Cardinal Sin
Absolution Brewing Company

Appearance: Slightly hazy dark amber brown in color, with a moderate, dense, off-white head, which retains quite well. Thick, unbroken sheets of lacong adorn the glass wall.

Aroma: Very pronounced sweet caramel, slathered onto freshly -baked homemade brown bread. Moderate herbal hops are a graceful counterpoint to the malty aroma.

Taste: Begins with equal portions of caramel malt and herbal and medicinal hops. Soon after, the hops ascend, with grapefruit rind dominant, carrying to the close. Later in the taste, the malt assumes a tart note, offering a backdrop to the hops. Finishes with moderate grapefruit rind, and a bit of sourness..

Mouth feel: Very soft and full, quite pleasing. soft to the touch, with the slightest hint of carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: A quite well-made example, with the hops a little more assertive than I would have expected. Excellent, nonetheless, and well suited to cool Autumn evenings, which seem to be rather scarce in Central Texas.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve ounce brown glass longneck bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a South American-style Pilsener glass.

 

 

 

 

 

Reddish amber with adequate foam in the tall goblet. Aroma is "beery" and faintly hoppy. Even a whiff of something sourish. Some astringency on the tongue and the taste of club soda. Light body.

Slight malty sweetness. Moderate bitterness but it sticks around in the aftertaste past its welcome. Plain and unappealing. The dirty hop flavor without anything aromatic to recommend it. From the 12 oz bottle purchased in San Diego.

 

I hate to be rude, but honestly it tastes like cheap Bud Lite style beer, even though it is a red. Not feeling it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Whole Foods in Pasadena, CA.

Pours a murky dark orange-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, caramel, and citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with toast, earth, citrus zest, and herbal hop flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with lots of earth forward qualities in the taste.

Serving type: on tap.