Call it nostalgia tonight, but there are two reasons that I purchased tonight's beer. Reason number one was because Bare Bottle Brewing Company out of San Francisco makes some pretty good stuff. Reason number two was because it reminded me of Mario Kart, and when I saw the name it took me right back to the worst course in the game. Yep...Rainbow Road. I always fell off that course and even if I was ahead in the tournament standings, I still lost first place after that course when I was a kid.
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| ...including me... |
Rainbow Road Shortcut is a 5.8% American Pale Ale that, according to what I see via Beer Advocate's website, is a limited release, one and done brew. Don't worry, there's good news about that below if you're interested.
If you're like me, you spent some time in your childhood playing some video games. I probably spent way too much time. Many a summer afternoon between swimming and baseball and again in the evenings, my friends and I spent a great deal of time playing Mario Kart for the SNES and the N64. We got pretty good at it, but to my knowledge, none of us knew about a Rainbow Road shortcut. I mean, now that I searched for "Rainbow Road Shortcut" online, looking for beer reviews and the such, I ran across tons of videos telling me how to take the shortcut. I really don't care anymore, but I wish I would have known about that before today.
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| ...that last part doesn't really matter in this context, but you get the gist. |
I guess my kids get their gaming hobby honestly. If they've been on a screen too long, it pains me to tell them turn it off, because I know how much fun some of those games can be, but I guess adulting can be hard at times with the responsibilities and such.
Not to worry, I make sure to test out some of their games after they're asleep in the evenings before they get to play them, you know, just to make sure they're appropriate for them to play.
In any event, tonight's beer is yet another Tavour purchase, since I'm not getting to the west coast of the US anytime soon, it's the only way I can get some beers from out there. If any of you are out there reading this and can get me a bottle of Pliny the Elder, I'll gladly pay you for it, within reason of course. That's the only beer that I've not had that is still on my wish list. It's been on the list for the past few years now and I still haven't been able to try it. Who knows, maybe the big guy will come through this year?
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| He's probably thinking, "what's a Pliny the Elder?"...just my luck |
So, about that good news I mentioned earlier. One really cool thing about this company is that every single can or bottle that I've had always has their recipe on the label somewhere. AND they scale it down to a 5 gallon batch. So if you're an all-grain homebrewer, you can replicate it yourself in your own backyard or garage. I mean the water profile and exact yeast strain may not be the same, but you can get it pretty close I'm sure. I found this odd the first time I saw it since most brewers like to keep their recipes in house for obvious reasons. Not these guys. If you want to brew it, you'll have to take it from here and copy the recipe down. If not, read on!
Poured from a 16 ounce can was a slightly hazy and golden yellow beer. There was a nice and thick, creamy white head at the top. The aroma was pretty generic tropical fruit, almost like that Del Monte fruit cocktail I used to eat all the time when I was a kid with cherries mixed in. Also, nostalgic for me in a very peculiar way.
Picture the colors of the rainbow here. There are flavors of strawberry, orange, peach, tart citrus, kiwi, and a hint of mixed berries. That pretty much covers the spectrum, doesn't it? There is just the slightest of sweet malt here with a mild bitterness that leaves fruity notes on the palate for quite a while after each sip. This thing is full of fruit flavor that isn't overpowering.
I'm definitely glad to have gotten my hands on this limited brew, and the price for it was very fair as well. I'm sure you won't, but if you ever catch something from this brewery, it's a safe bet to grab one or two. Most of what I've had are IPAs...well, maybe everything I've had now that I think of it...but the beer they produce is above par quality and flavor, without question!
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