Blue Moon Bitter
Brass Monkey

Very good example of a session ale, a style often neglected amidst the hop-bombs of the Pacific Northwest. Not too carbonated, with a good balance of hops and dark malts. Sadly this has been discontinued under the new ownership of the Moon (they have introduced many fine new Germanic style beers, though!).

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting bitter. Quite dark, with very little head. Dark mahogany - this is bordering on brown ale or even dark mild in appearance. Big malts up front, with a definite bitterness. Wierd malty bitter taste. Slightly rough, very yeasty. Almost too bitter, but not complex or hoppy enough for an IPA.

Heavy on the carbonation, and slightly thick. So far this is the weakest of the 4 from MUTW, which is sad as I was most looking forward to this.

Bottle shared by Pino, 650ml bomber into a tulip.

Pours mahogany, with a cream coloured head and some sticky lace. Nose has some mild hop notes, strong caramel and grainy bread notes dominate. Taste is predominantly caramel with some grainy cracker, light earthiness and a subdued hop profile. Low carbonation in the mouthfeel, with a mild and pleasant bitterness that rounds out the mouthfeel very nicely. Great balance in all aspects I thought; extremely drinkable. Definitely a style (and ABV) that needs to be explored more often round these parts here.

Bottle from EskimoDave opened at Sammy's

Caramel brown colour, slight off white head with some hints of lace. Smell is malty with notes of caramel, some spicy hints and surprisingly had some alcohol notes present. Taste is malty up front, moderate bitterness, fairly hoppy, caramel with slightly sweet points coming through, quite flavourful. Really good mouthfeel carbonation is light, weight seems bang on, feels proper. Drinks quite well, very good for what it is, can be sessioned easy. Can't wait to try more stuff from these guys, thanks Dave.

Pino's bottle via trade with BC. Light brown colour, malt is up front and then some bitterness, which accumulates in taste in a repeated sample.Some hop aroma. Syrupy mouthfeel, extract like taste. Not the style. Not too drinkable.New brewery, let's see.

Appearance. Pours a nearly clear, deep amber with half a finger of head that leaves a little lacing.

Smell. Caramel and toasty grains. A little citrus rind and grassy hops. Pretty light on the nose, but smells good.

Taste. Dry caramel and toasty grains. A little mixed citrus rinds and slightly nutty. Getting a little oak or woodiness too.

Mouthfeel. Light body with less than medium, smooth carbonation.

Overall. Great tasting and low abv. Perfect bbq beer and I might not even burn the steaks after having a couple!! I really hope I can get this in the Lower Mainland soon.

Thanks EskimoDave!! Great choice!

650ml bottle poured into pint glass May,6,2011

A clear reddish copper with plenty of bubbles of all sizes feeding a short lived finger of foam that leaves speckles of lace

S a little metallic toffee with some faint citric hops

T what I smell but much stronger with some herbal earthy notes that work well for it and a nutty finish, pretty impressive for a session ale. plenty of flavor for 3.8%, the hops come out a little more in the mouth but there's enough malt to form a balance

M pretty thin but that's to be expected, slightly bitter and the flavors linger for quite a while

O pretty solid bitter that I could drink for ages without walking sideways, would make a great patio beer

I'm impressed by how flavorful a 3.8% beer can be, thanks EskimoDave for sending this one my way. It's not everyday I get the first crack at a beer on this site and getting the first review for the place that brews it never happens to me. Thanks again Dave