Liquid Happiness
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
 
United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 10.75%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
7
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 10, 2008
Added:
Feb 18, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of argock
Reviewed by argock from Virginia

3.62/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Served on-tap in a clear imperial pint glass

A: Thick brown with minimal white head.

S: Toasted and caramel malts -- all sweet and no discernible hops presence. Alcohol aromas are present but not overwhelming.

T: Sweet toffee and caramel maltiness with nice toasted edge and a surprising hit of hops bitterness in the finish that grows with each drink. Better balance than you would imagine from the aroma.

M: Medium-bodied with low carbonation and sweet aftertaste. Nothing too special in this department.

D: Pretty drinkable for an 8-9% ABV brew. A little more hops in the aroma and taste would help to level this beer off and raise its drinkability significantly.
Jan 10, 2008
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.3/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Moderately murky tawny with blurry amber edges. The eggshell colored cap was small to start and was nearly gone by the time I got my change and found a bar table. Against all odds, an acceptable amount of spidery lace was arrayed on the glass throughout the pint.

My first thought was that the beer had been dry-hopped. Once I took a sip, I realized that it could have been nothing more than the fact that the beer was so stuffed with hops. I could appreciate lightly toasted malt as well as citric and herbal notes. East Kent Goldings, if done right, can be a great hop.

Liquid Happiness is one the hoppiest beers that I've ever had at my local Rock Bottom. Not coincidentally, it's also one of the very best. Far from a one-trick pony, there was a great deal of support provided by (I'm guessing now...) pale and crystal malts, with considerably less wheat and/or wheat malt. The mouthfeel was definitely more APA than APWA.

Like all great beer, I enjoyed it more and more with each passing ounce. Each gulp was a wonderful summer storm of flavors that included toasted whole grain bread, honey, lemon zest and English Breakfast tea leaves. I was reminded of an English pale ale brewed by an American with a hop fetish.

The finish was the best portion of the flavor arc because that was where the hop bite was able to sink its teeth in the deepest. The mouthfeel was medium in a general sense with no deterioration on the swallow. The carbonation was lively, yet still extremely well-buried.

I love the name Liquid Happiness because it conveys exactly what this incredible summer seasonal delivers. I have no idea how well it's selling, but I'm prepared to beg wdmrock to make it a semi-regular release if he hasn't decided to do so already.
Aug 09, 2007
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer is not retired, as it was on tap March 2007. It was listed as 8.1% ABV.

Appearance: cloudy copper orange color with a thin one finger head that falls to a spotty surface foam. Light lacing developed.

Smell: caramel candy sweetness and a touch of bread is easy to pick up through the nose.

Taste: caramel, very strong plum and prune sweetness, light bitterness, and some mild alcohol overtones. Nicely balanced.

Mouthfeel: smooth from start to finish. Short aftertaste as the flavors barely tingle the tongue for a few seconds. Medium bodied beer.

Drinkability: quite easy to quaff regardless of the higher alcohol levels. Definitely worth having if it is on tap.
Mar 17, 2007
Photo of ppoitras
Reviewed by ppoitras from Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Growler obtained from the brewpub by my wife a couple nights back. Thanks babe!

First imperial pint pours with a 1" dark tan head, which lasts very nicely, and plenty of lacing. Brew is clear dark burgundy, with an aroma of dark fruits and an undertone of dark grains. Taste is sweet maltiness upfront, dark fruits taking over, enhanced by more robust grain husk flavor coming in later, slight boozy finish. Sticky lips after drinking this one. Mouthfeel is soft and smooth, and drinkability is pretty good, although the alcohol does seem to come out more as I drain my glass, impeding my revisitability a tad. Not bad...
Feb 12, 2007
Photo of Sycodrummer
Reviewed by Sycodrummer from Massachusetts

2.94/5  rDev -21%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Was told this was there "Belgian Ale" at 9.4% ABV. Expected a serving in a toulip or wine glass, but instead was presented to me at about a 3/4 pour in a standard pint glass (kind of dissapointed with the presentation). The beer was a very light amber/copper brown with a little less than one-finger of head. No lacing during the sample.

Surprisingly hoppy in the nose with little malt presence and perhaps some a light fruitty smell as well.

Deceptively light in body and taste the beer has an rather assertive innitial bitterness with a good deal of hop character to each sip. The beer also has an almost puckering sourness to it and was surprisingly crisp as well. Slightly sweet when warmed slightly towards the end of the sample. The characteristic "Belgian" taste is not very apparent in the beer until the end with the beer begins to slightly warm.

Light on the palate, with a crispness and slight carbonation.

On the fence about this one. An okay beer. Nothing great, but certainly drinkable.
Sep 09, 2005
Photo of Truh
Reviewed by Truh from New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Placed an eye drop on my tongue with this one on 2/25/2005. 10-oz. (?) pour in a goblet at the Boston location.

Listed on the board as 9.4% abv. Really just a filmy covering of miniscule bubbles. Orange/glowing melon hue that is thick to the point of being unable to see through it and no discernible action. Candy apple sweetness on with fruity pebbles crunch of fortified malt. Fruit gone over, like cider that’s turned, sweetness on mouth and just a touch of hop bite at the end; wish-you-were-here malt echoes in clearing. On the board as an English style strong pale ale, but I felt it was closer to a barleywine.
Mar 02, 2005
Photo of mschofield
Reviewed by mschofield from Massachusetts

3.82/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a hazy brown with just a thin white cap. Just a tiny bit of lacing. The waitress said it was 11% ABV, (that would explain the lack of lacing ... of course she also said it was a brown ale). I'd guess at the ABV being 8%.
Strong sweet malt aroma, some caramel and toasted malt.
Very sweet taste, slightly earthy hop presence. Only a minor alcohol taste at first, but that grows with warming. Caramel, toffee and butter appear.
Medium-full feel, very malt heavy, hops are minor in the taste, non-existant in the aroma, and bitterness is very weak at first but gains in strength with warming.
Feb 18, 2004
Liquid Happiness from Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
Beer rating: 3.72 out of 5 with 7 ratings