Reuben Claus
Reuben's Brews

Poured from 16oz can into a dimpled mug. Canned 10/30/24; I got this in my 2024 Reuben’s advent calendar.

Appearance: rich, dark-brown hue that appears to have very little haze, plus a thick finger of frothy tan foam atop.

Smell: a rather roasty malt base with a bit of chocolate and a dose of peppermint thrown into the works. Definitely not a traditional aroma, but reasonable enough for a festive seasonal treat.

Taste: roasty, a bit caramelly, and a bit astringent from a malt perspective; the peppermint element is decent but I think would work better in a slightly sweeter or more chocolatey or less astringent beer. It’s not bad, but it’s also not super successful in my book.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: like I said, not bad, but it doesn’t really work for me. I’ll finish it — it’s a festive seasonal treat, after all — but I won’t seek it out again.

 

Oh, peppermint. After a few sips it dawns on me and then the flavor gets stronger. Rich with dark roasted malt. A buttery note and a touch of burnt sugar. I can't say this is something I want to learn to like. But it's thoroughly interesting and quite sippable. The lush and sudsy mouthfeel is the best feature, and the moderate ABV helps the medicine go down. From the 16 oz can dated 11/03/21.

 

16oz can (dated 11/8/21) poured into 16oz tulip. Poured a nearly solid black color, a slight reddish tint around the edges, with about an inch of tan head that had good retention and lacing.

Light roast at the front of the nose, with solid grains and very light chocolate backing up.

Very similar on the tongue, with the peppermint mentioned on the label making a gentle appearance. As I worked through the pint, the peppermint built and built on the palate, so that by the end it was the dominant feature.

The body was solid, medium-full, smooth, and had a semi-dry finish.

Drinkability was good, but I don't think I'd want two in a row.

Overall, a pleasant and solid brew. Worth a shot if you see it.

Fluffy, even head. Smells like mocha, on the bitter side. Taste is more mocha, a hint of peppermint, chocolate malt, and then more peppermint…. It’s there, but it comes out as a slight burn on my tongue, like you’d get from a mild mouthwash. High carbonation, slightly thin feel. Hmm. It’s a good porter, but that peppermint burn? Kinda odd. Neat, but I’d rather drink other holiday releases.

can into glass
Tan, crumpet surface like head, that quickly subsides. Quite dark brown, with some chestnut and a bit of auburn highlights, around the edge of glass, when held up to a light source. There is also evidence of clarity, out on the edges, in the light. Aroma of medium heavy roasted malt and a hint of nearly charred wood, but not a lot of these characteristics in the smell. Lighter than expected amount of flavor, body, peppermint and chocolate. At first, a teeny bit of peppermint greets your palate, followed by nearly no chocolate, mixed in with the predominant flavor of nearly charred wood, mixed with a hint of deeply roasted barley malt. This beer finishes with mainly the toasted wood and a bit of dark malt, without having a big bite to it.

 

 

 

I think this is my first beer from Reuben's that is a major disappointment. It looks OK, plenty dark, no particular head. It smells of cocoa and peppermint. The taste is watery, as is the mouthfeel. It's cocoa and mint, and reminds me of a Starbucks Xmas drink. But even as an Xmas drink, it's underwhelming. As a beer, it's not much of anything. Recommended as an inoffensive holiday drink for people who aren't particularly in to beer.

22oz bottle of "Porter with Cocoa Nibs and Peppermint". Red tinged but mostly black, with a nice brown head. Not a clear aroma from this, but there's a hint of something that might be peppermint. Flavor is hard to describe. Cocoa flavors are dark and bitter, like unsweetened cocoa powder. Peppermint remains subdued and secondary, thankfully. These flavors work well enough together as a porter, but overall it's just not that exciting.