Beer For Bowling
Off Color Brewing

 

 

16 fl oz. can, I don't see a date, but I know this beer is relatively fresh, acquired the 4pk from the local Binny's a few weeks ago. Was sick for a while, but am finally able to review beer again, citing the return of my sense of smell. "English style session ale brewed with wood". Love Off Color, and love the innovation here, so let's see what we've got.

Poured to a Central Waters snifter.
A frothy off-white head appears before anything else; body is a tawny sort of iced tea color, looks pretty nice. Some nice fluffy lacing.
A nice aroma, super pleasing and layered. Toasty, nutty, malty, slightly robust and musty. Does give off aromas of vanilla, caramel, and almost a wood-aged vibe.
"Wood" flavor not necessarily what comes of mind, but it is super earthy, dirty, & herbal. Roasted barley comes through strongly, and tastes much darker than the light color of the beer would make you think. The nugget hops lend a perfect balance of earth / herbal bitterness, which mingles just right with the flavors of the vanilla & maple imparted from the wood flavor.
Feel is super smooth, crisp, clean. Highly drinkable stuff, at such a low abv. (Only 4.00%)
Love the surprise and innovation from Off Color, these guys never seem to disappoint me. A toasty English, super enjoyable.

Off Color Beer For Bowling -----4/5.

Three fingers of foam, a halo of lace coats the glass all the way down. Tawny brown, sort of murky.

Aroma is toasty and malt forward, a little bit of yeast present. Toasty bread crusts, slight woody astringency, creamy feel, dry finish. Overall tasty and drinkable, the wood is a little understated, but it’s a Dark Mild after all.

Thanks to Thomas & Jenny for this one!

16oz can. Poured out a clear, golden amber color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lce on the glass. It smelled of biscuity malt, bread crust, caramel and toffee. Sweet malty taste with some coffee notes and light roasted finish.

16 oz can into a pint glass. Mostly clear dark amber/mahogany color with a persistent, pillowy off-white head. Smells of roasted malt, toffee, and caramel. Taste mostly follows: pumpernickel, toffee, faint spice. Medium-light bodied, excellent example of an underappreciated style!

 

 

Released 12/30/22; drank 1/8/23 @ the Yarchives.

Mostly opaque dull orange/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a nice khaki head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lace.

Freshly cut wood, tree bark & faint maple notes in the nose.

Creamy medium mouthfeel.

Freshly cut wood & faint maple flavors.

Mild, as advertised, but overall pleasant. I'd have another.

Originally had this on nitro at Off Color, loved it. Reminds of a cross between Caffrey's (which is no longer distributed in the U.S.) and Boddington's. A great pub style beer, excited to try it out of a can as well.

Had it later out of a can - the nitro is the better experience but in general this is a very good eady drinking lighter english beer.

 

 

 

Pours a near clear dark amber, 2" off white white with moderate retention. Nose is roasted malt, toast, toffee, brown bread, baking spice, noble hops, earth. Taste is subdued but extremely pleasant - light roasted malt, cracker, and mild sweetness. It's rather dry throughout, which I'm guessing is the result of the wood treatment. Mouthfeel is light and crisp, and overall, this would make a great session ale. Hope to see more of this around!

Slightly murky brown with thin off white head. Nose is toffee. Taste opens with a carbonation bite that fades to a thin toffee malt. Body is light with medium carbonation. Ends dry with some hints of wood. Overall an ok beer, not particularly interesting or great.

 

I've had less than one English Mild every two years for the last decade of my beer career. In brief, I'm no expert. But I do know Off Color, having reviewed 78 of their beers. Bowling is consistent with their streak of keeping rare styles in circulation. Based on my experience, Off Color does their homework and keeps their interpretations within bounds of the tradition. And they do that for Bowling. It is a sessionable low-ABV suitable for a low-brow activity such as, well, bowling.

As part of their humor and marketing, Off Color lists Secret Ingredients on each can. Bowling's label says "Toasted Maple Wood and White Pine Bark." While I don't profess to eating/drinking enough of either Secret Ingredient to offer an opinion, I think I can see the effects: Bowling has a bit less clarity than most Milds. There also is not much distinctive in the Smells, mostly malt. However Tastes offer a dry finish that may be the result of, let's say, the bark. Low-to-medium-mouthed, this is a pleasant sit in my mouth with enough bubbles to cleanse the palate of bowling alley food.

I do not tire of Off Color. I also have more repeats from them (like 300% more) than any other brewer... per my count on UnTappd. Not only do I not tire of their beer, I also do not tire of their humor. And a little mouse heaving a ball down an alley at ten pins is comment enough on what some consider a sport. Cheers !

2/14/22 Bought again in Off Color's 12 can "Beer for..." pack. Again enjoyable. Counting @ UnTappd.