Ski Bum
Ellicottville Brewing Co.

 

Served on tap from a pint glass
Appearance - The beer is served a lightly hazed dark amber color with a small white head.
Smell - The aroma is heavy of a herbal and earthy smell, with a good dose of bread and hay. Along with these smells comes a touch of sweet caramel and toast.
Taste - The taste is strong of a bready and cracker malt with a good showing of toast and some orange. As the taste advances some pine and more sweetness comes to the tongue, leaving one with a nice easy and hopped taste to linger on the tongue .
Mouthfeel - The body is medium with a moderate carbonation. Overall good with a decent feel!
Overall - A good brew with an easy drinking nature. A great brew with a nice easy nature.

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled on 10/28/21. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours a deep golden with a subtle haze but still has some clarity; big fluffy light khaki head that falls slowly leaving great thick retention and sticky frothy lacing. Looks really good.

The aromas have a nice blend of orange, citrus, caramel and toffee. Malts are there.

The flavors follow the nose perfectly. More citrus leading the way, especially orange. Some grapefruit. Some pine and spruce tips. More caramel and toffee. Some crackers and bread. Mild hints of black pepper in the mix. Nice hop presence. Very solid bitterness. Low sweetness. Malts do their thing. Finishes dry. Alcohol basically goes unnoticed.

Mouthfeel is very nice. It's medium-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp, crisp, fluffy and smooth.

This is a really enjoyable brew. It has a really nice pale ale vibe going on. It's a pale ale in my book. It's not your typical "winter warmer" or "winter ale". It's simply a nice hoppy beer with a nice winter vibe. The craftsmanship is pretty impressive and takes this one to the next level. Well done. I really like it.

Poured into a shaped goblet/tasting glass: color is gold, head is bright white with fine bubbles and presents 1 finger thick and then dissipates to thin top with some lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is crisp hops with notes of citrus, light pine, earth, with some mixed in light caramel and base malts.

Taste is similar with a hop forward flavor and solid malt base without significant sweetness: flavor is citrus and pine, light earth, light caramel and light bready base malt.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, and moderate bitterness with a drying finish.

Overall a very nice seasonal IPA - not really a winter warmer as I think the flavor/color leans IPA but the notable maltiness is welcoming.

Huge rocky and sculpted head sitting atop a honey-amber body; dense carbonation. Rich, malty aroma; caramel and toasted grains; earthy spiciness. Big toasted grain flavor; honey-like sweetness; biscuits and honey; light to moderate hop bitterness. Medium body; light velvety texture with the residual sugars; gentle warmth throughout.

This beer is a rich and delightful offering. It highlights a winter warmer malt character, has a decent hop bitterness presence, and satisfies the soul.

Not too shabby ... Nothing to brag about in appearance or smell, (or feel for that matter) but a nice full bodied taste appropriate to its name ... Glad I tried

 

 

 

 

Pretty bummed about ski bum. Very rank hoppiness about it. No complexity. Not good.

 

The Bottle Backlog is in full retreat & things are surfacing from the past as a result. I am excited at the prospect of returning to The CANQuest (tm) on a full-time basis, but in the interim …

From the Bottle: "Seasonal Ale"; "Auburn Color Crisp & Hoppy".

I Pop!ped the cap & began a slow, gentle C-Line pour into the awaiting glass. I was dissatisfied with the resulting head, so I gave it an in-glass swirl to raise just under two fingers of soapy, foamy, rocky, light-tan head with modest retention. It left nice lacing in its wake. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was very hoppy, very much of spruce & pine & now, my hophead mouth was watering! Mouthfeel was medium. The taste had a pleasant bitterness, not overstated, very piney & very drinkable. Mmm. Finish was likewise dry, hoppy & very pleasant.

BOM 1/2018