Beer For Ball Games
Off Color Brewing

 

Pours a hazy pale light yellow from the hand, loose 1" of head, light lacing. Nose is lemon, bread dough, cracker, light floral hops. Taste follows with cracker, light hops, very dry, slightly vinous finish. Carbonation is incredibly crisp and refreshing. Highly enjoyable!

Poured from an undated 16oz can.

On the pour a 3 finger bone white lightly fizzy head forms then slowly dissipates to a foamy covering and ring around the glass. The body is surprisingly hazy, and the bottom of the can carries more haze. Light carbonation and some decent lacing.

Aroma is light and corny but with a fresh and bright but very subtle American hop note, similar hop levels to a traditional pils, but they're American instead of noble. Some crackery malts also come through similar to a pils. Slightly more yeast character than a lager but it goes well woth the light hopping.

Flavor is almost dead on to the aroma with the American hops becoming more apparent and the malts becoming even crackerier. The yeast has a long finish but it's very bready and clean. There is a slight bitterness but the hops are almost all aroma.

Feel is light and easy drinking, but mouthcoating and a bit dry. Something light with a bit more nuance and a good long finish. Leaves you feeling crisp. Once the finish finally ends however its gone. Very clean.

Overall this is my first good cream ale, and honestly this is like an American lager, just improved. Still very drinkable but hops are actually detectable and its very fresh and crisp. The adjuncts aren't obvious, and this gives me American pilsner vibes almosts.

Clear, straw colored body; dense, tiny bubble, lively carbonation; thick, billowy head, white and sticky. Very nice nose; grainy with a light waft of herbal tones; pear. Delicate grain sweetness in the flavor; slight fruity character; very low hop bitterness. Light body; soft; well-attenuated leaving a nice overall dryness.

This is a wonderful warm weather brew and would be great for any season when you just want an easy drinking, light body ale.

Pouring temperature: 44 °F; canning data: n/a

 

 

 

 

 

Released 3/11/22; drank 3/28/22 @ the Yarchives.

Cloudy dull yellow/orange appearance.

An even pour yielded a big, noisy bright white head; frothy lace.

Burnt corn, dry wheat & faint lemon notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Roasted corn, burnt wheat & faint lemon flavors.

A bit harsh; drinkable & interesting, but not really for me.

 

smoot creamy ale great beer to enjoy a couple

this series rules, and i am glad this one came through idaho, had to snag it when i saw it! awesome label art as always, but overall maybe a little more simple than a lot of them have been, which i guess is the point with this one, its a slightly hoppier than normal cream ale, modern but also classic, its snappy and bright and easy drinking, a little bit bitter but the hops have flavor too, grassy and noble and lightly citrusy and very clean, they start early too. the grain base has some nuance to it which is cool, its not all pale and minimal, there is something slightly european to it, a crackery earthy aspect, and some light but sort of fresh baked warmth a well, maybe even a little corny character. the yeast is minimal here, and while the texture is very much lager-esque, i dont get a lot of flavor from the ferment, its crisp and clean, dry and fast, but nothing really there in terms of taste. the hops then stand out quite a bit, light green grape and meyer lemon, wet lawn and dark soil, decent bitterness but also impressively fresh. i like it being kind of floral, and i think this is just nuanced enough to have some interest, simple old man type cream ale, but just a little more evolved, more jazzed up, refined, a little more attention to detail, a little more flavor. i could drink a dozen of these, but i only got the single. quality beer again from off color, they are one of my favorites!

 

16oz can. Poured out a pale, golden yellow color with a small, white head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of corn, crackers toasted bread and light floral notes. It tasted sweet with corn, grains, caramel, toffee and a mild bitterness.

16 oz can into a pint glass.

A: Cloudy pale yellow color with a two-finger fluffy white head that persisted for a while. Visible sediment at the bottom, guess I should have been more careful on the pour.

S: Grainy malt with some corn adjunct. Mild hop bitterness.

T: Very sweet malt character. I swear I can almost taste something peach-like. Very faint, very mild hop bitterness in the aftertaste. Adjunct filler smooths everything out.

F: Medium-light bodied, very smooth and drinkable A beer for ball games, indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

With this making a dozen cream ales I've rated and none I can particularly remember, it is to much work to review Off Color's entry against its peers.

Sum it: Feels like a lager, Tastes fruity like an ale. Drank while watching the Cubs, suitable. Pairs with salted nuts and mediocre athletic performance from over-paid bums.

Beer for Ball Games Looks like not much, pale without character. Smells give a hint of the fruit to come. Tastes offer a mixed malt, most likely barley, rice and corn. (I'm not a purist, adjuncts have their purpose.) A bubbly mouth cleanses the palate from the heat; but the key Feel is this Beer's softness.

I am a big fan of Off Color, particularly their clever marketing that is funny and thoughtful. But if this is a decent beer for ball games... then they should let Off Color distribute at Wrigley Field so they get fans minds' off how miserable the Cubs are. And they should sell it at Sox Park so their fans elevate their beer game.

7/31/22 Glad that Off Color sold enough Ball Games last year to bring it back and make it perennial summer past-time. Which when you have two mediocre ball teams, beer is a better idea to focus on.

Thanks to Samkuhgee for this one, from his recent Can Cans BIF box. 16oz can (no date) poured into 16oz tulip. Poured a cloudy medium yellow color with an inch-and-a-half of white head that had good retention and decent lacing.

The aroma was grain forward, soft malts, with light, hops around the edges.

The grains were a bit prominent on the tongue, and the hops popped a bit better as well.

The body was medium-full, very smooth, and had a medium finish that dried out after a few moments.

Drinkability was pretty good, a nice, easy quaff.

Overall, a pretty nice, easy drinking, enjoyable. Worth grabbing if you see it.

 

Pours a golden color with a small foamy head that lasts quite a while. Aroma of bread and cut grasses. Tastes slightly sweet and finishes with a bit tangy. A good summer brew.

 

 

16oz can

Pours two frothy, dense fingers of white head into my mug. Retention is wonderful, after a few minutes the head hasn’t dissipated one bit. Initial lacing looks poor, but that may be the glass. Body is a slightly cloudy straw yellow, with a huge amount of nucleation. Looks very nice so far.

You get that corn right off the bat, a moderate sweetness, creamy indeed. Smells like a fresh mash. Grassy hops are a second thought, but certainly present. Quite inviting.

Flavor is dialed down a little bit, corn is there, but it’s more subtle. A touch of grass and citrus, which do help add a layer of depth. Not bad, flavor is heavily affected by the mouthfeel though.

The mouthfeel plays a pretty big role in the overall impression. A little sweetness, a little dryness, pretty light and balanced in that regard. That said, it’s less sweet and creamy than the nose, airs more on the crisp sessionable side. Bitterness is low and only hits briefly in the end, adds to what dryness is present. Carbonation is quite high, which is appropriate, but sometimes gets in the way of the flavor a little bit. Body is not thin nor heavily, but it drinks pretty light with all this carbonation. Not bad, but while this is perfectly within the style guidelines, I would have probably preferred the mouthfeel to support the nose in its creamier, slightly sweeter impression.

Drinkability is obviously not an issue, very light and it’s tasty enough.

Appearance turned out very nice. The head lasted in some fashion all the way down the glass, and the lacing was cohesive for the most part.

I’m being overly picky with the flavor/mouthfeel, because in reality this is a great session beer, that was very satisfying out of the can. That said, when you really stick your nose in this thing, you end up wanting some of those deeper flavors and sugars that the nose presents. Overall, still a really nice, crushable beer.

A really nice, crisp ale. Very light but full of great taste. Sweet upfront with some dryness on the finish. A very enjoyable brew for warm day, perfect for a ball game.