A couple of things.
First, how do you like the holiday glassware? Yes, at the time of this tasting the Christmas decor and other accroutrements were still out. Interferes with judging the color and density of the brew, but hey it's the holidays! These glasses are only out from Thanksgiving through shortly after the New Year so I like to use them. And with normal wear and tear (and having had two sons in the house through the years) we are down to five of these glasses remaining.
Second, you'll recall from the previous post that I received some fine brews as Christmas gifts this year and promised to share them with you (vicariously only - I'm not filled with that much holiday spirit!) in the coming weeks.
First up is one of the offerings I was given from Berkshire Brewing Company of South Deerfield, Massachusetts. As you can tell my gifts are of the 22 ounce variety. This particular brew is their Black and Tan Ale.
I liked it and enjoyed drinking it. It is heavy and as you can tell, even through the holiday glass, has the opaque, dark coloring to match. I like strong, sturdy brews, so that did not bother me. However while I enjoyed it, the Black and Tan does not end up toward the top of my list of favorites. The bitterness is a little too pronounced for my liking and is not sufficiently offset by the flavors of the beer. So the impression that strikes you first, and that you are left with, is simply that, a strong, flavorful, but ultimately overly bitter brew.
Of course I would gladly accept it again as a gift and would have no problem drinking it. Because it is well made, and certainly is not a weak concoction. It just doesn't make the top of the list.
I give it 7 mugs out of a possible 10 on my subjective scale. Enjoyable, not for those who find Bud Light a bit on the heavy side, complex and drinkable, just a tad too bitter to achieve a greater score.
Until next time have a good one, while I decide which gift to drink and write about next.
First, how do you like the holiday glassware? Yes, at the time of this tasting the Christmas decor and other accroutrements were still out. Interferes with judging the color and density of the brew, but hey it's the holidays! These glasses are only out from Thanksgiving through shortly after the New Year so I like to use them. And with normal wear and tear (and having had two sons in the house through the years) we are down to five of these glasses remaining.
Second, you'll recall from the previous post that I received some fine brews as Christmas gifts this year and promised to share them with you (vicariously only - I'm not filled with that much holiday spirit!) in the coming weeks.
First up is one of the offerings I was given from Berkshire Brewing Company of South Deerfield, Massachusetts. As you can tell my gifts are of the 22 ounce variety. This particular brew is their Black and Tan Ale.
I liked it and enjoyed drinking it. It is heavy and as you can tell, even through the holiday glass, has the opaque, dark coloring to match. I like strong, sturdy brews, so that did not bother me. However while I enjoyed it, the Black and Tan does not end up toward the top of my list of favorites. The bitterness is a little too pronounced for my liking and is not sufficiently offset by the flavors of the beer. So the impression that strikes you first, and that you are left with, is simply that, a strong, flavorful, but ultimately overly bitter brew.
Of course I would gladly accept it again as a gift and would have no problem drinking it. Because it is well made, and certainly is not a weak concoction. It just doesn't make the top of the list.
I give it 7 mugs out of a possible 10 on my subjective scale. Enjoyable, not for those who find Bud Light a bit on the heavy side, complex and drinkable, just a tad too bitter to achieve a greater score.
Until next time have a good one, while I decide which gift to drink and write about next.
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