In response to the success of the run of pumpkin beer reviews last week, I am continuing on with my efforts to get some home brew evaluations off the books. These reviews are a good way for me to determine which recipes I want to try again and if so, what I might want to adjust the next time through. At least a few of the brews have benefited from some additional time in the bottle and I am looking forward to sampling them after even more time.
Once again I will mention that the Blueprint Brewing marketing department (consisting of only The Wife and myself) selected the names for these four beers. The only pay for the marketing team is the beer.
This next brew was the control half of my next attempt to split a five-gallon recipe in two for experimentation purposes. It turned out pretty well, but combined with the results of the other half made me realize that I needed to adjust my methods of recipe tampering a bit. All part of the learning process! Sorry, no grade from The Wife on this one.
Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)
Name: Over The Pond
Style: English IPA
ABV: 3.77% (+/-)
Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.
Aroma: Light overall aroma with a hint of yeasty/bready character and some very low minerally notes.
Appearance: Medium amber color. Two finger (plus) cream color head that is thick and frothy with good retention and trail. Pretty clear with some (chill) haze and rising bubbles visible.
Flavor: Very little overall flavor. Low toasty/bready malt flavor with a very slight hop flavor and bitterness toward the finish. Clean finish with no harshness or lingering.
Mouthfeel: Light (to medium) body with medium carbonation. Smooth and pretty crisp.
Overall Impressions: Extremely drinkable though the lack of distinct character(s)/flavors lowers the grade for me a bit. Not what I expected exactly, but I think it could be really nice the next time brewed (worth another shot). Though it started as an English IPA, I might consider it an English Pale Ale/Standard Bitter.
Grade: C+
Blueprint Brewing - Over The Pond
Now a little closer.
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