Boatilla - Big Bay Brewing Co.

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a Big Bay stange.
4.8% ABV,

A - Beautiful clarity shows off the trickle of carbonation rising through the rusted orange skin beer. The head starts as a dense pile but drops to a skim while leaving plenty of wispy lace adorning the glass.

S - From the beautiful-looking Boatilla comes a nice amber nose that's all too belittled by the aroma of buttered popcorn. Sticky burnt caramel lingers behind the off-aroma with tempting notes of toast and a nudge towards herbal hops.

T - Hops trail off in the nose but make a big push in flavor, covering up most of that buttered popcorn scent with earthy floral and herbal qualities. Malt drops back, offering a touch on caramel sweetness but leans much more towards dry toast.

M - Medium-light bodied Boatilla is fairly carbonated, more so than the rather quiet appearance might suggest but, it's got a slick feel across the palette with a finish that falls away to nothing as dry hop bitterness drops out quickly.

O - Boatilla is comfortable drifting in a sea of ambers lazily, seeming not to care which direction it heads. The nose might strike you like walking into a movie theater but the flavor takes a different path away from malt and towards subdued earthy hop tones. Boatilla is an approachable beer for the masses, I'll give it that.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 00:11:49 | More by BeerFMAndy

thaghost

Illinois

3/5  rDev -4.5%

05-18-2013 02:21:59 | More by thaghost

yankinwis

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%

04-29-2013 00:33:13 | More by yankinwis

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.54/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.25

Bottle my parents brought me from Minnesota I think. From notes.

A - Two finger fluffy beige head on a hazy dark gold body. Yeasty bits, strong carbonation, decent lace and film retention.

S - Metallic, fruity hop, caramel.

T - An odd, unplesant flavour characteristic is the most clear element. Rotten fruits? Dusty and unpleasant. Hop s do a poor job of integrating with the caramel elements.

M - Strong caronation, medium body, sweet off finish.

O/D - Not overly plesant. Wouldn't recommend it. Needs some work.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 15:15:29 | More by tbeckett

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Working my way through part 2 of 3 of this new-to-the-area brewery. It pours a clear sunrise amber topped by a half-finger of glowing off-white foam. The nose comprises straight barley and dry toffee. The taste brings in more of the same, along with a twinge of carrot and a vague intimation of funky orange peel that increases in intensity as time passes; then, when in full force, it battles with the toffee, which is now sweeter than before. The aftermath doesn't sit well with me. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a generally fluid feel. Overall, this is a pretty sad amber, one that tries to offer itself up as a mild, easy-going brew, but one that ends up being a sorta/kinda off-seeming concoction.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 21:29:38 | More by TMoney2591

Wiscivore

3.75/5  rDev +19.4%

11-04-2012 01:17:26 | More by Wiscivore

MN_Beerticker

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +11.5%

10-29-2012 02:38:19 | More by MN_Beerticker

CWhite

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +11.5%

08-18-2012 01:23:25 | More by CWhite

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

After tasting Big Bay recently, I let this one sit in the fridge for a while--not looking forward to it.

In the glass, it's pleasant enough--hazy orange ale that glows yellow with the afternoon sun. Dirty white head piles high on the pour. Nose is light with some nice hop spice if you look for it. Mostly a sweet bready malt with a mineral note. Sweet though light mouthfeel has caramel and toffee notes with a light hop twang. Again, the mineral taste.

Not bad, but not a beer that I will buy again unless it's the best option in the bar.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 20:28:22 | More by FightingEntropy

rocklibster

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +11.5%

06-30-2012 00:03:22 | More by rocklibster

drop6301

Oregon

2.5/5  rDev -20.4%

06-23-2012 02:25:52 | More by drop6301

Kunstman

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -4.5%

05-29-2012 00:13:01 | More by Kunstman

MarkyMOD

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev +3.5%

05-22-2012 03:12:30 | More by MarkyMOD

TylerDYoung

2.75/5  rDev -12.4%

03-31-2012 13:45:50 | More by TylerDYoung

Profane

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -4.5%

03-19-2012 02:16:33 | More by Profane

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

2.2/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A- A healthy shade of mahogany brown. This beer is very clear despite it's color. If it were any shade lighter it would be much more translucent. A thin flesh colored head forms upon pouring and then dissipates down into a thin layer that rests on the top of the beer.

S- There is a very funky almost skunky smell to this beer.
Slightly malty and sweet. When I first poured it into the glass it had a very hoppy scent to it that came off as smelling very skunky and sour rather then citrusy and bitter like many other hop aromas. Has a somewhat faint scent overall.

T- Starts off with a slight sweetness that tastes a bit like sweet crackers with faint notes of vanilla. It then moves into a mustier smelling taste that I would almost describe as being dusty. There is also a slight woodiness to it that tastes slgihtly like oak. The ending is rather bitter and sour with a light metallic taste to it. There is a very earthy hop flavor to the bitterness.

M- Medium carbonation with a slightly medium feel to the body.

O- The initial smell along with the faintly sour/bitter aftertaste is beginning to make me wonder if this particular beer I picked up may be past it's prime. It would really help if the guys over at Big Bay brewing put some sort of "best by date" or something on there labels but unfortunately from what I can see, they don't, and so I have no way of knowing if this beer is too old or not,. It had a very dirty overall feel to it. At first I really did not care for it at all but I'm beginning to slightly enjoy it after sipping it for a little while. The initial aroma coming from the beer when I had first uncapped it was very similar to the scent of a the traditional mass produced American light and adjunct lagers and so it was slightly off-putting. There was really nothing about this beer that wowed me, it is just very average. I don't care for the really low ABV either. slightly disappointed with this one which i feel is odd because I normally love a good amber. I definitely would not buy this beer again but I would be willing to try it again if I ever got the chance to do so (for free of course) because I would like to know if this particular bottle had went sour or not.

Note: I don't actually think that this beer was most definitely old or not. If I did I would have not posted the review.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 00:27:30 | More by Zachtheporter

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- More red than amber. Very clear. Head is poor and does not retain well.
S- Rather plain on the nose. Slightly toasted bread and a bit of tea-like character. Faintly sweet.
T- There is a slight underpinning of caramel with toasted bread, a bit of graham cracker, and some tealike hoppiness.
M- Light body and generally thin. The finish lasts decently but it is just too thin in the mouth.
O- This one is a pass for me. It has ok flavors, but it's too light in body and not very memorable. Probably a pass in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 01:29:27 | More by jsprain1

KarlHungus

Minnesota

2.5/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer pours a light amber, almost pink color. The head is a quarter inch in height, and recedes quickly into minimal lacing. The aroma is of caramel, but is very faint. What is there is pretty generic and boring. The taste is similar to the aroma...caramel malt with nothing remotely resembling complexity. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium bodied with a somewhat watery texture, and annoyingly high carbonation. Overall, this is a bad beer I will not drink again.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 00:16:06 | More by KarlHungus

mattafett

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev +11.5%

02-03-2012 02:46:19 | More by mattafett

gatornation

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

from 12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A- pours a clear color copper with a fast receding tan head very little lacing

S-malts baked bread

T- was sweet malts with with some citrus hops a grassy herbal taste

M- medium carbonation with a sweet malty finish

O- not bad a little thin on hops, will try another low abv makes it session able

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 21:16:51 | More by gatornation

seeswo

Ohio

2.6/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Grew up very close to here, so I'm rooting for this. Pours a clear copper with a rapidly fading whitsh head. Looks good. Faint caramel malts with just a touch of yeastiness. Not bad, but maybe average. Taste is faint caramel malt, soda water, veggies? Not this beer's strong suit. I cannot shake the very prominant flavor of soda water which ruins the flavor. Mouthfeel is light and crisp. Overall, not a fantastic showing, but I'll check them out down the road.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 00:03:33 | More by seeswo

TGINaturday

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +36.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It's not a very exciting beer from when you take your first sip. Mild, little aftertaste, and not a lot of foam or smell. However, maybe this is why I like it so much. There's nothing bad about this beer....it's simple, non offending, and easy to drink. Something I could see buying a 6 pack of and just enjoying an evening with. I don't buy beer for it's complexity, I buy it to enjoy it, and this fit the bill perfectly. It's slightly bitter, has a moderate amount of carbonation, and a mildly sweet taste.

It's just a nice, enjoyable beer that I will probably buy again....soon.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 01:50:56 | More by TGINaturday

MrPhield

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +32.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- great clear color!! i wish all beers were this nice to look at, head when poured in to pint from bottle starts with a nice 3 finger head, but because my dish washer doesnt "beer clean" head is reduced to little, with a little lacing at bottom of glass, not but for my glasses.

S- typical amber, not much to it, some roasted notes.

T- good malt flavor, enough hops to balance out body. finishes clean

M- a little tinner than some ambers, still enough body.

overall this is a great beer if you are in the mood for a sesion, drinkable, great flavor for how clean it finishes, one of the best non-nitro poured beers to watch being poured.
...i want another one.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 18:37:01 | More by MrPhield

dirtylou

Washington

3.13/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz single, Steve's - University

appearance: served in a 42nd street oyster bar shaker pint...looks the part - pale amber body, light white froth

smell: apple, grain, light hop accent, toasted malts

taste: not overly developed - hints of hops, dull red apple, toasted grains and malt, light bitterness. A little bland.

mouthfeel: light, out of place bitter dry finish

drinkability: ok

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 00:06:41 | More by dirtylou

crossovert

Wisconsin

2.8/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle.

It pours a apple cider amber with a foamy white head.

It doesn't have much of a smell, but what it is is standard amber ale scents.

The taste is a bit more pleasing. The malt however is too buttery for me It has a little bit of a hop accent but not too much.

It is a boring beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 22:59:15 | More by crossovert