Beer Review: Rock Bottom Pumpkelweizen

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: N/A

Appearance: Rock Bottom Pumpkelweizen is a dark and hazy shade of brown. Some reddish highlights help to add different hues throughout the body. If comes off as very thick. Almost opaque. It slightly reminds me of a Pittsburgh river, but that's my only small complaint. The beer's crown features an extremely thick and frothy head. I noticed some intense lacing, which was also very thick and had strong retention. It really sticks to the glass as the beer slowly travels downward.

Smell: Initially, I got plenty of spices and pumpkin. As for the spices, cinnamon and cloves were really dominant. I also picked up a wheat and grain aroma in front of a few darker fruits which I couldn't exactly distinguish.

Taste: The tanginess of the spices and a slight sourness from the wheat create an exotic taste. This beer features a taste I haven't come across before. The pumpkin tosses in a good aftertaste after each sip. The head of the beer is thick and powerful enough that you get a slight touch of creaminess atop all of the other flavors. Exotic, yet exceptional taste.

Overall Rating: 

This is a really interesting beer. I went out of my way to stop and try it. I was very pleased with it, to say the least. The spices go well with the wheat that's in the beer.

Beer Review: Rock Bottom Red Ale

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 5.7 percent

Appearance: Rock Bottom Red Ale looks the way you'd expect your typical Irish Red to look. It has a deep red garnet color in its body and features a powerful, white head that's about an inch and a half thick after initial pour. It dissipates at an average rate and leaves some excellent lacing. Very attractive.

Smell: This beer's aroma features plenty of caramel and toffee undertones. An even sweeter maltiness lies right behind those two dominant flavors.

Taste: The three flavors I picked up with my nose translated well onto the tongue. Those three flavors were pleasant, but I was surprised by the strong hop character of this beer.

Overall Rating: 

I loved the maltiness, caramel and toffee elements to this beer, but I think the hop character was just too dominating. That might appeal to some of you out there, but I wished I would have been able to enjoy the initial three flavors more without the hop interference in this particular brew.

Beer Review: Rock Bottom Belgian White Ale

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 5.3 percent

Appearance: Belgian White's have been one of my favorite beer styles dating back to my early days of getting into beer. I find the look of their fluffy, white crowns fascinating as they are in contrast to the rest of the beer's body. This one has about an inch of thickness in the head and it remained atop the brew for most of the drink. The body was an attractive orange and very cloudy.

Smell: This beer had a pleasant aroma of coriander and spice. I also got hints of wheat and yeast, which is what you'd expect when drinking such a hazy beer.

Taste: This is the department in which I was slightly disappointed. It might be partially my fault because when I fall in love with a beer based on its appearance I tend to develop high expectations pertaining to the experience that's to come. The spice hits you hard, but the citrus is lacking just a tad in this Belgian White. Aside from the taste, the mouth feel was very carbonated and fizzy, which I appreciated.

Overall Rating: 

This was such a beautiful-looking beer. I was just slightly disappointed in the taste. I want to be smacked in the tongue with the citrus zest. it just wasn't in the cards for this pint.