Beer Review: Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce pours a dark amber with a thin, tan head. As I said, the head is thin, but has above-average retention. It's not overly foamy, nor is it way weak. With that calculated, I'd prefer a little bit more action in the head as well as a bit more carbonation.

Smell: This beer had me feeling like I woke up somewhere in the deep forest on a foggy morning. The spruce dominates. Notes of molasses and syrup mellow out the remainder of the aroma in a sweet, but subtle way.

Taste: The pine/spruce and syrup combine amazingly. while creating a spicy, sweet and smooth flavor. The molasses adds more sweetness, but a darker side of it. The flavors mix more as the beer warms a bit, only making the taste that much better. The alcohol is screened by the amount of sweetness in this beer. You can feel that the booze is there, but it's just as a warming sensation as this brew bathes your throat.

Overall Rating: 

This is a top-beer in my book. Since I'm a history buff, I love the fact that this beer is somewhat based on Benjamin Franklin's (AKA Poor Richard in case you didn't know) personal spruce ale recipe. Franklin is one of my favorite individuals throughout history. Drinking this makes me want to do some meteorology, or at the very least just flip on The Weather Channel. I bought this beer as part of Yards Brewing Company's Ales of the Revolution sampler pack.