First of all you are looking at two gifts here. The glass was a present from my brother and sister-in-law from a recent trip they took to Ireland. It came from the Guinness brewery. The beer is too dark or you'd be able to make out the harp logo on the glass. It's a really cool glass, I must say.
As for what is inside the glass that happens to have been a holiday gift, from the same brother and sister-in-law as it turns out. My nephew is in his first year at a school in Burlington, Vermont. For those not aware, Vermont, for a small state, is pretty big in the microbrew biz. One of the more popular is Switchback Brewing and its signature offering is Switchback Ale.
As you can tell it is an amber-hued brew and pours with a nice head. It is an unfiltered beer that was originally only available in kegs. It has more recently been sold in bottles as you can see. I was careful with the first pour so it is fairly clear. The suggestion on the bottle though is not to worry about such things and let the unfiltered matter come through so you can enjoy the beer as originally intended. By the time I replenished the glass to finish the bottle the beer was not only amber, but hazy as well per the brewer's wishes.
I found the beer enjoyable, but ultimately not a brew that would be towards the top of my favorites. The beer has a decent flavor and hits the mouth with a slight, tingly, prickly feeling. The overall sensation though is not of a very strong beer, rather one on the lighter side for the color and pedigree. The taste leaves your mouth about the same time the beer does, and even leaves a slight bitter aftertaste that might interfere with drinking this beer through a long, cold winter night.
It was good, glad I tried it, but it didn't exactly knock my socks off.
Maybe it was because it was a bitterly cold night and I was looking for something a bit more robust and so this struck me as being a bit on the light side. With a nephew in Burlington, Vermont (and a second nephew about 45 minutes away in Montpelier), I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to re-evaluate this ale at another time.
For now, I give it 6 mugs out of 10.
As for what is inside the glass that happens to have been a holiday gift, from the same brother and sister-in-law as it turns out. My nephew is in his first year at a school in Burlington, Vermont. For those not aware, Vermont, for a small state, is pretty big in the microbrew biz. One of the more popular is Switchback Brewing and its signature offering is Switchback Ale.
As you can tell it is an amber-hued brew and pours with a nice head. It is an unfiltered beer that was originally only available in kegs. It has more recently been sold in bottles as you can see. I was careful with the first pour so it is fairly clear. The suggestion on the bottle though is not to worry about such things and let the unfiltered matter come through so you can enjoy the beer as originally intended. By the time I replenished the glass to finish the bottle the beer was not only amber, but hazy as well per the brewer's wishes.
I found the beer enjoyable, but ultimately not a brew that would be towards the top of my favorites. The beer has a decent flavor and hits the mouth with a slight, tingly, prickly feeling. The overall sensation though is not of a very strong beer, rather one on the lighter side for the color and pedigree. The taste leaves your mouth about the same time the beer does, and even leaves a slight bitter aftertaste that might interfere with drinking this beer through a long, cold winter night.
It was good, glad I tried it, but it didn't exactly knock my socks off.
Maybe it was because it was a bitterly cold night and I was looking for something a bit more robust and so this struck me as being a bit on the light side. With a nephew in Burlington, Vermont (and a second nephew about 45 minutes away in Montpelier), I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to re-evaluate this ale at another time.
For now, I give it 6 mugs out of 10.
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