Over Ale - Half Acre Beer Company

sgoodship

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Not sure where this came from but my wife came home with it after shopping.

A: Dark copper color. Gave me a 3 finger fluffy, craggy head. Amazing lacing. Head retention was pretty good.

S: Nice strong musky, earthy hop bitterness and bready malt. Hint of diacetyl.

T: Bready malt. Some caramel coming through. Some nice hoppiness to balance. Has a nice hoppy finish with a dry aftertaste that makes you want to continue drinking. The finish also delivers a touch of diacetyl but not too much. It's pretty tasty and fairly well balanced.

M: Medium mouthfeel. Medium carbonation gives off very large bubbles that inhibit a bit of smoothness during the swallow.

D: It just didn't deliver like I think it could. The malt profile was a bit weak and at times it had a slight watery taste to it. The hop profile got the better of the malt. Generally though, a nice brew. I'd be happy to drink it again. You could definitely down a few of these. I'd like to try it on-tap.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2009 03:12:14 | More by sgoodship

KBomb

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Over Ale pours a deep red-brown, brilliantly clear, and generous lingering two fingers of head. This is a beautiful looking beer: color, head, and lacing is very admirable.

Nose is full of sweet brown sugar and a hint of floral and piney hops. Caramel malt dominates with just a pleasant contrast from hops.

Taste is rich with the caramel malt sweetness without being sugary. A note of fruit and citrus accents the sweetness, followed up with a quick bite of mildly bitter hops. Flavors are bold, but all very smooth and palatable.

Medium body, smooth flavor, and slightly crisp/dry mouthfeel begs for another. Over Ale is very drinkable.

I'm quite impressed with this beer. Its solid, well built, and damn tasty. Half Acre is a welcome addition to the Chicago beer scene and I plan on drinking plenty more of these! La Chaim!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2009 23:20:17 | More by KBomb

pmcadamis

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - A nice ruddy russet red-brown brew with a thick beige cap. The head shows consistent staying power.

S - Tight hops, grassy "green notes" that I'm really digging, and a very solid caramel base to my nose.

T - Yeah, that hits the spot. Hoppy, but not agressive. This one is toasty and lightly caramelized.

M - Medium bodied and firm. This one is well built and solid, but no where near foamy or full.

D - This is a session brew of the first order.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2009 04:25:35 | More by pmcadamis

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Deep brown, amber with 3 fingers creamy tan head.

S - Herbal and grainy, biscuit and bready malts, toffee and a light herbal hops.

T - Bready and biscuity, herbal tea likeness, grainy, nutty with a touch of fruity hops.

M - On the light side of medium, slightly creamy with a dry, grainy feel in the mouth.

D - A solid session beer on the maltier side of esb's.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2009 01:59:58 | More by brewcrew76

RJUGA03

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- It had a dark transparent brownish-amber hue with an attractively simlple laced head.

S- Holding an herbal and slightly floral...(hoppy) scent.

T- The draw brings a efferveccent tingling sensation to the tongue and rolls into an malty flavorful finsih.

M- Satisfying sensations are delivered to your lips, while the maltyness develops a sense of fufillment.

D- I think the beer should be in the low A level, while it's a great beer, it lacks ultimately unique qualities that many other micro's maintain. I like this beer alot and will continue to purchase it.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2009 08:11:53 | More by RJUGA03

tapman

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Body pours a medium mahogany; red/brown; copper. Head is dense at 1.5 fingers, but quickly recedes to a decent lacing. Great color!

Nice caramel aroma mixed with a british hoppiness. Malts could even be called a butter toffee smell. Hops could be some kind of American hybrid. A bit of American Kent? Probably not, but I wouldn't be surprised at a british-american hop combination for this one.

The taste is hoppier than the smell. I know a bitter is supposed to be, well, bitter, but I could have stood for less bittering hops in this one. The Aroma hops are dead on, but I could have used more of a malt balance here. To be fair, though, this one gets a lot lot LOT better as it warms...malts really come out.

Mouthfeel is great. Smooth yet not thick, a fine session mouthfeel. I don't see how this could be improved for the style.

Very good. I like this one better than the Half Acre Lager, the flagship brew. This one on tap is hoppier than the bottle version to me, same as the lager. Go figure. I love hops, believe me, but both half acre brews, for my personal taste, could be, not less hoppy, but more malty for balance. Still good, though.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 04:57:27 | More by tapman

beerfairy

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle, no ABV given on bottle or 6-Pack Carton. 6- Pack says an American Style Bitter but that is not a category on this site so I put it in the ESB section.

One thing I noticed is that when I opened the bottle, which had been in the fridge for 5 days, it came out overflowing the bottle. Not a lot, but enough to notice.

A: Nice copper color with a 1 inch thinck head. Very nice initial lacing on the glass but it doesn't last thourout the whole beer.

S: Malty, slight fruity smell. Hard to tell others, just getting over a cold so my nose isn't 100%.

T: Goes down easy, slight lingering bitterness at the end but not overpowering.

M: Coats the mouth well , slickness as it goes down and leaves that hint of bitterness.

This is definitely a drinkable beer as in by the case. Goes down easy, and real easy to pick up another one.

This is a fine brew by a new Chicago Brewery and I wish them much success.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2009 01:37:29 | More by beerfairy

Stonebreaker

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A rich amber with a thick resilient head, that stuck around and left it's lacing all over.

Smell: A little faint but pleasantly sweet and malty.

Taste and mouthfeel: It was recommended to me for it's excellent balance and did not disappoint. Sweet up front but just a bit dryer in the finish. ESB? Maybe, but not very bitter. Another decent from these guys, inoffensive but not spectacular.

Drinkability: A very sessionable brew but for the price there are plenty with stronger flavors.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2009 01:04:14 | More by Stonebreaker

goodduckbeer

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A fairly robust beer that is simple in taste--the varieties of barley overpower the hops flavor, which is nice, but makes me only want to drink one or two at a sitting. I didn't detect any fruitiness, and the smell was on par with the taste--the essence of simplicity unfettered by all the extra additions that abound in so many craft beers

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 06:14:01 | More by goodduckbeer

JDV

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle bonused in a trade from d0b. Thanks man!<BR>
Pours a nice clear amber with medium lasting beige head. Smell is kind of fruity and malty with a nuttiness too. Mild, but nice. Taste is biscuity, dusty, and fruity, with a bit of nutty flavor as well. Balanced, and what I'd expect flavorwise in the style, and very drinkable. Medium bodied and good carbonation. I thought it was pretty nice and a very drinkable sessionable beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2008 01:37:55 | More by JDV