Shaken Not Stirred Vol. 2 (Ramos Gin Fizz)
Oliver Brewing Company

16 oz can from Brewers Haven. Light fizzy pour, paleo golden, spritzy. Limes, oranges and juniper with some other grassy, floral elements. Fairly refreshing.

 

 

Election Day has turned to night & things are winding down. There is a little under an hour & a half remaining until the polls close & I am CANtinuing to work on The CANQuest (tm). It has been a productive day with many CANs having been CANsumed & set aside for Jeff Lebo.

From the CAN: "Ramos Gin Fizz-Inspired"; "Nitro Sour Ale Brewed with Orange Blossom, Juniper Berries, Lemon, Lime and Lactose"; "Gently shake the CAN to activate Nitrogen. Open then invert CAN over a glass & pour hard."; "Please keep ice cold."

I followed their directions to the letter & sat back as the cascade served to form two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, bone-white head that sat like a cap atop the liquid. Color was a deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose was eye-opening in that it was VERY sour! It was highly citrusy, but there was a sourness that caused me to rear back in surprise. I was not expecting that. Phew. Mouthfeel was medium with the creaminess that N2 brings. Great goldang, but this was sour, quickly attacking & settling into the hinges of my jaw! Phew. This was one of those rare insCANces when the N2 did not kill the taste. It remained highly citrusy with an initial lemon-lime 1-2 punch followed by the orange & juniper. Phew. This was me fighting above my weight class once again. I CAN certainly appreciate the brewers' artistry, but this was simply not my bag. It actually caused my eyes to water a bit in its unrelenting sourness. Finish was dry, naturally, and actually kind of refreshing. Not bad, just not my thing. YMMV.

i thought this thing was delicious, optimal even, and one of the best cocktail inspired beers ive had in some time. the only thing thats weird about it, which was rightly pointed out to me by a colleague, is that its in a nitro can, which is exciting for a couple of sips, but then seems to dissipate into oblivious and the beer is then flat, doesnt fit the fizz part of gin fizz. the flavors though, are money, with juniper popping in nose and taste, lemons and limes all over it, almost a lime leaf sort of fragrant intensity, but more zesty and acidic in the taste. creamy from the lactose, not so much the nitro, but never sweet from it, which is nice, and the whole thing is somehow refreshing for being so complex, very much a summery palate here, and the orange blossom is a neat touch, delicate but perceptible, the whole thing is just smart, well proportioned, and well built, and the cans are sexy too. not too much juniper bite, but it does have that fresh botanical gin character, and enough grain beneath it for it to still taste like beer. i liked this much better than the whiskey sour edition, and could drink quite a lot of it, but i wish for normal high carbonation on it, the nitro adds nothing at all.

Aroma is lemon lime soda, orange, almost a fruit popsicle. The flavor is orange, lemon/lime, malts, mild juniper and a sweetish/hint of lactose finish.

Poured a murky and dirty gold color with an white head of sparse bubbles.

Super perfumey herbal smell. The lemon, and lime are all very noticable. Some sweet, sugary smells as well. I'm not sure what orange blossom smells like, so I can't comment on that. I'm not getting a lot of the piney quality I'd associate with juniper berries. A unique smell in this beer, for sure.

It's lightly tart and has those herbal perfume notes. Lemon and lime are definitely very strong. I'm getting some, but not that much of the juniper berry pineyness in the flavor. Sweetness is a little bit much. Some crackery malty notes present as well. Has a bit of a dryness in the finish, but not enough to wash away the lingering sweetness. Think I may have picked up some diacetyl on a couple of sips.

Mouthfeel in on the fuller side. The carbonation is pretty light. More carb could help to cut some of the sweetness in this. Maybe it's the wrong beer for a nitro beer. Alcohol warmth isn't very noticeable.

Overall, this is an odd beer. I'm not a big fan, in general, of super botanical beers, as they seem to get perfumey (lavander is a much bigger offender than anything in this brew). I'd go ahead and pass this one up if you see it on the shelves. I have no other experience with Oliver Brewing Company, but since it's a collabe (although I REALLY like what Stillwater is doing) I'll not write Oliver Brewing off.

The first line from the bottom of the can is illegible, but the second line says: "04/18/19"

Appearance: The body of the beer has a strange opalescence that allows an interesting array of light gold colors but obscures everything except shadows. There is no head on the glass surface, which leads to no retention or lacing of the head.

Aroma: The beer has a bit of a potpourri aroma, which honestly reminds me of urinal cakes. Ignoring the imagery this beer evokes, it has a slightly floral scent with what smells like lemons. The aroma doesn't make me want to drink the beer.

Taste: There is a strong lemon flavor then a sour rotting fruit flavor. This is followed by a massive flower perfume character and a bit of grain. It tastes the way perfume would likely taste.

Mouthfeel: Given the combination of tartness, sourness, and extremely pungent floral character, the beer has very low drinkability. It is tart and dry with a light body.

Overall: The beer is very unpalatable given the choice of flavors and aromas. Despite the floral character, It is unpleasant as a drink. I would not drink this again and I would strongly recommend against it. On the positive side this beer is aromatic,