Little Gruesome (aka PB&J) - Spring House Brewing Company

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

on tap at the spring house taproom

Inky blackness with a froth of tanned head. Retains for a minute before fading into cloudy retention and a few spots of film.

Nutty, sweet and chocolately in the nose. Peanut butter, berries and soft sweetness with a touch of warmth. Roasted dark malts and breadiness.

Chocolate and cocoa sweetness with roasted peanuts and thick malts. Berries punctuate the profile with a jammy flavor, which creates a pretty tasty interpretation of the PB&J. Not too sweet, not tart from the fruit, but fairly balanced with a thick malt backbone, caramel and toasted bread crust.

Fuller medium body, decent carbonation, sticky and creamy on the tongue. I preferred the Big Gruesome to this, but Spring House created another really fascinating, experimental beer capable of delivering its advertised profile. As far as PB&J beers go, this is better than Short's version, but not quite Funky Buddha's No Crusts.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2013 02:38:22 | More by xnicknj

brez8791

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

05-04-2013 20:55:10 | More by brez8791

mdaschaf

Washington

4/5  rDev +2%

05-01-2013 22:25:16 | More by mdaschaf

ADTaber

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

04-27-2013 01:41:10 | More by ADTaber

mendvicdog

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -17.1%

04-17-2013 14:07:36 | More by mendvicdog

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

04-17-2013 06:14:34 | More by marlinsfan4

duceswild

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

04-15-2013 13:24:08 | More by duceswild

Texasfan549

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

04-11-2013 18:09:14 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

4/5  rDev +2%

04-09-2013 22:50:11 | More by kjkinsey

Geech

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

04-06-2013 22:23:13 | More by Geech

hollywood_15063

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

04-01-2013 20:55:11 | More by hollywood_15063

Greenplastic615

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

03-28-2013 03:31:21 | More by Greenplastic615

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

"Lil' G is not intimidated by his larger counter-part, Big Gruesome. It's peanut butter jelly time!" At the time of this review, Little Gruesome isnt so little considering this new batch clocks in at 8.3% and the Big Gruesome batch is only .2% stronger at 8.5%

On tap at the Taproom, the brew appears black in color with some brown clarity shown around the edges. A tan about a finger strong rests atop and quickly fades to almost nothing except for a few bubbles that hang around the edges.

The smell is roasty with a hint of nutty aspect. Some bitter chocolate noted emerge making this very reminescent of big gruesome. While taking more sniffs, I struggle to find a difference between this and Big Gruesome. It is subtle but there is a bit of fruity element present.

The flavor is roasty with some assumed to be peanut nutty character. Some roastiness is present along with the previously mentioned faint fruity alcohol inclusion that is somewhat vinous in nature. It becomes a bit more pronounced as it warms up but its subtle neuance is perhaps why I enjoy it as much as I do.

This is a medium to lighter bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Overall it is much like their other stouts in that the body is too thin but that lack in body increases the overall drinkability. I think the flavor additions work and are not over the top. However, I dont think this is something I would get thirsty for and make the trek exclusively for. However, when available its worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2013 13:43:42 | More by stakem

Rojada1988

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2%

02-22-2013 21:58:46 | More by Rojada1988

jagada

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

02-15-2013 20:56:04 | More by jagada

weaselchew

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

04-05-2012 20:55:28 | More by weaselchew

SpillyBeers

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

03-20-2012 04:17:31 | More by SpillyBeers

TheNightwatchman

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2%

12-01-2011 22:30:47 | More by TheNightwatchman

pvequalsnrt

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +27.6%

11-19-2011 00:47:49 | More by pvequalsnrt

SamuelJackson45

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had it on-tap at Spring House Tap Room.

A- Has a nice blue reddish color with meduim head.

S- The smell is good has that berry flavor of jelly and peanut butter in it and has some earthyness from the hops.

T- Well this just went down hill. Not enough berry flavor and the peanut butter doesn't work. This is one that the aroma is way better then the taste.

M- Peanut butter and very little berry flavor didn't last long. It had that lager yeast background that just didn't work for me. Very depressing.

O- This is purely from a home brewer stand point I do not own or professionally brew for a living but I think this would of been good if this was done as a wheat ale or just a american ale.

The taste had a lager background that does not work in my book It need more a fruitty background to get a true berry jelly flavor to compliment the peanut flavor.

The idea is super and in tweaking the recipe maybe bumping more berry flavor and changing the yeast to the ones I mention this beer would be a real treat to drink.

cheers...

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2011 07:16:51 | More by SamuelJackson45

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on-tap at the Spring House Taproom in Lancaster. I mean, come on, a Peanut Butter & Jelly beer?! This is actually specifically what made us come to the pub. Poured into a 20 ounce nonic pint glass.

A: Dark copper colored body with some red hues, topped with a slightly off-white head. It settled into a bubbly retention ring around the edges with some sporadic, sticky lacing. A really nice looking beer on its own.

S: Peanuts and an overall nuttiness comes through big at first, along with some caramel malts. Slightly toasted malts, seedless grape jelly and even some strawberry preserves are also present towards the back end. It doesn't necessarily scream PB&J sandwich however all the elements are here for a beer incarnation.

T: Grainy and gritty oil-free peanut butter are up front, followed by grape jelly, raspberry and a touch of strawberry jam. A very solid toasted and roasted malt base is detectable but it's certainly not the focus of the beer. It's quite impressive how well this beer works in terms of flavor, it's pretty damn close for PB&J in a beer.

M: Even, amazing carbonation, medium-bodied and not sticky in the finish and linger. It's really a very nice mouth feel for the style.

This was certainly a different, unique and quite tasty beer to try. You don't necessarily see brewers pushing the envelope to make a PB&J beer but I'm certainly glad Spring House did. It was interesting to see this not as a stout but I think it worked very well.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2011 12:37:09 | More by ShanePB

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A growler at the IPA Day festivities at O'Reilly's.

A: The ale is the amber color of the rind on a loaf of bread. Lighter in color, the ale is still opaque. A thin head is barely worthing mentioning.

S: The ale has two strong aromas: raspberry jelly and nutty biscuit. The former is sweet and sugary; the latter is, well, nutty.

T: I wasn't expecting this beer to work as well as it does. The nutty, biscuit side is strong in the first few sips, bready and roasted. Midway through the glass, the berries come out in force, adding raspberries and blackberries to the mix. The two flavors do a remarkable job duplicating a PB&J. A sweetly dry beer that doesn't skimp on sweetness or breadiness.

M: The beer has a strong flavor profile without the normal booze accompaniment. A good li'l gruesome.

Serving type: growler

08-05-2011 01:22:14 | More by akorsak

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at the Tasting Room into a nonic pint.

A - Pours dark amber orange with a small film of white head, dissipating down to a light ring around the outside of the glass, leaving light lace down the glass.

S - Smells of dry; fresh roasted; peanuts, lots of berry tartness, biscuity malt, and only the faintest hint of chocolatey sweetness. The first time I had this one the nuts were very strong but the second time the berries where much stronger. Either way it smells like a PB&J.

T - Starts off with a nice dose of fresh roasted peanut butter slowly giving way to a mix of fresh picked berries; mostly raspberries and blackberries; grassy hop bite, and some buiscuity malt. The overall feel is pretty dry with the berries offering some nice tartness. The finish is a mix of dryness from the peanuts and a light berry twang from the berries, lingering for some time.

M - Medium body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Dry, tart, feel with plenty of nutty PB lingering through the finish.

O - Not as good as its big brother but it is still pretty good. The first time I had this one it was good but not great. The second and third time I had it there was a lot more berries in it and it was much better.

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2011 22:33:32 | More by orangesol

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Deep copper with a thick light tan head that slowly reduced to a thin cap which left nice swaths of lace.

S-Fresh roasted peanuts up front undercut with backing notes of tart berries. Subtle notes of roasted malt and toasted biscuit in the background.

T-Initial dry roasted peanut flavour that slowly gives way to a mild sweet-tartness from the triple berry combo. (rasp, black and blue IIRC) A touch of light spicy/earthy hops in the finish. This is a fairly impressive flavour combination for a first time attempt.

M-Medium body, fairly sharp with nice lingering flavours throughout. Ends with building hop bitterness.

O-Certainly not on par with the outstanding PBC stout but this is a very interesting and drinkable amber ale. I am impressed with the continued use of the peanut butter and the combination of real berries usage is a nice touch. This brew could stand a bit of tweaking to make it outstanding but a solid first time effort nonetheless!

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 10:47:33 | More by Deuane

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Spring House Taproom on 7/13/11. To my surprise, this was NOT a stout, but rather a fruit-infused ale.

A - Deep copper red liquid with amber tones around the bottom edges and a flimsy off-white cap that reduced to a thin ring of retention and virtually no lacing at all.

S - Roasted peanuts paired with a berry fruitiness greets the nostrils first, followed by a hint of sweet milk chocolate and crusty, bready malt. Think roasted peanuts with fresh raspberries and blackberries and a dash of chocolate and you can get an idea. The chocolate really opened up as the liquid approached room temperature.

T - The flavor actually has many of the same attributes as the PB Chocolate Stout, actually, although there is more of a roasted peanut flavor. Still, the chocolate character persists throughout, and is accompanied by berry sweetness and a touch of tartness in the backend. Finishes with light earthy hop bitterness.

M - Medium bodied with a neutral syrupy/watery texture and light carbonation, creating a fairly smooth mouthfeel overall. Finishes with a mild hop bite.

D - Soak some bread in this stuff! I liked this more with each passing sip. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed to see that this wasn't a stout, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I found it to be not too sweet at all. Great aroma too!

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2011 15:09:27 | More by ffejherb