Type O Blood Orange Ale - Elysian Brewing Company

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's last night.

The beer pours a peach orange color with pretty good head retention and decent lacing. Don't get a lot on the nose, just a whiff of orange and light cherry. Given the aroma profile, I really was expecting much on the palate, but damn if this beer didn't surprise me. The beer is very much on the dry side, but with an impressively bitter orange citrus, cherry and light honey flavor. The beer comes across as very well balanced, finishing with an impressive wash of bitterness. Drinkability is exceptional, and I was impressed by the how crisp and clean this beer was on the palate.

Really figured this for just another gimmicky beer from Elysian, but this one really surprised me. The brewer did not get carried away with the blood orange flavor (it's there, but is quite subtle), and it has an impressive amount of bitterness. Don't recall the abv., but my recollection from the beer menu is that it is/was pretty low. I originally ordered a sample glass, but enjoyed it so much, I ordered a full glass. This is a very nice beer...

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2011 12:59:18 | More by johnmichaelsen