Island of Misfit Beers - Charlie in a Box
Obscurity Brewing And Craft Mead

 

Drinks like a sweet, watered down, spiced Smithwicks. More Irish style red than American. Would need a bigger malt backbone to be true to style, and IBUS are too low to qualify as an American.

Pours a cloudy burnt sienna color. Thick, frothy tan head forms on the beer, lingers then dissipates leaving just a thin layer of velvety foam on top of the beer. Aroma has some malty notes, along with mild notes of maple and cinnamon. Not really getting the cherry on the nose and thankfully the maple is not overwhelming.

Taste is malty with lightly toasted bread coming through along with a mild maple syrup sweetness. Mild notes of cinnamon peep through adding a very light cinnamon spiciness. The cherry is there, but really subtle and mostly just plays a complimentary role to the other flavors. Very light earthy bitterness peeps through on the back end. Feel is lighter, and pretty easy drinking. Moderate carbonation with a drier finish.

I will be honest, I kind of expected to hate this, but its actually solid. The maple and cinnamon are balanced - an absolute necessity in a 5% red ale. I would actually bring a 12-pack of this beer to a party.

 

 

Picked up the mixed 4 pack because I was feeling festive! Murky dark amber with a beige cap, light lacing. Smell matches my mood: cinnamon, maple and cherry form a Christmas grog combo that is lovely. Taste starts this way as well, cinnamon the clear leader, then maple, and then cherry, but as you go down the glass that cherry starts to emerge but not in a fruited way, rather a bah humbug cough syrup way. Feel is rough, revealing the gimmicky nature of this festive ale: maple sweetness cloys a bit despite the sharp cinnamon’s best efforts, malts are light and fade out through the sip. A tap room delight, works as a whimsical festive light dessert ale, but ultimately starts to crumble over more ounces.