Slumbrew My Better Half - Somerville Brewing Company (Slumbrew)

braican

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

06-04-2013 22:41:25 | More by braican

JamesStreet

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-28-2013 17:27:49 | More by JamesStreet

clayrock81

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

I am not a huge fan of this style, I will point out at first, but please don't think that fact figured into my scoring as I found this to be a pleasing but not too great beer.
The look and smell are pretty good - seethrough orangeish body with two-finger head that dies quick with lace patches on glass and a mix of some bitter, grainy hops and malts along with a sugary, caramel edge. The taste and mouthfeel of the beer just didn't come through as well for me though(who knows - bad tap line? old keg?) . There is a creaminess and smoothness to the beer, goes down easy but not watery, mind you, and there is some sweet caramel malt but it's either not enough or there are just too much hops because overall I found this beer to be grainy, sharp and a little bitter with a very dry finish. Maybe the ABV bled in a little or my beer had a touch of metallic taste but overall I'd say the sweetness was overpowered for a good but not great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2013 12:27:58 | More by clayrock81

mattparsons

New Hampshire

4.75/5  rDev +20.6%

05-04-2013 21:59:15 | More by mattparsons

Rekrule

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -30.2%

04-28-2013 22:56:42 | More by Rekrule

Texasfan549

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

04-28-2013 05:30:23 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-28-2013 04:25:39 | More by kjkinsey

JMS1512

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-17-2013 18:32:36 | More by JMS1512

Damian

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Drank on-tap at Picco Restaurant, Boston, MA
Served in a pint glass

Slightly hazed, copper-amber appearance. The liquid was capped by a small, khaki colored head that deposited a thin sheet of patchy lacework along the glass.

The nose was sweet and fruity initially. Berry notes were apparent. Touch of caramel and biscuity malt sweetness. Surprisingly, as the beer warmed, the nose faded and all that was left was a dull maltiness.

Lots of interesting things happening in the flavor profile. Like the nose, it was sweet and fruity. Strong peach notes. Hints of orange zest. There was a robust caramel malt presence. Some discernible berry-like flavors. I thought I picked up strawberry notes. Moderately hoppy finish. The hops were crisp, piney and earthy. Overall, quite flavorful and remarkably well balanced. At 7.2% ABV, this drank remarkably well.

The mouthfeel was incredibly plush and smooth on the palate. Full bodied for the style.

Calling this beer a cream ale (or even an imperial cream ale) is a bit misleading, as it bares absolutely no resemblance to other versions of the style that I have sampled. Regardless, My Better Half really impressed me. If you appreciate unique beers that push boundaries, then definitely give this a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2013 03:52:07 | More by Damian

tlang803

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -23.9%

04-07-2013 03:05:35 | More by tlang803

markgoodman10

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

03-26-2013 03:32:34 | More by markgoodman10

acevenom

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a glass mug. The beer pours a clear medium shade of copper with a thick, white head. There are visible tiny bubbles rising in the beer. Some lacing is left behind as the head recedes. The beer smells of grain, caramel, and grassy and woody hop notes. The flavor is pretty sweet. I get the caramel and honey flavors up front. The grain and grassy and woody hops are also there. The back end bitterness is there and lingers in the back of the mouth. The body is medium with moderate carbonation. The beer is slick in the mouth and goes down easily. This is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 01:43:20 | More by acevenom

bluerabbit

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

03-10-2013 00:34:59 | More by bluerabbit

noremac423

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

02-26-2013 01:56:08 | More by noremac423

DerekMorgan

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

02-19-2013 23:10:20 | More by DerekMorgan

Jason

Massachusetts

3.54/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

22oz brown bomber with no freshness date.

Crystal clear copper color, bubbly head on top. Yeast, ripe pears, spicy hop, orange pith and animal feed grain in the nose. Very smooth, creamy with a medium body. Biscuity throughout, bread crust and crackers. Lots of hop flavor; herbal, leafy, spicy, mild tobacco & orange peel. Hint of caramel and ripe fruit in the middle, finishes near astringent. A battle more than balance here, hops and malt don't seem to fully mesh together for me and while it is not a chore to drink it certainly is not a bomber I'd get on my own. I've had batches that were sweeter and a bit more palatable.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:49:30 | More by Jason

Dope

Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

No bottle date that I can see, but this was just released a week ago or so.

A: Pours a beautiful clear ruby red. Good sized and frothy light tan head. Head fades away at a moderate pace with decent retention. Small splotches of lacing left behind. I really liked the color of this one for some reason, especially when held up to the light.

S: Mild and malty aroma. Sweet grains and lots of em. Kinda reminds me of sweet corn in a way if I'm honest. Maybe a little honey? Pretty simple but pleasant.

T: More creamy sweet grains with a big toasted bread component towards the middle. Surprisingly hoppy on the back end with some grass and maybe floral hops mixing in? Resinous too - quite drying to boot. It starts off like a cream ale but finishes more like a pilsner in my opinion. Actually now that I think of it, it's almost like a hoppy marzen in a way.

M: Medium bodied, pretty standard.

O: It's not bad, quite simple and definitely seems to defy the style. Being an "imperial" cream ale it makes sense, doesn't taste like any other cream ale I've ever had. It's definitely got much stronger malt and hops than any cream ale I've tried, which is good and bad I suppose. Stronger, sharper flavors but loses the lightness, smoothness and the plain drinkable simplicity of a cream ale. I had a hard time scoring this one and waffled quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 03:14:34 | More by Dope

ChrisL24481

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-17-2013 00:44:43 | More by ChrisL24481

Mikecap

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-15-2013 18:37:52 | More by Mikecap

dubdrop

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-03-2013 02:11:17 | More by dubdrop

Colosdog

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

02-02-2013 21:30:30 | More by Colosdog

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip glass)
bottle 2-12
A- This beer pours a deep caramel body with a light beige head that last as a thick creamy and a sea of microbubbles support it.

S- The caramel malt is crisp and fresh with a hone malt aroma supporting it

T- The pale malt flavor has some nice caramel malt flavors to it and a touch of sweetness in the finish. There is an alcohol bite with a hop note in the finish while the hops linger a bit after the finish.

M- The light mouthfeel has a gentle fizz and an alcohol heat

O- this beer has a nice full fresh clean malt profile with a big alcohol heat and hop bite punch in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 15:03:20 | More by rhoadsrage

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

01-10-2013 09:54:59 | More by Kelp

Auror

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

01-09-2013 09:39:12 | More by Auror

WhitmansNiece

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

12-09-2012 22:59:29 | More by WhitmansNiece