Monday, December 4, 2017

December 4th - Starr Hill Brewery Last Leaf Maple Brown Ale


Want to know what really grinds MY gears?  Leaves.  Once fall rolls around they fall one by one, not all at the same time.  Then, after I've mulched them for what seems like the 10th time in 2 weeks, a day in November rolls around that is windy and it drops those suckers quick.

...it can't be "drop it like it's hot" because it's too windy to be hot...but I dig the gif and it's the only "drop it like..." simile I could think of

For those who know me, I live with the Susquehanna Valley Country Club in my backyard and it would seem that when we bought our house about 10 years ago, we also purchased a lease to borrow any and all of their leaves along with my neighbors leaves too.  There's this one oak tree in the backyard that never, regardless of weather, wind, or season loses all of its leaves.  I get those suckers all year long, especially in the gutters.  Then those things need cleaned out otherwise there's a whole other set of problems to deal with.



I'm at the point this year anyway where I quit mulching them.  They're still there.  My neighbor did mow his yard and a small chunk of mine this afternoon.  Good enough for me.  I'll let the snow punish them into submission later this season.



End rant.

Tonight, from Starr Hill Brewing, I grabbed their Last Leaf Maple Brown Ale last weekend at W & S in the singles section.  Brown ale beers aren't really my go to, but if I see something I've not had before, I'll definitely give it a try.  There are such a range of flavors that could be in each individual brown ale that you never know truly what to expect.

Screenshot from Beer Judge Certification Program website for Brown Ale judging
Screenshot from Starr Hill website
I've grabbed some stuff from Starr Hill before and it's pretty much hit or miss for me.  I did a review of their Doppelbock 2 years ago though and was pleasantly surprised.  Honestly, when I saw the description above that included maple syrup and vanilla notes, I did get excited!

The pour was a pretty impressive transparent light mahogany color with a tiny, thin bead of tan head at the top.  At first, the aroma of this beer was primarily sweet caramel, brown sugar with a slight raisin/plum note.  As the brew warmed up slightly, the raisin and brown sugar notes kept coming.  This beer was very smooth to drink with a slight bitterness.  Toffee and sweet caramel, along with some toasty malts round out the flavor.  There is some slight vanilla at the end of each sip along with what feels like a thin coating of sweet maple syrup that lingers on the tongue.  With the medium/light body of this brew, it was surprising to have that lingering feeling that gave me just the slightest warming in the throat.



This ends up being a pretty solid beer, not quite a 4, but pretty close.  Flavorful, sweet, and perfect on a cooler fall (or winter, if it lasts you that long)  evening, like tonight.  This is one leaf that I'm OK with dropping all year long.  Too bad it's only a seasonal brown ale.  I'd definitely give this one a go!

Let's call it a 3.75 - the left leaf is slightly smaller, right?



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