Mount Crushmore
AleSmith Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big long-lasting pile of foam in the Rodenbach goblet. Clear golden brew. Frothy and lively o the tongue, always a good thing when a beer is so light bodied. Some faint flowery aroma. Flavor is not much but somehow manages to be quite pleasing. Slight graininess, a touch of toast, and a suggestion of beery bitterness.

If this can actually be called a "Cream Ale," whatever that might actually be, it's the best one ever. Clean and just hoppy enough, it's a great light beer. From the 16 oz can purchased at Barons Market.

 

A: The beer is slightly hazy amber yellow in color and has a light amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that gradually died down but consistently left a short head covering the surface and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of corn adjuncts and grassy hops are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and starts off with corn adjuncts—with associated hints of sweetness—and finishes with light flavors of grassy hops.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and rather creamy and smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is quite easy to drink and is definitely crushable. I most enjoyed the smooth and creamy mouthfeel.

Serving type: can

 

 

 

Type: 16-oz. can
Glass: 16-oz. Modern Times Willi Becher
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa, Calif.
Price: $1.67
Purchased: Sept. 1, 2018
Consumed: Sept. 7, 2018
Reviewed as: American Cream Ale
Misc.: No canned on date

Picked this up at Trader Joe’s, seeing it for the first time in stores. Was surprised I had never seen this in stores or tried it at AleSmith. Have a love/hate relationship with cream ales, but was still looking forward to this one. Can description read, “This is our take on a classic American Cream Ale. One of Peter Zien’s original homebrew recipes, this beer uses the addition of rice to create a light, flavorful maltiness. It also has a pleasant floral component from hops added to our hopback and during dry-hopping. The finish is crisp and refreshing, making this the perfect brew for a summer day.”

Poured a golden clear color with two fingers of off-white frothy head. Slow moving bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass at what looked to be about six locations. Average watery lacing. Average retention. (Sight - 3.75)

Wow. Interesting smell. Kind of like a blonde mixed with a session IPA with more session IPA overall. Got Cascade, lime, floral, lemon zest, white doughy bread, grain, white cracker and corn cereal. More earthy grainy malt from the can. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted almost as good. More blonde ale than session IPA in the taste, but still a close balance. Got lime, Cascade, white doughy bread, white cracker, corn cereal, floral, pine, lemon zest and earthy grass. (Taste - 4.00)

Light body. Thin texture. Average carbonation. Long, clean, crisp finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Wow. Really liked this for the style. Just outstanding. (Overall - 4.00)

4.01 | 90 | A-

 

Can from ABV.

A crystal clear light orange with a dense, white head with good retention and lacing, this looks good. The nose is dominated by a really raw, deep and yet light grainy note. A blend of biscuit, cracker and dough, along with a delicate and soft citrus hop character. A touch of sulfur is present. The palate opens mildly sweet, with honeyed white toast, grain and a mild sugar note. Bitterness is mild, existing merely to temper the malt flavors. Drying and mildly sweet on the finish, this beer is light in body and crisply carbonated. Solid.