Monticello Reserve Ale - Starr Hill Brewery

craft_shannie

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

11-11-2012 22:51:00 | More by craft_shannie

SLeffler27

New York

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%

04-21-2013 21:38:08 | More by SLeffler27

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.59/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Interesting little beer. Reminded me of Yards Tavern Ale in Jefferson origin and pale, golden-ish color only. This was a much different brew. Yellow-gold and fairly clear, with a curiously fleeting head (considering the touting of its wheat-ness), it had a snappy, almost ginger and lemon zest zip to it. Fairly light-bodied and I felt it was a fortunate choice to compliment the flavors of and cut through the greasiness of the plumped-up, American-style Banh Mi I ordered with it. It did the job well, despite packing more burpy, nearly soda-pop carbonation than I would've liked.

On a side note - I loved how the tap handle had a drawing of Monticello on it, yet they felt the need to affix a beefed-up, Monopoly-style, 3D model of Monticello atop the handle - just odd, yet highly amusing to me...

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2013 05:29:35 | More by Bouleboubier

wbischof

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

03-03-2013 02:28:05 | More by wbischof

rvajohn

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%

12-19-2012 14:35:06 | More by rvajohn

JWing

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

12-14-2012 18:12:58 | More by JWing

jibjib513

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Serving Type: 750ml bottle to pint glass(es).

Appearance (4.0): Pale clear golden, with white head and solid carbonation.

Smell (4.0): A sour lemony smell, perhaps with a hint of wheat.

Taste (4.0): Taste like a hefe-weizen, though without the banana like flavor (and as I understand, this is correct for an American Pale Wheat Ale).

Mouthfeel (3.0): Perhaps. a little too "creamy".

Overall (3.5): I wanted to love this beer, I love Jefferson. I know it would be difficult to accurately state what the beer was like that Jefferson was brewing, but I'm not sure how much thought and research went in to this one. They need to get Dogfish Head on the case! This one though, it's OK but I feel like it's a tourist attraction trap (hey, it got me!).

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 00:03:17 | More by jibjib513

GeoffreyM

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%

10-18-2012 04:38:09 | More by GeoffreyM

2dogbrew

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

09-27-2012 21:28:09 | More by 2dogbrew

ghirsh

2.75/5  rDev -18.4%

08-20-2012 17:54:39 | More by ghirsh

GaryMarkle84

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

08-19-2012 22:15:29 | More by GaryMarkle84

Hanzo

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

08-03-2012 02:48:11 | More by Hanzo

Liz8646

3/5  rDev -11%

07-26-2012 15:45:37 | More by Liz8646

kylehay2004

Florida

3.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed at the brewery.

A: single finger bright foamy head with nice lacing on a clear straw/golden body.

S: wheat, butter, lemon but overall a light aroma.

T: wheat and breads up front blurred transition to lemon and strong buttery presence.

M: light to medium body and moderate to high carbonation. Very creamy and oily. Clean.

Overall: a little too buttery for me. Drinkable with the flavors a bit bland and poorly imagined.

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2012 23:20:11 | More by kylehay2004

JessPrice

4.5/5  rDev +33.5%

07-21-2012 22:40:26 | More by JessPrice

Gatordaddy

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

07-10-2012 20:29:34 | More by Gatordaddy

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This 750ml bottle was a gift from old "bro" Artied2. No freshness dating and/or bottling info found on the bottle.

Poured about 2/3s of the container into a nonic pint glass. It is a pale golden color, clear throughout, with very little carbo or head to be found. Aroma has tart, sourish notes, along with some crisp wheaty qualities. Given the paucity of carbo, the smoothness is not surprising, but it is a touch thinner than medium.

The flavor has some wheat right off, dry and crisp. Citrus shows up, with light rindiness and hints of green apple. The sweetness, attributed by the brewer to the corn in the recipe, seems more honeyish to me. Was a little put-off at the start, but this is growing on me the more I drink, albeit by small increments. Not bad, but I reckon the palate 200 years ago was a bit less discerning and selective. Prosit!!!

3.3/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

1482

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 19:48:14 | More by Bierman9

hockenbeer

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -25.8%

06-23-2012 00:37:45 | More by hockenbeer

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This was months after trying the first batch that saw bottling, which to be fair, was pretty bad. I heard rumors that it had improved.

Half a finger of white head. The body is a hazy light straw with decent lace.

Nose ks kinda lame. A bit corn-y, kinda macro-brewery-ish, and semi acrid. It's an adjunct beer by nature though, so maybe to be expected.

Some German-ish hops present in the taste, lightly sweetish wheat character. Much better than the first batch. Slightly herbal, almost rosemary. Well balanced sweetness and slightly vegetal/savory.

The feel was average if a bit too bright.

A definite improvement, less macro-y, more balance and interest.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2012 04:47:30 | More by zaphodchak

thegerm87

Connecticut

2.5/5  rDev -25.8%

03-09-2012 02:00:26 | More by thegerm87

maxwellboh

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Living in Charlottesville I am partial to TJ's home brew. Since its first availability I have shared a bottle (750ml) almost every month with someone. Yes the appearance is exactly the appearance of an adjunct pale ale, straw color, minimal lacing and lots of carbonation. The smell is of rising wheat bread with a touch of coriander. And you can envision TJ brewing this in the kitchen below the house at Monticello. The taste is summertime but drinkable year round. Lemon, floral, orange all come to mind. With a mouthfeel of smooth crisp carbonation this is a beer that is only disappointing when the bottle is empty.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 02:46:34 | More by maxwellboh

jskennedy

Virginia

3/5  rDev -11%

01-27-2012 04:14:48 | More by jskennedy

hopfacebrew

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received an undated 750mL bottle of this as an extra in a trade :)

Poured from bottle to NBB globe. The beer pours a translucent amber orange with a thin 1/2 finger white head. Not much lacing or retention. Aroma of toasty malts, light lemon/orange, and a touch of citrus hops. The flavor is very much the same though the tart lemon is more prevalent. Very unique flavor profile with sweet yet toasty barley, light bitterness, soft sweetness on the finish. Massively carbonated. Overall, the idea of this brew is really pretty awesome staying close to Jefferson's recipe. It was a pleasure to try. I wouldn't say I would drink much of it again, though it was quite a treat.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 19:38:09 | More by hopfacebrew

TechTriumph

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes on 12/04/11:
No freshness date; Poured in a pint glass.

A - Just under one inch of white and creamy head; Darker shade of yellow/straw color; Pretty clear appearance with visible carbonation; Minimal lacing

S - Not too strong of a smell here; Notes of fresh baked bread, cloves, wheat, corn, and a touch of spice

T - Light wheat, corn, cloves, lemon peel, and subtle floral characteristics as well; Light corn and lemon linger a bit in the aftertaste

M - Good carbonation; Light bodied; Smooth and crisp mouthfeel

O - I have to say that this beer turned out pretty well having been brewed from Thomas Jefferson's recipe notes. There is nothing that really stands out in the flavor, though the addition of lemon peel is a nice touch. It's very smooth and drinkable, and would be a nice Spring/Summer beer to pair with southern fried food.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 15:37:32 | More by TechTriumph

axman

Virginia

3/5  rDev -11%

12-31-2011 21:10:15 | More by axman