Beer Review: Elysian The Men's Room

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.6 percent

Appearance: This Amber Ale poured a light golden-brown with reddish hues as well as a bright white/beige head. The head had a very fluffy appearance and offered some web-like and sticky lacing inside the glass as it settled downward from the crown. The amber body had a slight transparency to it, but nothing to ruin an appetite for this brew.

Smell: This brew was very strong and floral. I also noticed a small herbal essence on the medium hop nose. Overall, a very clean and crisp aroma.

Taste: I tasted a decent helping of caramel on the font, initially. Then, the flavor transitioned into a roastier profile that seemed to intensify as the beer was able to warm with each sip. The roasted flavors seemed to peak each time the beer hit the back of my tongue. There, the floral hop notes packed a nice punch. The hop bitterness is absolutely at a perfect level on this one.

Overall Rating: 

I've grown to fear 22 oz. bottles of craft beer as I'm usually disappointed with a strong effort by a brewer to knock our socks off with some form of a bold beer. This one was just simple and tasty. Nothing that's too overpowering. The beer looked pretty and had a strong body to it. A great drink. Heard great things about this one and it lived up to the bill.

Beer Review: Battlefield Brew Works Red Circle Ale

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 5.2 percent

Appearance: Red Circle Ale appeared to be the second-darkest brew available at the Gettysburg establishment that I constantly bring up. This beer was as close to a dark brick red as it could be without actually looking like a brown ale. A few ruby red portions of the brew were also noticeable to the eye. The dark color of the brew disguised the appearance of any carbonation bubbles. The head was just short of being called a beige. I'd go with an off-white to describe it best. The head featured a layer of foam that was about a half-inch thick, but faded back into the beer quickly leaving some thin lacing.

Smell: This beer seemed to be a bit deeper and sweeter than than its amber counterpart I reviewed last week. This too had plenty of caramel and roasted malt undertones. Wait, I don't mean undertones. They were the co-stars of this beer's aroma. There was a slight hop nose that nicely complimented the two dominant scents.

Taste: The caramel and roasted notes were prevalent once again once I began drinking this. Those two flavors were very complimentary in there own respective roles, but were slightly weaker than they were in the smell of this. The hops work well with the other two for a slightly bitter and well-balanced finish. 

Overall Rating: 

I enjoyed how this version of the amber was a little more balanced. Still, I'd like to see a head with some more staying power as well as just a kiss of more strength in the flavor. Still, this was a quality brew. I also love this place as well as the town it's close to. So, I can feel quite comfortable giving this the rating I did.

Beer Review: Bell's Amber Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.8 percent

Appearance: Bell's Amber Ale pours exactly what the label says it's going to be! Still, it's an attractive shade of amber. Only qualm I have about the appearance is that it does appear a bit murky. It kind of resembled mud. The head was frothy and a clear white. The retention of the head wasn't the best in the world, but you'll find a decent amount of lacing.

Smell: There was plenty of action in this beer's aroma. I got plenty of malts, which consisted mainly of caramel. I also picked up bitter scents of hops and pine. I couldn't believe it, but I could have sworn I picked up the slightest hint of lemon/citrus.

Taste: Expect a rush of sweet malts on the front of your tongue. As for the back, I got an awesome bitter sensation which must have been from both the pine and the hops. I didn't notice much carbonation in the brew's appearance due to the murkiness, but it definitely translated to a textured mouth feel.

Overall Rating: 

I hold a good number of Bell's beers in high regard. I'd usually give beers with an appearance such as this one a rating of three mugs, but since Bell's pretty much always puts a quality product out there I'll give the brewery the benefit of the doubt. The aroma and taste of this brew were both pretty amazing. The pine worked well with the hop content for a crisp finish.