Creak To Rise
Half Acre Beer Company

Canned on 3/11/21; consumed on 5/30/21

Pours a clear, deep varnished mahogany hue capped with nearly two fingers of thick, fluffy, off-white foam; good head retention yields a half-finger of frothy cap and a larger, creamy collar encircling the surface while webs of sticky lacing cling to the walls of the glass with a hearty persistence.

Aroma features dense wildflower honey cut with mild-moderate malt roast and touches of toasted brown bread with a coy raisin undertone; a twang of wet grass engages further with a clean minerality as a brief sensation of pumpernickel and peppercorn lingers.

Taste introduces a smooth wildflower honey with a distant raisin influence, melding with burnt brown bread crusts and a touch of smoky toffee into the mid-palate; pumpernickel bread offers deepening bready tones on the back end before deconstructing to the initial rounded, husky malt profile, itself offering a weight to an otherwise clean, minerality-driven finish.

Mouthfeel offers a medium-full body in tune with a moderate-high carbonation, feeding into a robust malt presence and a rocky, pillowy grit unfolding along the mid-palate; the equilibrium between underlying resins and malty grit holds through the back end,, culminating in a drying, semi-warm, and mildly crisp close.

Astoundingly clean yet rife with semi-sweet honey and bready malt character, this bock balances heft with refinement for an ample beer with few edges and a high-caliber drinkability; exceptionally crafted and thoughtfully toned.

Dark amber with sharp clarity, and a large head of billowing foam. Spotty lacing all down the glass. Aroma is subdued but malt forward, grainy and toasty. It has a big toasted bread crust presence, more hops that traditionally expected, and an impossibly smooth feel. There isn't a huge complexity to it, it's simply just satisfying to drink. Enjoying this beer quite a bit. Brewed with floor malted barley, interestingly enough... you don't see that much these days.

Pours a brilliant amber color. Excellent clarity. Huge billowy off-white head forms and then slowly but steadily dissipates until just about a 1/4 inch of foam remains on the beer.

Aroma has notes of sweet malt, slight grainy notes, honey, brown sugar, and a touch of spicy grassy hops on the back end.

Taste follows the nose with notes of sweet bready malts, a touch of spicy rye, light grainy notes. Hints of honey, brown sugar and toffee provide the sweetness to the beer. There is a bit of dark fruit - raisiny or prune-ish in character coming through on this. Grassy, spicy hops come through on the back end.

Feel is medium to fuller bodied. Chewy and bready. Somewhat drier on the back end.

Overall this is a really nice bock from Half Acre. Honestly hope this becomes a regular rotational beer for them.