Cafe Y Churro
Carton Brewing Company

 

Canned on 1/1/22; consumed on 1/31/22

Pours a foggy, burnt orange body topped with just over a finger of fluffy, white foam; solid head retention leaves islands of creamy cap along with a moderate, frothy collar and a generous spatter of spotty lacing spread around the walls of the glass.

Aroma features creamy vanilla amplifying the sturdy cream ale base as it absorbs fresh diner coffee with a touch of cinnamon grazing for nuance; a clean composition for a vivid and evocative bouquet.

Taste shows a hint of vanilla and fresh coffee bean as cinnamon edges coffee roast on the mid-palate, building to a residual presence of sweet corn and bready malt lingering past the finish.

Mouthfeel offers a medium body with moderate-low, fluffy carbonation dispersing creamy textures into a roasty tingle over the mid-palate; a level silky character maintains, with a subtle grit progressing into a cleaner finish.

Maybe the most direct of the series, these adjuncts flow seamlessly into the base Regular Coffee scheme, presenting a coherent image of cinnamon infusion countering a naturally sweet and creamy underbelly while maintaining the taut, balanced drinkability paraamount in the style.

Canned 1/1/22

Alrighty, we’ve landed at our final destination in this horizontal tasting, the #1 rated Cream Ale. This one is definitely the most low key in terms of adjuncts of all the ones I’ve sampled this weekend, but maybe its beauty lies in its simplicity. Let’s see if it’s worth of such high praise

Pours a cloudy orange gold with 2 fingers of soapy off white head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Well the cinnamon definitely gives this one more of a presence in the nose, but it’s equally smoothed out by the vanilla. I’m picking up on aromas of creamy coffee, earthy cinnamon, coriander, French vanilla, doughy malt, honey, and light toffee

This is also quite good in taste, the cinnamon makes itself known but doesn't overstep. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting cinnamon bark, light roast coffee, sweet cream, vanilla, light white pepper, and nutty malt. The swallow brings notes of earthy cinnamon, acidic coffee, coriander, nutty malt, vanilla, caramel, and light cream

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes mostly dry and dries even more over time because of the cinnamon. Probably the most drinkable of the series because of this

This was one hell of a ride through adjuncted Cream Ales to get me through a blizzard! This one and Coffee & Pavlova (kiwi + strawberry) were definitely the frontrunners of the series. Worthy of the title, and I'm excited to try more variants in the future. In the meantime, I've had enough of the style this weekend, time to get to some other beers I picked up from Carton

Appearance - The beer poured a golden color with visible carbonation and a white head.

Smell - Cinnamon and some coffee are noted in the nose. It was obvious that this beer had some spice.

Taste - Oh my! Regular Coffee is obvious, but the spice of the cinnamon sparkles. With the hint of cinnamon, it really created the idea of drinking a churro. The cinnamon is not overdone or a mess of spices. I believe the beer could benefit from a bit more cinnamon spice. The coffee profile was not overshadowed by the adjuncts., especially in the finish.

Mouthfeel - The body was so smooth, even with fairly aggressive carbonation.

Overall - I think I like regular coffee the best. However, this is my favorite variant.

 

 

Thick, slightly hazy orange with a .5" inch, excellent lacing throughout. Nose is sweet cream, light malts, touch of vanilla, but didn't catch any cinnamon. Taste follows, with rich milk and cream notes, rounded malts, small amount of hop bitterness to even it out. Whiff of cinnamon on the finish, but very slight for me. Feel is rich and creamy, with no hint of the 12% ABV. A remarkably smooth beer, with the only knock being the elusive cinnamon.

 

 

 

Thank you y2kawakami for this
12 oz can, dated 12/15/16, poured into a teku

A- A slightly hazy copper with a small white head.

S- Cinnamon, some coffee, caramel, some vanilla. Smells like a churro with some coffee.

T- Cinnamon, some vanilla, coffee, caramel, touch of chocolate.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- Wow, Carton nailed it with the churro flavor. Very easy to drink.

Pours a somewhat opaque burnished orange color. Thin off-white head dissipates pretty quickly leaving no residual head. Appearance appears to be in line with the style.

Aroma has notes of coffee, vanilla, light cream notes and a lovely bouquet of cinnamon. The cinnamon is just delicious.

Taste follows the nose with notes of coffee and vanilla up front all interspersed with some lovely cinnamon notes that linger through to the finish. Its sweet, but not overly so.

Feel is light, not exactly crisp, but its clean. Semi-dry finish.

Overall, this continues the series unique take on the cream ale style. The cinnamon and vanilla in this one are outstanding though. Definitely my favorite example of the coffee series I've had.

Wow, this is quite the interesting one. Looks still as cider in the glass. It's rare that coffee works well in a pale ale, but this is one of those times. The sugary, toasty churro character comes through nicely to balance things out. Almost like a coffee barleywine, but also kinda reminds me of Pumpking?

82/100

 

Dark amber brew with an off-white head. Minimal production and OK retention. Body is lively; despite the activity and deep color, it's perfectly transparent.

Coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla on the nose. Decadent and rich; sweet and inviting. Just a bit of a cream soda note going on.

Flavor follows: sweet, creamy, and smooth. Cinnamon provides a large portion of the flavor accents, and the vanilla blends smoothly with cream and coffee notes. Less bite than other amber coffee ales (or coffee cream ales). Quite a dessert beer.

Creamy body, very smooth and drinkable. No sense of the high ABV until you notice the heat building in your throat.

 

Pours a golden color with a half finger of quickly disappearing head. The nose is cinnamon, coffee, vanilla and some caramel. The taste follows the nose vanilla, cinnamon and coffee with some bitterness on the finish. Low carbonation, smooth and easy to drink with a creamy mouthfeel. The 12% is not noticeable.

 

Transparent copper with a finger and a half of foam. Head is off-white in color and is well-retained. Aroma is cinnamon, vanilla bean, medium-roast, medium-bodied coffee and nutty, earthy, caramely malts. Sweetness right up front with just a sliver of coffee bitterness bringing it back to balance. Flavor profile is cinnamon, vanilla bean, medium-roast, fruity bodied coffee and nutty, earthy, caramely malts. Sweetness starts and closes out the flavor profile, with a light bitterness from the coffee striking a modest balance in the center. Alcohol is well hidden in the flavor profile, which is rather surprising considering the 12% ABV. Mouth feel is lightly crisp, with a velvety, medium-thick consistency beyond it. Overall, sugary sweet with a good hit of coffee. Balances leans heavily towards the 'dessert' side, which is to say - overall, this thing is sweet. The fact that the alcohol is well masked boosts the rating here just slightly.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegalau tulip from a 12oz can.

Can you be in Cuba and Mexico at the same time? With this beer you can. Tastes of a sweet cortalito but you enjoy that with a freshly fried churro from Mexico City. If you like coffee and desserts this will win you over.