ReaperAle Inevitable Ale

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 7

Poured a golden color with a small, white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of citrus fruits, spices, some yeast, cinnamon, doughy malts, grains, and some grassy hops. Taste of honey, some caramel malts, light citrus fruits, medium bitterness and sharp alcohol in the finish.

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

This blonde ale pours a deep orange gold color from a 22oz bottle. Medium to large sized white foamy head. Aroma is bubble gum, sweet and fruity. A medium bodied golden/blond ale. Malts are fruity and sweet. Lots of apricot, pineapple and peach flavors, with a touch of spices. Hops are floral and slightly bitter. This is a big bold blond ale, well as big and bold as a blond ale can get. It tastes much more like a bock or a dortmunder/helles. A touch sweet, but it does have a touch of bitterness and some sweet malt in the background. Hides the 7.1% alcohol very well. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is sweet with a touch of alcohol bite.

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

While I'm far from a huge fan of this particular outfit -- a "brewery" that once had their beers contract brewed from them by Bayhawk in Orange County, but now are closely tied to up-and-comers Green Flash in San Diego county -- I gotta admit they've been making efforts to escape the ussual norms and trappings. And this rather odd hybrid ale certianly has caused me to raise an eyebrow or two....

My first impression of this? A clone of Stone's rather odd 9th Anniversary Ale -- a hoppy and some might say unsatisfying Wheat Beer. And though I haven't had it recently, I have to admit that the 9th was one of my least favorites from Stone in quite a few years.

But how does that relate to this beer from Reaper? Hard to say. What does Reaper Ales say this beer is supposed to be?

~ "Inevitable Ale
~ Available February - April
~
~ While the style of this Strong Blonde Ale is
~ non-specific it has an overall profile that
~ closely resembles a Blonde Bock having
~ some characteristic traits of a Pre-Prohibition
~ Pilsner and the strength of a Malt Liquor.
~ The unique traits of this beer are the pleasingly
~ fruity aromas of apricot and passion fruit that
~ give way to honey flavors, a subtle hint of corn
~ liquor, and a lightly spicy but cleansing hop finish.
~ What is Inevitable about this ale is that the
~ deceptively higher alcohol content (7.1%abv) is
~ sure to effect its imbiber.
~
~ Specifications
~ Style: Strong Blonde/Golden Ale
~ Bottle: 22oz Keg: 15.5gal
~ ABV: 7.1% Boil Hop: Liberty
~ IBU: 22 Finish Hop: Saaz
~ OG: 1.068 Dry Hop: N/A
~ Carbs: 19.4"

(Wow, thank goodness they included the Carbs, for my Atkin's/South Beach/whatever craft beer diet!)

While I would have said (before reading that) that this is something of a hoppy Wheat beer, calling a jacked-up Blonde Ale really is closer to reality. "Blonde Bock" is a huge turn-off to me, and I can take-or-leave the so-called Malt Liquor comparisons.

So, where does that leave me, as far this beer goes? Well, I've killed off most of the 22oz'er without much effort, and that's certianly noteworthy. A bit grating and sweet in the backend, that thankfully the alcohol seems to mitigate a tad. Sticky, but not without some merit, I'd say.

A bit more interesting and appealing than last Summer's "Ritual Dark Ale", in that at least this beer has enough things going on to merit some debate.

But really? My long-term wish is that the very best elements of Green Flash (paging Mr. Chuck Silva) and Reaper merge into one more solidly built brewhouse, of solidly designed beers, that span a range of styles.

But in the shbort-term, this really isn't bad at all....

Music: Cephalic Carnage (various songs from various compilations)
//TB