Gem of the Sea Solomons Ale

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 5

I have a hard time writing a very fair review of this beer, only due to one (and only one) major short-coming -- every bottle of this I've tried has been *way too carbonated* to be worth-while. So much so that the last six-pack of this that I purchased from BevMo probably equated to only about three pint's of actual drinkable beer.

Once you get past the explosive foaming and manage to get enough of the beer into a glass, this isn't all that bad. Kind of a cross-over Red/Pale Ale, IMO, with enough interesting traits to fall into either/both categories. But like the Skinner Pilsener I had a month or two ago, the mouthfeel of this is a bit too soft and mushy to be anything but a second-string beer.

I suspect that once the slightly mysterious Gem Of The Sea Brewing Company (in Vista CA, of all places) figures out what the heck is going on with their bottling line, they might one day be an interesting addition to the North San Diego county brewing scene. But until then, it's strictly "buyer beware" when it comes to bottles of their Solomon Ale.

[Edit: Brewery now shut down]
//TB

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Medium amber color. Medium head. Aroma is sweet, bready and malty. Full-bodied amber. Malts are nutty, fruity and sweet. Hops are slightly spicy. It’s a touch too sweet, but its smooth and well balanced. Very drinkable. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

Weird peanut shell color to it with maybe a touch of sunset and a salt water wash on the top. Has a very sweet, malty molasses maybe aroma backed up with some hopiness. Starts off watery then shows some malt body and then goes back to watery hops. Nothing special.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

This ale pours with an amber orange body topped by a thin white head with a decent amount of lacing. The aroma is sweet and rich with malt with a very slight hoppy bitterness. Smells a lot like a dopplebock. The flavor is very similar however the hops step forward and show themselves more. Not a real prominent flavor but not bad. Medium bodied and relatively smooth.