Local Species - Blue Mountain Brewery

tastybeerinmybelly

Virginia

2.58/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I wanted to like this beer as it is from a local brewery, but it has a strange aftertaste that I don't really like. I like Belgian beers and I like IPA's, but not this particular species. It says it is barrel aged and I usually like barrell-aged beer, but it almost has a chalky aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 03:31:52 | More by tastybeerinmybelly

Beejay

Virginia

2.88/5  rDev -25%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: light apricot in color, very little head on top, what's there is white.

S: hoppy, with a touch of licorice. Touches if citrus, and a bit of a chalky note.

T: definitely a but odd, there is a hoppy flavor, a well a hints of vanilla and caramel. But there is almost a chalky minty flavor that I'm not digging. Weird, but not so weird that i want to stop drinking, need to figure this one out.

m: medium in body, carbonation is medium, slightly dry mouthfeel.

O: overall a weird amalgamation of flavors that is interesting, but nit necessarily delicious...

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2012 02:40:30 | More by Beejay

GuinnessAtRogerWilco

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

12.7oz bottle with cork poured into a Chimay chalice glass.

AP: thin 1/4" head that dissipated fairly quick, dark golden amber colour.

AR: first whiff is Bourbon and vanilla, which gives me a good vibe. Caramel, candi sugar/fruits, raisin and fig.

T: First sip I get slapped on the tongue by an off metallic taste. Wait a bit then take a second sip and it's still there but not as strong. This isn't at all like the aroma suggested. White raisin, caramel and Belgian yeast are the other players I discern. The Bourbon and vanilla are MIA in the taste. I am pretty much disappointed by the taste.

M: slick and oily texture on the tongue, more thin than creamy.

OV: On the whole, disappointed with this brew. That off metallic flavour is stronger than the rest and I thought there weren't enough other flavours that could have been here that were missing. I wouldn't buy this one again, sorry to say.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 03:45:43 | More by GuinnessAtRogerWilco

obywan59

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice coppery color, almost clear, with a 3 1/2 finger pale tan head and lacing. A tower of bubbles rises from the middle of my Ommegang glass.

Smells lightly sweet and fruity with spicy yeast, overripe citrus, and some light mustiness.

The taste was lightly tart at first, with some moderating sweetness, but an overying musty bitterness detracted from the flavor. Someone earlier mentioned "chalky".

A well-rounded mouthfeel with a light prickle of carbonation, a pleasant stickiness, and the burn of alcohol in the throat.

This beer is much better as it warms. I tested it at 57.7 degrees, near the bottom of my last glass, and it still had some of the musty bitterness I described before. If I tried this again I would try it at room temperature, as the last few swallows definitely tasted the best. Overall though, Blue Mountain Barrel House has the best Virginia beers I've tasted yet.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 01:35:09 | More by obywan59

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a clear light garnet red in color with some light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall off-white head that reduces to a thick film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of Belgian yeast with some light peppery spiciness.

T: Light amount of bourbon flavors come out in the finish of the beer as it warms up. Upfront there is a high amount of pale malts with lots of Belgian yeast spiciness along with some hints of brett.

M: Slightly less than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Very light amounts of dryness.

O: I was really expecting more bourbon and barrel presence in the beer and it disappointed in that respect. Also, the beer has some interesting components but it just does not feel well integrated or successful when put together.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 17:06:30 | More by dbrauneis

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Oh sweet Jebus! Best before date of March 2013! I just missed it by a few days. Crikey.

Great looking beer. Nose is nice. I have high expectations based on as much. The flavor delivery is...odd. At first I thought the goal was a Flemish tone on things, but I question if this was intentional. Seems to be off, with an aftertaste that is...off putting. Although, it seems to get better as time goes on. But it took a lot of time. A lot. A for effort, C (at best) for execution.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 22:02:39 | More by RblWthACoz

argock

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 mL corked brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. Best by March 2013 printed on the cork. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $10.49.

A: Slightly hazy orange-amber with solid 1-2 finger frothy off-white with good retention and lots of dots of lace.

S: The aroma is complex with light vanilla, oak, coconut, and pineapple initially with a bready and light caramelly maltiness.

T: The flavor doesn't quite seal the deal and falls a little bit flat with the complexity of the composition seemingly holding this beer back. The barrel qualities are right up front and provide some interesting vanilla, oak, and coconut notes, but they are fleeting and the maltiness hits with a thud as it tastes muddled with some burnt sugar and caramel flavors. The hopping doesn't support the malt and provides a dank quality. The Belgian yeast never gets much chance to cut through the multitude of ingredients.

M: The feel of this beer is quite good with active but even carbonation, medium body, and a creamy texture.

O: I love Blue Mountain's beers, but I was somewhat disappointed with Local Species. It seems like a malt-forward beer should carry some distinctive malt flavor -- instead the barrel characteristics are the most interesting, and the maltiness is dulled. I would not go back to this one. I am going to hang onto the other bottle I bought to see if there is some other flavor development.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 02:15:51 | More by argock

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

330mL bottle poured into tulip

Hazed copper color with a brighter golden hue. Crop of frothy white head dissolves pretty quickly, leaving a thin layering of film and a few spots of lacing.

Soft notions of hops in the nose, oak barrel and soft warmth. Yeasty funk, touches of spice and bready sweetness.

Peppery and slightly sweet with touches of fruit. Pears and apples, toasted oak, hints of bourbon and vanilla. Belgian yeast, soft hoppiness and buttery biscuits. Finishes a little bitter, sweet and warm.

Medium body, slightly higher carbonation, a bit dry and sticky on the tongue. An interesting take on the style, although the barrel character was a bit more muted than I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 00:43:40 | More by xnicknj

metter98

New York

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear red in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high light beige head that died down but consistently left a thin head covering the surface.
S: There are light aromas of Belgian yeast in the nose along with some hints of spices.
T: The overall taste is similar to the smell but the finish is a little more complex with hints of vanilla from the bourbon barrel aging.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied and slightly smooth on the palate with a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O: The bourbon barrel aging definitely makes this the finish of this beer a little more interesting but it seems that this could have been better integrated into the overall taste. You really need to warm this beer up in order to taste the bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 01:33:09 | More by metter98

tastybeer

North Carolina

3.54/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A rather nice looking beer in general. Big fluffy head, reddish copper color, and mostly clear. Good retention and fun shifting lace.

S: Smell is surprisingly subtle. A lot of bright fruitiness, flowers, and spice over a pile of smooth caramel-bread malt. Orange and lemon peel with complimentary pepper an other spices.

T: Syrupy malt, grassy hops, fruit and spice. Interesting flavors. Not really any bourbon barrel but vanilla is apparent.

M: Dry and chalky yet wet and syrupy.

O: Interesting beer. It seems like an unplanned beer. That is a beer that came out differently than expected but you still like it. It pretty good but seems unrefined.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 00:09:21 | More by tastybeer

n2185

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a slightly hazy copper with three fingers of white head that recedes into a thin cap with a little lacing.

S: lots of sweet fruit aromas up front with candy sugar, cinnamon and other spices. Vanilla and oak also come through.

T: spices, candy suvar,and sweet fruits come through here as well. There is also an astringent,chemical-like flavor present. The finish has some slight oak and vanilla notes.

M: medium-light body with lowish carbonation, this beer is a little undercarbonated.

O: a solid beer overall, thougb the chemical-like flavor is a bit off-putting.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 23:25:54 | More by n2185

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I don't think this was intended to be a BSPA, so I won't be grading it as such.

A-dark amber with a thick dark cream colored head

S-artificial honey and some Belgian grains. has a slight tartness to it. some grassiness and herbal spice as well. medium strength. average.

T-comes in with a very smooth taste of bitter amber belgian grains. it has a certain caramel syrupness to it also, and even just a slight touch of rawness. its definitely a unique beer. matching faint after-taste.

M-low creamy carbonation with a dry finsh

O-really not a terrible beer. its fairly complex, yet somehow its quite boring. if any style comes to mind, its dark belgian ale. it basically just tastes like an american red ale with a certain but slight belgian kick. its okay but not necessarily worth a try. not something i'll be getting again, especially for the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 00:22:59 | More by AdamBear

oline73

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this at the November Baltimore Area BA tasting. Poured from the bottle into a tasting snifter.

Appearance: The beer pours a cloudy orangish amber color with a half finger of off white head. A layer of head stays on top of the pour.

Smell: There is a strong herbal presence here. I'm getting sweet, slightly fruity malt with some alcohol. The fruit reminds me a little bit of apricots.

Taste: Fruity and herbal notes right off the bat. I'm getting some mild alcohol. There is a malt note in the background with some fruit and oak. The finish is slightly bitter.

Mouthfeel: The body is medium with tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: I thought this had a nice blend of flavors, but the finial product was a bit strange as well. I'd have more.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 06:08:09 | More by oline73

jpro

South Carolina

3.64/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Just going to go ahead and say drinking this beer was an experience... Corked bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Murky copper; thin, white head.

S: Comments from those in the room: "Smells like a container that once held tuna salad..." "Nail polish..." "Fireworks..." definitely nothing familiar.

T: Belgian yeast spice; tart and slightly oaky; white grapes.

M: Medium-light feel; lower carbonation; kind of dry.

O: An interesting beer, for sure; a variety of tastes not normally encountered with beer! I'd like to find the story behind this one...

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:21:19 | More by jpro

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

cork and caged 750 ml bottle courtesy of the magnanimous johnqvegas. Thanks D!

dark orangey amber colored body with a rocky three fingered lemon-meringue-pie-colored head. Great retention, huge thick sheets of lacing. The color is a bit dark for my eye, but it still looks pretty nice.

Smells-- bisctuiy, brady, and a little sugar cookie-y from the malts.... The hops come through as slightly citrus and spicy. Not very bitter at all. Pretty dry finish with a touch of lingering earthy, almost oaky) character.

Feels pretty well-carbonated.... Lots of bubbles... But it works here.

Overall--- this is a self-proclaimed "experimental beer," so it is hard to put a real label to it. There was a lot of different things that went into this beer, but the end result is that it feels like all of those things weren't necessary. The final beer comes out just a bit muddled in terms of the overall profile-- like it's hard to see the trees from the woods to really experience what each aspect brings to the table.
Certainly not unpleasant.... but also not overly impressive.
This is one of those beers that is fun to try, but not one I'd want to buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 01:21:32 | More by AleWatcher

UCLABrewN84

California

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jmgrub for sharing this one at mrbubbler's "end of the world" tasting.

Best by 3/2013.

Pours a clear orange-brown with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Foamy patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, spices, wood, and a slight bourbon aroma. Taste is much the same with a woody finish and a mild spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp but medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but I think this one smells better than it tastes.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:15:28 | More by UCLABrewN84

wedge

North Carolina

3.71/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Best by: MAR-2013

Pours darker than expected, a deep auburn color with a nice, tall, airy head that deposits some fine lace on the glass. Subtle aroma...perfumy floral, apple, yeast, faint wood. Tastes of zesty citrus and Belgian yeast with some oak, leather, and a mineral note in the finish. Light malty sweetness and a raw, grassy hoppiness. Not much bourbon to be found, other than a hint of vanilla. Medium bodied and creamy. Interesting...

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 00:07:39 | More by wedge

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.74/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

a cloudy deep amber pour with 3 fingers of fluffy/frothy off-white head. smells of grassy hops, wood, bell pepper, lemongrass. a very refreshing belgian style pale ale, lots of grassy and herbal notes in the flavor, and you get a hint of the barrel aging with some wood-like notes and vanilla.

medium body with low carbonation, feels a little bit watered down.

the cork had a drink by march date on it, so i guess i just made the cut off - it had a slightly oxidized flavor, but i believe it helped the profile a bit. i'd have to get a fresher bottle to honestly tell. nonetheless, this is a pretty solid bpa in a beautiful bottle. i'd love to try more from this place.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 01:49:54 | More by facundoCNB

Bung

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tap at Duckworths. Orangy pour, thin layer if white. Laces just a tiny bit.

Aroma, citrus and a small amount of funk and yeasty esters. A little vanilla.

Taste, a good mix of yeasty spice, some herbal bitter hops and a mild malty caramel. Barrel adds some vanilla and a tinge if toasty wood.

In between light and mid somewhere. A nice level of carbonation, more than the appearance would lead. Pretty nice take on the style, with some uniqueness added.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2012 00:33:30 | More by Bung

DenverLogan

Colorado

3.81/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Corked bottle shipped from Beerjobber.com. Poured in chalice glass. Head disappeared very quickly, leaving a hazy copper orange elixir. Aroma of bourbon, grass, mango, persimmon. Significant carbonation. Flavor is unique...a mix of tropical fruit with bourbon wood flavored malts. Alcohol and hops are minimal but there's lots of flavors. Funky and fun, slight sweetness, wood, minerals, sour spices....curious yeast esters. Intriguing but not necessarily easy drinking.
Label says aged in White Oak bourbon barrels...beautiful as their native Brookie...who's Brookie? Where's the photos?!! I've got one more bottle...aging a year or two might negate some of the strangeness, but as the label says, it's an "experimental sort of ale."

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 02:55:02 | More by DenverLogan

brentk56

North Carolina

3.86/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: A nice looker, with a frothy ecru head that sits and stays upons the cloudy amber liquid beneath; nice lacing pattern, too

Smell: An herbal blend with caramel tones; subtle wood and fruity elements

Taste: The malt bill is caramel forward, with stone fruit and herbal elements kicking in by mid-palate; earthy hop flavors add bitterness and the yeast character is really out there, bringing bread and a bit of chalky/limey tartness (a touch of Brett, perhaps); the finish is a bit on the sweet side

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A lot of interesting things going on but I am not overly satisfied with the end result; the finish is a bit too sweet, given all the other things going on

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 21:35:15 | More by brentk56

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.86/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"Different, secret, native. A creation of deep-drawn well water, special barley malts, American hops and Belgian yeast. Aged in charred American White Oak bourbon barrels. A beer as original and beautiful as our native Brookie. Best by date is March 2013. Brewed at the Blue Mountain Barrel House Late 2012.

Poured from a 750ml bottle to a snifter. Served north of 50º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a thick creamy head of an eggshell white color over a medium hazy deep orange amber body with ample carbonation. Retention is very good and lacing is medium and consistent. Body color is a bit darker than usual for the style. Appearance is solid. 4.5

(Smell) Aroma consists of a bready belgian pale malt, a mild citrusy and resiny hop blend and a mild spice blend, mostly coriander. Notes of orange zest and lemon peel is also notable, slight fruity yeast notes otherwise. This finds a comfortable spot between a Belgian Pale Ale and a Belgian IPA. Potency is mild. 3.75

(Taste) A light pale malt character, subtle hop blend and cracker yeast profile constructs the meat of this beer. All flavors together make for a very light drinking beer but it's capable of more flavor and body for the style. A medium dryness and faint wood tone on the finish is indicative of barrel aging, but otherwise it doesn't impact much character into the flavor. Overall it's a touch saccharine but the hop and yeast character does a good job at balancing it out. The end result is more positive than negative, although there are some notable gripes in how it comes out. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Moderate carbonation with a wooden dry, relatively clean cracker malt finish. The body is light/medium for the style and light+ overall. Good pairing for the style. 4

(Overall) Some experiments work out very well but this one was a rather strange. The body of this beer is quite light with cracker malt and the hops and malt profile are also light to pair. The oak aging is a unique twist and does contribute a nice flavor, but a sharp dryness to the beer. Another interesting beer by the brewery. 4

Blue Mountain Barrel House's
Local Species Ale Aged in Bourbon Barrels
3.86/5.00

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 02:18:47 | More by Jadjunk

JayQue

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really liked all four Blue Mountain Brewery beers I tried at Grape and Gourmet's beer tasting. Local Species is kind of an odd Belgian Pale Ale, but a really tasty beer.

Pours a murky amber color with a big delicately bubbly white head. Head retention is very good. A much more solid head than many Belgian beers. Minimal lacing on my Chimay goblet as I would expect.

Smell is fairly mild, a little maltiness and Belgian yeast.

The primary flavor element is the bourbon barrel flavoring. There is a strong vanilla presence as well. The Belgian yeast takes a back seat to the bourbon barrel flavors. There is some sweetness and a good hint of mild hoppiness as well. Definitely an American take on this style. It is a very tasty beer though.

Mouthfeel is rich and smooth. The bourbon barrel flavor is not overdone and the complexity---sweetness, hoppiness and bourbon barrel is nice on the tongue.

THis is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 01:30:07 | More by JayQue

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A- Pours a deep amber color with a frothy off-white head. Light comes through the body, but there is definitely some haze to it.

S- The two things that come through the most are the bourbon and the Belgian yeast. Notes of vanilla, oak, peppery Belgian yeast, citrusy hop notes are present as well.

T- Way more hops come through in the flavor than I anticipated. Really tastes like a hoppy Belgian pale ale at first, with the bourbon coming through in the finish. Very interesting combination of flavors. Almost a different beer from the beginning to the finish.

M- Medium bodied, medium carbonation, easy drinking with a lingering finish.

O- I will give this beer credit for being different. The flavors sounded different, but after tasting this beer, it was even more different than I would have guessed.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 18:00:58 | More by stephenjmoore

devinmah

District of Columbia

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into Chimay chalice from a 750ml Cork & Cage labeled best by May 2013 (Just a few weeks left on this bad boy)

A: Pours a hazy copper with a tight head that dissipates and lightly laces.

S: Had to work hard to pick up anything. Lemon is there and light caramel barely present, and slightly sour

T: Not sure if my bottle has turned, but this tastes like a flemish sour, like Bell's Oarsman. Funky, pleasantly sour, slightly metallic, citrus up front. Develops on the palate to an apple-like sweetness and hints of oak and caramel.

M: Nicely carbonated, but this beer feels a bit oily.

O: Based on other BA's reviews I think my bottle has developed into something different from what was originally there. Regardless, I thought it was a definite winner, perfect for a warm spring day. I found that each sip invited the next, and I enjoyed it more as it developed on my palate. Will look for a fresh one in the future to see how different it tastes.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 03:31:51 | More by devinmah