Silver Mountain Lager - Barrel Aged
Rochester Mills Beer Co.

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 7/31/2019. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy deep orange/amber/light copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of honey, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, biscuit, toasted oak, gin, juniper berry, and spruce; with lighter notes of vanilla, toffee, coconut, herbal, floral, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty pear/apple aromas; but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of bready malts, juniper berries, gin barrels, and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big honey, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, biscuit, toasted oak, gin, juniper berry, and spruce; with lighter notes of vanilla, toffee, coconut, herbal, floral, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness; and gin, juniper, oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of honey, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, biscuit, toasted oak, gin, juniper berry, spruce, vanilla, toffee, coconut, herbal, floral, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of bready malts, juniper berries, gin barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Nicely clean on lager flavors, not overly fruity/yeasty. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready/grainy, fairly crisp, and lightly sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is nice. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is a very nice spiced/barrel aged Marzen. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of bready malts, juniper berries, gin barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth, easy, and fairly crisp to drink for the ABV; with the mellowly bitter/spicy/tannic/drying finish, nicely soft feel. Nicely clean and rich Munich/Vienna malt complexity; with great barrel presence/integration, and hop/spice balance. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made experimental style example. Got better as it warmed up.