Town Musicians
Off Color Brewing

 

Dark copper penny colored with a quarter inch of of tawny brown on top. I’m smelling caramel and bready malt. I taste caramel and just a faint hint of grassy hops. The mouth is light, crisp, and refreshing.

 

Poured from a can. Caramel in color with a large tan head. Smells of malt and a nuttiness. Taste of sweet malt, toffee, and a hint of nuttiness. Full mouth feel, smooth and creamy.

 

 

Clear brown pour with an off-white cap. Toast and caramel malt lead both the smell and taste powerfully. Nose has partnering toffee and floral accents. Taste is more caramel toned with very little botanical or springy influence but has a hint of nuts. Feel is malty to the max, lighter bodied and smooth. Pretty one dimensional

 

 

16oz can. Poured out a dark amber color with a good-sized, tan head of foam. It smelled of roasted malt, toffee and floral notes. Sweet toffee with roasted malt, coffee and a mild bitterness.

Finally, we've got the Off Color maibock. The aroma has some strong grainy notes with some nuttiness and a bit of earthy vegetation. Definitely a different aroma than the other two. Reminds me more of a American brewed Vienna lager ... Taste has rich sweet malts, with notes of bread and some light grainy notes. The Vienna malt is really prominent in this one. the lager yeast comes through with a touch of spiciness. There is a touch of hops in this one, but in a very complimentary role. The feel is light to medium bodied, crisp with spritzy carbonation. Has a rather dry finish. I enjoyed drinking it, but I can't help but feel like this one came across mostly as a souped up Vienna lager.

Have this lager.... and have it again. (And since this is their second release, Off Color should release it again in 2021.

I am such a big fan of Off Color that they now are my #2 most reviewed brewer. But of the 41 different brews I've had from them, this is only the 4th in the German tradition. And despite Off Color being my #2, I've been shy towards them of late as they have gone off in the Wild direction. But Off Color occasionally comes home to tradition and Town Musicians proves to my satisfaction that they are masterful brewers.

I'm Looking at a very pretty, deep copper with enough foam to tell me this beer is still alive and fresh. Smells are wonderfully malty; but could be richer, approaching a doppel would be nice. Tastes are spot-on balanced; the sweet malts announce and the hops provide restraint and refreshness. A full mouth. In the final analysis, this is so well-made that I keep thinking it could be a doppel.

Off Color is famously funny. For example, this can's label says: "Secret Facts: This becomes a Helles Bock on June First. (Helles Bock is the other name for Maibocks). While I had to do some research to get the joke, I enjoyed Town Musicians so much that I think I will drink the 4-pack during the month of May. Prost ! And Off Color, welcome home.

 

 

 

a super unexpected beer from these guys, not sure i have seen a traditional german lager from them before, its usually wild and funky beers, crazy ingredients and process intensiveness, yet here we have a rather true to style classic, and if there is something unique or weird about it, its not immediately perceptible to the drinker. while its surprising to see this on their beer menu, it is not surprising that they have made a very delicious version of the style. after all, if they can propagate wild yeast from blueberry skins and ferment saison with it, a lager like this should be well within their skill set. this has a nice light copper color to it, high clarity, and a big white head with great retention. there is a classic german lager yeast element in the nose and taste, but its the slightly sweet, cooked, nutty malt that drives this one, very much european, but fresher than the imports ever taste and really pretty hearty, maybe a more sturdy take on this than we usually get. notes of almond and honey, warm biscuit, earthy minerals, and even a hint of red apple. i thought this was excellent, and further proof that off color can do anything really well, not that we needed it...