Captain Spontaneous
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had on tap into a pint glass. The smell put me off right from the start. Pine-sol, disinfectant, overly lemon nose. The taste emulated the smell. This is my response to what I feel are overly spiced beers. Very difficult at the beginning, but became much more palatable midway through the glass. I am glad I tried it, but will not revisit.

Bright, fresh, and somewhat earthen- Captain Spontaneous leads with a dialogue of spicy hops and ripe barley kernels, and does so in unadulterated form.

Brilliantly clear and sprite with carbonation, the beer carries light impressions to the eye. Light straw in color, the beer builds a fluffy cottony head to top the beer. Lacing impressively while retention is stern- the beer might actually be mistaken for richer lager because of its lighter color and champagne impressions.

Whole grain, bread dough, and a kiss of rye set the aromatic tone. But then the earthy and citrusy scent rises to give impressions of lemongrass, grapefruit, and alligator pepper. Tingling the nose, the sharp notes are in stark juxtaposition to the base aromas of fresh baking breads.

The early palate is crisp and clean with the taste of dry crackers, freshly kilned grain, and short-lived grain sweetness. Just as the taste turns to rye-like earthy spice, also rises are the spicy and citrusy hop flavors that capture the taste of white grapefruit peels and pith, lemon, freshly mulled grass, and an unmistakable peppery bite. Sharp, crisp and bitter heading into finish, the beer surprisingly releases an aftertaste of delicious bready malts that's usually reserved for wheat beers. But here it's present in a barley-forward pale ale.

The beer's clean and crisp flavor is alive in body as well- making it highly refreshing and drinkable. Dry malt textures harbor a relatively high rate of carbonation early that reinforces the notion of dryness. But as the carbonation retracts, the skim malt body goes with it- leaving behind a sharp almost-astringent bitterness to contend with spice, light alcohol warmth, and raw grain textures to finish.

Captain Spontaneous captures the taste of freshly kilned, raw barley as well as any pale ale that I have tasted. This is nearly ideal for the spicy, citrus, and earthy hops to over shadow the malts ever so slightly- fine if not overdone; insinuating an approach into IPA territory, but with pilsner-like attributes.