Battle Bats
Martin House Brewing Company

 

Appearance: Golden-orange body is surmounted by a modest, dense and persistent white head. The lacing is scattered and patchy. Scattered fat bubbles line the glass walls, while sparse streams drift slowly to the surface.

Aroma: The aroma is reminiscent of melted French Vanilla ice cream infused with herbal and floral hops, with the vanilla dominating, to my surprise. I could detect no hint of the considerable ABV of eight percent in the aroma.

Taste: The taste, like the aroma is beguiling, with an initial note of sweet vanilla, followed by a restrained surge of floral and herbal hops. Later in the taste, vanilla and some medicinal and metallic hops play off against each other. Late in the taste, both the vanilla and earthy hop notes embrace for a gracious and lingering close. And at the last, the alcohol offered no hint of its presence, save for a gentle warmth. For a Halloween-themed beer, it seems appropriate that the alcohol's presence was phantasmal.

Mouth feel: Soft and gracious, approaching milk in its fullness, with very mild carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: A fascinating example of a style that I have no prior experience of. I am no particular fan of hoppy beers, but I strive to rate them as objectively as I am able to. Nonetheless, I found myself intrigued with Battle Bats and hope to try another example of the style soon.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can, served in a La Fin du Monde tulip. Battle Bats is one of the beers in the "Marty's Little Monsters" quartet.