totally over flavored, but not this one. still, i didnt rush to a second pint can, but i enjoyed the one, its way better than a novelty. the honest cinnamon and high end vanilla character come out, and that makes it. clever. thanks to my brother in law for generously sharing these!