Beer Of The Gods
Ridgeway Brewing

 

A - A hard pour yields a finger of frothy white head atop a pale straw liquid. The head quickly recedes to a thin ring. There are a few bubbles of carbonation.

S - Citrus, sulphur, green apple skin, light breadyness.

T - Really not too much of interest. Citrus moves in to light fruit and apple in the middle. There is also a hint of breadyness. Finish is dry, grassy hops. Aftertaste is lasting, but without an outstanding flavour lingering.

M - The beer picks up a little on mouthfeel. Light to Medium-bodied and pleasantly chewy until it's cut away by soft carbonation.

D - Nice mouthfeel, but below average in every other department. Quaffable in the sense that there isn't too much to savour and ponder over.

Bronze-tinged gold with fluffy, leager-esque head. Flinty grain on the nose with a hint of spicy hops. Caramel apple and mango on saltines up front with peppery, grassy, white grape and Lemonheads hops. Clean Noble finish and bitter linger. Medium to light, chewy, salty.

High & Mighty in Mass contract brews at Paper City, and collaborated with Ridgeway for this, who contracted it out to Hepworth. Whew!

German recipe (Kolsch/Alt clone), American hops (or Saaz, sources differ), English yeast.

There's some crazy hopping off this one: noble spice but tingly American citrus, too. And the straight pilsener malts are somewhere underneath, and all that fruit could be the English yeast. It's all there, but to what end? Interesting - drinks like a pils, hopped like a bitter - but I wouldn't run after it again.

Purchased at the Sainsbury's supermarket. Bottle-conditioned, coming with a cartoonistic beer label and description of the brewing concept: "Conceived in Massachusetts out of a German recipe and lovingly overhopped in the time honoured American way, this beer was looking sensible until we fermented it in England as an ale"...?! I'm very, very, lost. BB 05/09/09, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a clear golden hue, coming with a 1cm-thick white pillowy foam with good retention, on top of rather mild carbonation. Looking very healthy for a RAIB.
S: slightly too sharp on the sour side initially, showing some pungent notes like a something-went-wrong bottle-conditioned ale, for the citrus peel comes a bit vinegary+funky instead... as the beer breathes, the sour edge softens and a deeper doughy note and very very light grainy malts (almost like a lager) sneak through.
T: lightly white-grapefruity and faintly hay-ish followed by a touch of grainy pale malts, turning pretty dry & tangy in the middle with plenty of zingy citric hoppiness at play, before a more clean-fruity palate (almost like a Kölsch!!) wraps it up with more lingering bitterness down the wings of the tongue.
M&D: the mouthfeel is consistently soothing with plenty of microscopic fizziness at play, while the body and flavour profile come in a harmony. At one point, I almost thought this beer, allegedly brewed to a "German recipe", was meant to be a Kölsch, as the flavour does ring a bell. Whatever it purports to be (more like an English Golden Bitter to me), it fares well for the nice, dryish bitter and hoppy flavour but fails on the side of smell that comes too pungently sour. If served on cask, or even on tap (unfiltered), this ale might be more enjoyable, I suppose...

500ml bottle bought from Sainsburys... As far as i can see this seems to be the UK version (it states that it was brewed by Ridgeway brewing) of the following -

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13947/30771

The blurb on the back label states - "Conceived in Massachusetts out of a German recipe and lovingly overhopped in the time honoured American way, this beer was looking sensible until we fermented it in England as an ale"

Poured a clear light golden yellow colour. White head poured quite small but thick and foamy then faded quite quickly to light wispy coating. Barely any carbonation bubbles and no lacing at all....

Aroma - Sweet grainy malts, some biscuit, quite salty, overripe spicy fruits (lemons, apples, oranges), dishwater traces, some grassy and citrus hops, strong rubberiness, minty notes, sweet marzipan and almond notes, honey, metallic traces...

Taste is slightly better than the aroma.... grainy malts followed by citrus and peppery hops, sweet floral honey, juicy fruits (oranges, pears, apples), earthy, some faint tobacco notes...

M&D - Sharp initially then smooths out.. light bodied... pretty refreshing although a few too many off flavours to have me coming back for more...

Overall - A very average blonde ale.. certainly doesn't live up to the "Beer of the Gods" tag...