Rise To The Top - Third Street Brewhouse

GoldHorde

Minnesota

2.9/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

AROMA: Bread dough, grassy
APPEARANCE: Hazy Pale Yellow Wheat Color

I first became acquainted with the style of cream ales LONG BEFORE I was an experienced beer snob. SCENE: 1979 beach bum w/ bent antenna static box blaring pop AM and a cooler filled with iced ponies of BLATZ LIGHT CREAM ALE. Beach bum? ...me. Now THAT was a tasty beer...course I didn't care much for the domestic American swill passed off as "beer" back in those days...so this beer was like an enlightening premium craft at the time - it beat out Little Kings by a long shot. Unfortunately, it is long gone now. The Cream Ale Style is suppose to be a category that I would basically describe as...lagered ales. Top fermented ales that are cold conditioned/stored. I think it is a category any home/craft brewer could have a fun and creative craft with. That said, "Rise to the Top" by the Third Street Brewhouse should be a basis for a continuation of exploring this style; but not an end result. I only have Blatz Light Cream Ale and Little King's for comparison - and they are very distant memories - and Blatz is STILL winning the memory! Course, I'm not a wheat beer fan either - so I'd give this a try if you are looking for something different. And ANYONE having a copycat recipe for Blatz Light Cream Ale - pop it to me, will ya!

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 04:01:56 | More by GoldHorde

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear neon yellow/gold hue with a thin off-white bubbly head. Seems to lace alright.

Aroma: A little bit of grassy hops with some pilsen malt as well as a hint of corn.

Taste: Pretty smooth flavor profile of everything you expect from a Cream Ale. Some nice toasty malts and just a bit of bitterness with a crisp finish. Really can't taste much in terms of adjuncts, not sure if they add them or not. Definitely a session beer at 4.1% ABV with just enough flavor to keep things interesting on a hot summer night.

Mouthfeel: Just below medium bodied with decently smooth effervescence. Easy drinkability, which is the whole point.

Final Thoughts: Pleased with this one. Took a chance with purchasing such a 'light' beer but it was worth it. A good example of the style. I will be checking out 3rd Street's other offerings. Would I drink it again? Sure, probably in the summer though as it is currently below freezing outside.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 01:29:58 | More by JamesMN

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle with no date

Pale yellow look, slightly cloudy, smal white head that fades immediately. Smell is grain, barley, sweet corn, gives the impression of lemon. Crisp light feel, corn, wheat, creamy malt, medicinal hops. Yeasty, dry finish, maybe a hint of the lemon in the nose.

It's light and pleasant, as a cream ale should be. Rating for the style, its good, but not much better than the cheaper genesee(sp?) cream ale. Probably tastes a bit better tho.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 07:48:40 | More by jimmah120

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Wet Yellow Color with a slight haze. Tons of carbonation going on here with a soapy 2 finger head which disappears after a couple of minutes. Spotty lacing on the sides as well.

Smell - Corn, Yeasts, Malts, and Barley. It's like New Glarus Spotted Cow, but with a slightly skunkier scent.

Taste - Corn, Yeasts, Barley and Malts. Thankfully the skunkiness that was in the smell is not present here. It's not quite as malty or sweet as Spotted Cow but it comes pretty damn close in terms of flavor.

Mouthfeel - Light and very smooth with some mild carbonation. It does feel creamy and crisp on the palate; This is very easy to drink.

Overall - Until New Glarus decides to bring Spotted Cow to Minnesota (unlikely), this is probably the best thing we're going to get. It's got a couple of minor kinks, but it's easy to recommend this beer due to it's drinkability and simple flavor. SInce this is my first beer from Third Street Brewhouse, I'm looking forward to trying out more of their brews which the have to offer.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 03:46:13 | More by NuclearDolphin

kristenrae8

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

So I had some Spotted Cow this weekend and wanted to try another Cream Ale. This one did not disappoint.

It's very drinkable.

A: hazy goldenrod

S: bread/ dough aroma

T: doughy with a hint of tang perhaps apple

M: Moderate carbonation - extra fizzy in the first samplings, melowed afterward.

O: I'll buy this again, it's good and I love finding a good Minnesota beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 01:11:06 | More by kristenrae8

ZAP

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Glowing yellow...white creamy head and lacing on glass.

S-Real grainy and bready...doughy perhaps...

T-Nice malt profile....grainy and bready again....now a hint of lemony hops...

M-Light side of medium....low abv of 4.1% but does not seem thin at all...good drinker..

O-Nothing overly complex but for a cream ale this is well done. Much, much better than Spotted Cow if you want to draw comparisons. Thought this was a little better on draft but still a decent beer out of the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 05:22:17 | More by ZAP

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a slightly hazy golden. Head is a big fluffy white. Good retention and just a bit of lacing.
S- Sweetness, a bit of grain, a faint lemony fruityness.
T- Not as sweet as the nose made me think. Just a faint hint of lemon up front. Doughy, grainy, some cracker in the finish.
M- Medium body. Carbonation is sharp at first but mellows in the mouth.
O- It's a pretty good beer. I'm not usually a fan of cream ales, but this one was pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 04:10:40 | More by jsprain1

gatornation

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 0z bottle

A pours a hazy straw yellow color with a small white head ans a staying fresh cap

S-light malts hops and wheat

T very good with nice floral hops with sweet cream malts, wheat and noble hops

M- was buttery smooth with medium carbonation silky mouthfeel

O- super cream ale that a nice smooth taste highly session able good stuff

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 21:32:17 | More by gatornation

Arithmeticus

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had chilled at the Fisher's Club in Avon, Minnesota (great place for food!)

A: dark yellow, little head (creamy), no lacing, missing some spunk
S: malty, lemony, yeasty
T: buttery like a farmhouse ale; bitter at the tail end of the sip; hops are not prominent
M: a bit dead

Overall, not bad, esp. for a summer ale

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2012 20:54:30 | More by Arithmeticus

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Yup, tastes like a well-made cream ale. Which is odd, because I wonder how many people go out in search of cream ales. Any ways, it's crisp and light, with a mellow bready, almost yeasty malt character that's somewhere in the neighborhood of dough and fresh-baked break. There's a macro-like touch, as is appropriate, with the sweet, dry finish. This is a fine example of the style, and a likely summer crowd-pleaser.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 23:39:23 | More by tempest

MattyG85

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass.

Appearance: Pours a bright and somewhat hazy pale golden orange with lots of rising bubbles. Huge six finger creamy white head with good retention. Leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

Smell: Sweet wheat, grains, and pale malts. Subtle hints of bready biscuit and crackers. A little hay and cereal. Very light hint of earthy hop spices. Aroma is very laid back overall with wheat being the primary smell.

Taste: Similar to the smell. A sweet and laid back taste of wheat, malts, and grains. Some notes of biscuit, cracker, and cereal along with a little hay. Some subtle notes of citrus lemon and a little hint of earthy hops. Taste is noticeably stronger than the smell, but still pretty laid back.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Very creamy as expected. Very crisp and easy drinking.

Overall: A pretty decent brew for the style. Very subtle flavors but whats there is nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 06:11:32 | More by MattyG85

Mdog

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Hazy yellow, nice carbonation bubbles rising through the beer, ok head.

Smell: Light corny sweetness.

Taste: Starts out similar to the smell, corn sweetness. Later, it tastes a little more wheaty. Somewhat dry finish.

Another light style to try in this hot summer. I get corn in both the smell and taste, but the label and website both don't mention any corn. It's a nice easy drinker and hits the spot on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 15:39:19 | More by Mdog

bsp77

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Straw color with very thin white head.

Smell: Sweet grains, wheaty, with some light apple and hay.

Taste: Pretty grainy, with an emphasis on wheat and a titch of apple. Light spicy and floral noble hop finish.

Feel: Moderately high carbonation, light but smooth body. Crisp finish that is lightly dry.

Overall: Well, it is better than Spotted Cow, which is the most massively overhyped beer I can think of among the more mainstream beer drinkers. Easy drinking and I guess it is a strong example of the style, but not my thing.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 22:02:20 | More by bsp77

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a cloudy pale orange color. The head is one inch of bright white foam that recedes quickly into a small cap of lacing. The aroma is bread, and tangy wheat. It is on the lighter side, but fits that style nicely. The taste is similar to the aroma, but considerably stronger. The aftertaste is full of nice round malty flavors that really make the thought of taking another sip sound appealing. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium bodied with lively carbonation, and a velvety texture. Overall, this is a really nice cream ale that I can see myself drinking again.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 23:54:29 | More by KarlHungus

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy light yellow with firm white head that lasts through the whole drink
Soft grainy aroma that's pleasant.
Nice little grain crunch to the taste and the hopping is subtle, but clearly adds a nice flavor and very nicely balancing with a soft bittering. There is also a pleasing spicy flavor that rounds out a aptly "complex" cream ale.
Not really that thin for style, but light enough for easy drinking on a hot day.
I'm pretty impressed. If one is looking for big and complex this isn't it, but for a mild beer this offers very satisfying flavors.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 21:26:40 | More by garymuchow

morimech

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a solid two finger head that had good retention before settling to a thin cap. Moderate amount of lacing is left down the glass.

Aroma is grainy from the pale malt and wheat. Pick up some mild pepper notes from the hops. Not the most exciting aroma.

This is one clean tasting ale. Dry malt that is bready with some wheat hints. Mildly hopped with subtle hints of spice. Somewhat dry quality. Comparisons with Spotted Cow will undoubtible be made.

Light body with nice carbonation that fits nicely for a sessionable ale.

Not the most exciting style but on a hot day, these go down so nicely. Maybe this will be Minnesota's Spotted Cow as it is on par with Wisconsin's favorite.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 21:04:50 | More by morimech