Reindeer Games
Clown Shoes

3.77/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by schoolboy from Ohio

Yet another from the 12 beers of Christmas offerings. This one is unique.

It pours light brown with nice fizz. The aroma is subdued as is the rest of the experience. Its like IPAs but yet it isn't. It has way less bittering than we are used to but it is still dry.

Recommended. It sure is different from the brown ales for the holidays, though it is hard to make a holiday connection with this one drink.

Jan 02, 2022

4.02/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by donspublic from Texas

Poured from can into tulip, good 2 finger light tan head, good retention, great lacing. Amberish red in the glass, slight chill haze. Citrus, pine and caramel on the nose. Pine and caramel on the front, slight citrus, herbal in the middle and finishes on a slightly sweet note, not cloying but pleasant. Residual pine, caramel left on the palate. Reminds me somewhat of SN's Celebration.

Dec 17, 2021

3.54/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
by RedStickPhil from New Mexico

This is an interesting beer. I taste the Bavaria, the ipa not so much. Slightly cloudy brown with a loose head and decent lacing. Sort of a caramel taste in the front of the mouth, balanced finish with the faintest ipa bitterness.

Dec 09, 2021

3.72/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by hman43 from North Carolina

Look: It pours cooper and clear with an off white head. Head retention is excellent.

Smell: There are some caramel and cherry flavors up front. There are light stone fruit notes in the background with some berry elements and a hint of tropical fruits.

Taste: There are some cherry flavors and stone fruit up front with caramel elements in support. There are some berry elements with very low pine.

Feel: It has a medium body with moderately low bitterness in the finish.

Overall, easy drinking with fruity flavors.

Dec 06, 2021

3.92/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by Paradox1000 from Florida

Good IPA, but prefer more hop forward. Very drinkable!

Dec 05, 2021

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by brewerburgundy from Virginia

12oz can, wine glass, best by 1/31/22.

Whoa, it’s dark. Really dark, like a Doppelbock. Small to medium head of creamy tan.

Rich malts and some herbal, peppery hops. Toffee and ginger bread snaps.

At least it’s not very sweet and there’s depth and bitterness. There still a rich malt body with flavors like rye and ginger breads, but it’s balanced my a solid bitterness and a lot of herbal spice from the hops.

Medium-light body with medium carbonation. It’s pretty in the middle, but slightly less carbonation might make the flavors shine even more.

Not sure how they got to this as a Bavarian IPA. The one other beer I’ve had that carries that label was light in color and crisp and dry. I like the beer, but if you put it in front of me with no description at all I’d have pegged it as a hoppy red or amber ale, or maybe even a hoppy Zoigl if you told me it was German.

Dec 03, 2021

3.92/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by Profundobaso from New York

Look - 12 oz can poured into an IPA glass. Beer is amber in copper/amber in color, slightly hazy, and has about a two finger head and plenty of lacing.

Smell - malts, and a lot of it. some caramel and light smokiness. hop scents are subdued, but leans on the grassy side.

Taste - consistent with the smell, a lot of malts and not as much hops. the beer offers strong malty flavors from the start to the end. some bitterness detectable towards the middle, but this is rounded out by more toasted malts and even some fruity notes in the finish.

Feel - medium-full body, average carbonation, and reasonably strong at 7% ABV.

Overall - as stated on the can, this is defined as a "Bavarian Style" IPA, and I can see why: it has a ton of malt presence, yet balanced out by enough hops to not taste like a witbier. An interesting blend of flavors, and the result is pretty tasty.

Nov 29, 2021

3.84/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
by puboflyons from New Hampshire

From a 12 oz. can that expires 1/31/2022. Sampled Nov. 24, 2021.

Handsome looking medium amber pour with some yellow and orange highlights and a lingering off-white head.

I pic k up a pleasing caramel malt sensation on the nose withy more of a hint of earthy or floral hops. This one smells far more traditional that today's IPA's. Kudos to that.

Medium mouthfeel. Smooth.

The taste is more sweet than hoppy harking back to the days of traditional IPAs that used the hops to preserve rather than flavor the beer. So that is a thumbs up as far as I am concerned. Balanced.

Nov 25, 2021

2.25/5  rDev -41.6%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25
by SmoothOverEverything from Ohio

super weird beer. Starts out like a German Dunkel, kind a flat and carmelly, then it starts fizzing in your mouth like pop rocks and then turns sour.

Apr 30, 2021

4.24/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by dsa7783 from New Jersey

Twelve ounce can copped from Ridgedale Liquors in East Hanover. Pours a golden, effervescent hue with moderate frothing. Assertive aroma replete with notes of grapefruit and citrus. Similar overall flavor profile. Good stuff.

Feb 22, 2021

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by bubseymour from Maryland

Dark brown /orange with a really interesting malty, toffee aroma. Really enjoyable blend of a bock and an IPA. Actually meets right in the middle and it’s quite good and unique hybrid beer. Clown Shoes really did nice mad scientist work with this one.

Jan 23, 2021

3.74/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

Reindeer Games from Clown Shoes. Purchased 16/11/20 for $ 28.00 (Including tax) for 12-pack of 12 oz cans ($ 0.194/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. On shelf at store and stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 12/1/21.
Stamped on the bottom “Best By 1/31/21”. Served at 46.4 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 52.8 degrees.
Appearance – 3.25.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Amber brown (SRM 18), murky and opaque. When rear-lite, deep amber and slight haze. Lots of fine precipitate resting on the sides of the glass.
Head – Large (Maximum four cm, aggressive center pour), fawn, medium density, short retention, leaving a two to four mm crown, and a thin complete cap with a rocky center island. Tiny pieces of lacing remain on the glass as the head retracts.
Lacing – Low end of fair. Narrow broken ring of tiny bubbles, too narrow to be torn curtains. See also above.
Aroma – 3.5 – Weak malt and hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 4 – Begins slightly malty and bitter, no yeast. No alcohol (7 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends bitter and slightly malty.
Palate – 4 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 Seems like an over-carbonated average lager from some small Bavarian/Franconian brewery. Very drinkable.

Jan 12, 2021

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by mushroomcloud from Texas

12oz can with a best by date of 1-31-21. Opened 1-9-21.
1 finger sand colored head. Retention is good with early lacing clinging to the glass as it slowly falls.
Amber with limited clarity. Full sheets of lacing.
Caramel, bread crust/pretzel, pine, herbal, with some citrus.
Lemon, tea leaves on a malt base that's light caramel and toast.
Bright entry, light body, medium carbonation. Some sweetness in a lingering, mildly bitter finish.
Good to Very Good..

Jan 10, 2021

3.74/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by zeff80 from Missouri

12oz can. Poured out a clear, reddish amber color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of roasted malt, toffee, caramel and piney notes. It tasted piney with a sharp bitterness and toasted caramel.

Jan 02, 2021

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

Day 2 of the 12 Beers of Christmas pack. Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours red orange with a fluffy white head. Smells of beautiful citrus hops with nice grain backbone. Tastes of nice citrus and earthy hops with nice grain. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.

Dec 30, 2020