Tap Room No. 21 Amber Ale
#91. This is another of those beers that are found at most Kroger grocers lately at a crazy expensive retail price but a much more affordable (and appropriate) sale price of under $6 for a six pack. It was this price range that coerced me into picking up a variety. The last one wasn't too great, but again I'm leaving an open mind for this one. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass at room temp. (Appearance) Yikes. There's that alarmingly fizzy head again (Just like the lager) that dissipates alarmingly quickly. It's almost like soda water in its consistency. Starts out at a 2 finger depth but is down to a thin froth like sea foam within about a minute. The color is a slightly pinkish tone amber and crystal clear. Carbonation is busy and scattered. The head was a major disappointment and overshadows the other average-at-best qualities of this beer. Ultimate sadness. 2 (Smell) Very fishy smelling to me. There's a great deal of macro presence in this beer; sweet corn, grassy malts and a faint unpleasant, unidentifiable foul tone wafting over the entire thing, like something died or went bad. It's very bizarre; not in a good way. Besides the cheap malty flavors, which render the aroma on the subtly sweet side, the potency of this beer is on a very low setting. It's about as impressive as the appearance, which means this isn't getting off on a good start. 2 (Taste) Hardly passes for much. Beginning impression is a tidal wave of super clean sweet corn malt, carrying over the entire brew. Fact of the matter is, I can hardly pick out anything else in this beer, save for possibly a slight hint of caramel, but not enough to balance out flavor. It's not repulsive but I could only imagine enjoying this if I were in a mood to enjoy cheap sweet corn lagers (and I never am). Rebranded as one, I would be hard pressed to note a difference in taste. That sweetness is borderline cloying; it's a good deal tougher to drink than I expected. One point down for originality or lack thereof. There's not much exciting about this beer. It's fairly easy to drink but that's all it's got going for it. It would likely be a winner in a crowd of underage drinkers with no enthusiasm for variety or complexity (or good beer). Not good. 2 (Mouthfeel) Slightly tart beginning which turns sweet later on. Extra carbonation is nearly dead or indiscernible in this thin, textureless beer. While the entire beer could certainly use a kick in any department, this one would be a great place to start. The beer doesn't quite hit flat in any places, the body is quite light and the alcohol is packed away quite well. The whole thing is super clean and the finish is ever-slightly dry. There's work to be done everywhere, but this is just as likely a worthy candidate for improvement as the remaining categories. 2.5 (Drinkability) I'm not very excited about opening a second of these but I've had worse. The body is very one-dimensional but at least it has some flavor presence. There needs to be improvement everywhere as it seems. The head had pitiful staying power and consistency, the aroma was weak, the flavor bland and one-sided, the mouthfeel was dull. I get a good impression as to why this brand has suddenly "popped up" out of the blue and can sell these beers for dirt cheap prices. They're simply not that good. In a party scene these might do well and the price isn't bad, but as something worth casual drinking, I'd do my looking elsewhere. Average based on it's simplicity to drink, but I wouldn't rate it any higher considering my lack of desire to ever drink it again. 3 Verdict: Believe it or not, this is worse than the last Tap Room Brew (Lager) I tried last week, but by a hair. To summarize: it is mostly cheap corn malt, sickly sweet with very little character or complexity. Practically no bitterness! I was upset by how dull and unexciting this beer really was. I will be sure to steer clear of this forevermore. For you enthusiasts out there: Drink at your own risk! D (2.15)