Just Beer Semper Ri
Buzzards Bay Brewing

 

 

Spring and summer 2010 was Semper Ri time in my apartment. I got cases of 12 bombers for as little as $10 from the brewery and I had about 2 bottles a night from spring until August.

This had a great flavor with a very earthy, fragrant aroma. Dark brown in color with a light mouthfeel, the color was indicative of the taste but the beer felt lighter on the palate than expected. It went equally well with a cool night and a cigar or a warm summer BBQ.

The Semper Ri has great flavor that matured with time. The bottles mellowed with a few months and I really wish I had a few more cases hiding in the closet.

I will look back fondly on the nights I spent with Semper Ri.

22oz bottle purchased at Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" beige head over the clear brown brew. Dense head lasts and lasts, with thick lacing. Aroma is spicy, tart, some off vegetal. Taste starts nutty sweet, tart in the middle, closes with same off, vegetal, probably hops character. Mouthfeel is pretty smooth, and drinkability is reasonable as well. Overall, not a bad beer, but I hoping for more.

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a dark golden brown color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of smoky roasted rye malts, caramel, some spices and a little bit of hops.

T: The taste starts out very smoky with a hearty rye malt character up front. Then some mild sweetness comes in from flavors of caramel and a little bit of spice. The hops presence is mild but complementary and provides a good balance. The after-taste is bready and slightly smoky.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, there aren't a lot of rye beers out there that are as smoky as this one so it's a good beer if you want something a little different and is overall a solid beer.

A: Light creamy 1 finger fluffy head fades quickly over a crystal clear toasty reddish brown auburn color.

N: Lots of rye, fruity, dark dry spicy fruit, some sweet malts, little brown sugar, some toasty roasted malts

T: Starts a little sweet with dark malts, crystal malt, some roasty toasted malts, lots of rye kicks in with more spicy dried fruits, bright flavors, spicy hops, some bitterness, little chewy caramel flavor and brown sugar.

M: Medium body with decent carbonation

F: Dries a lot on the finish, with more berry fruit flavors, boisenberry, huckleberry, long dry rye bitterness, some lingering caramel flavor

22oz. bottle served in a standard pint. Pours a semi-translucent copper with a loose, half inch tan-colored head. Nose is somewhat subdued - a little malty (perhaps chocolate malt). Not much going on in the flavor profile - muted impressions of the nose with the addition of some tartness and wheat. Mouthfeel is light-medium, but on the lighter side of the spectrum, with a consistent background effervescence and a dry finish. Nothing spectacular, somewhat reminiscent of a watery porter, but a decent enough session beer.

I'm glad Just Beer put this one out. 2 bucks out of every purchase goes to 2nd Marines, 2nd Battalion...Go Warlords! Best of luck in Afganistan!...There aren't too many (that I can think of) brewries that are donating money to the US Armed Forces, so Just Beer deserves a big pat on the back for that. Check out http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/11/marine_marine_beer_112909w/ for a good read about why they did this.

A: Poured into a Lowenbrau dimple mug. The beer pours a deep amber, copperish color with a thick one finger head that isn't really simmering. Looks great.

S: Tons of malts going on, the rye certainly steals the show here. Can't really smell any hops, but at 12 IBU's I wasn't really expecting any. Interesting.

T: Lots of toasted malt up front, making things very grainy and rich, not too sweet as expected. Tastes of toasted bread with a fresh, crisp finish of hops. Well balanced, but I felt like they could've used a bit more rye here....after all, it is Semper Ri...

M: Pretty average, a well carbonated, well balanced brew. Nothing slick, but nothing dry either

D: at 4.3%, it's very easy to down a bunch of these. Pretty light for such a dark looking brew.

Overall, i like this beer. Very sessionable, and buying one supports a great cause. I've had this one quite a few times before on tap, and I'm glad I got a bomber while I was at the brewery. Nice, but different choice for a winter beer.