About RJ Rockers First Snow: This hearty American pale ale contains a rich blend of spices that warms the soul on a cold winter's night. Chill the mug, stoke the fire, and savor this quality seasonal brew. Available only during the Winter season.
Beer Advocate Score: 82 points
Alcohol by Volume: 6.0%
Case Cost: $39
*website: http://www.rjrockers.com/#!clients/c1tsl
I loved the name and the picture on the label so I as soon as I was done today I cracked it open. I must pause here and tell you that I was surprised so little was mentioned in the description and thought that was odd? Does it mean the beer is not complex and just so so? Now back to the taste; is not complex and is just so so. I guess they spent as much time on their description as they did with making the beer. Not as good as last night but still a great name and label. Not the way I wanted to start off my weekend. May crack tomorrow nights open!
ReplyDeleteRating 6.2
I honestly described this beer as hearty after I finished half of this beer before reading the description above. It had a little bit of a bite to it and a solid head when I poured it into the glass. Overall its a solid beer but compared to last nights, it falls a little short. B
ReplyDeleteI woke up just now in a cold sweat after realizing I didn't drink the beer for today. I rushed to the fridge, cracked it open and immediately my nose gets assaulted by cinnamon. Whoa! The taste was a lot sweeter than last nights and reminded me of randomn spices, someone with a more refined palate could pick out which ones, and Orange peel. This one was more distinct than last nights but like Bob says falls a little short. Probably won't get this again but I'll keep an eye out for other offerings from this brewery. B-
ReplyDeleteCatching up a bit cuz I accidentally fell into a bottle of mediocre whiskey. We kept drinkin till the bottle was gone...OUCH. Still not feeling good after that all night bender. Hopefully a few beers will be just what I need to shake this hangover.
ReplyDeleteThis beer...I get tons of the belgian spices plus winter spices. All in all I think it is a little bit much...
Will make sure I don't drink this one again
Got to tell you my expectations couldn't have been much lower knowing that this beer was from the same people that gave us James and the Son of a Giant Peach. Still haven't recovered from that. This was better than expected. Reminded me a bit of the Mad Elf without the kick to it. Smelled like cherries and other spices but definitely had the heavy, syrupy, honey taste. Not terrible but not really a fan.
ReplyDeleteWith a write-up like that, it was bound to be "Meh."
ReplyDeleteI'm catching up tonight with a 2-fer after getting side-tracked last night when my wife ran out for a short errand without pumping any milk for the 2 month old and then got delayed leaving me with a crying baby.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm getting to this beer tonight and I like it. Easy on the palette. Not very complex, but a nice warm up beer for the night.
I actually enjoyed this one. Not too overpowering with the honey and spices, which made me want another. If buy it again. Like someone lauded to above, kind of the poor man's Mad Elf. I definitely liked thcarbonation on this one too. It lingered until the very bottom of my glass
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty tasty beer. I like it. It's amazing that these are the same people that make that peach beer we tried a couple of summers ago. Nice smell, nice taste, nice after taste. Very good beer. 8 out of 10, B-
ReplyDeleteNow we're talking. Great taste and the honey flavor is not overpowering but gives it just enough sweetness. Great pic.
ReplyDeletePlaying catch up again. I guess I can't complain about this beer too much because I just looked down and most if it is gone. :-) I'm typically not a big fan of ginger, but this one has a nice, smooth after taste. It also has an initial bit of tartness to it that is really interesting. Good head on it and nice lacing. I would drink another one if it was offered to me, but I would not likely go looking for it at the store.
ReplyDeleteI'm playing catchup too. Obviously christmas shopping is getting in the way of our beer drinking. I thought this one smelled like christmas cake, tasted sweet and ok, and had an after-taste of laughing gas. Didn't mind it though.
ReplyDelete1) WTF is laughing gas? 2) How does a gas have an after-taste? 3) Can you get me some? It sounds awesome!
DeleteDrank this tonight (in an attempt to play catch up) after the hibernation Ale. No contest. This has a good smell... for mead. The honey and spices, the overfull and cloying mouthfeel... yech. Justin wanted to give his away but found no takers.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned, I'm not the biggest fan of spices in beer. I will say that this is a refreshing spiced beer, but I will also say that refreshing spiced beers just don't make sense to me. It was also sour, which is another taste that I find out of place in beer. I'll stick with the Natty Greene's for my one spiced winter beer of the year.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the light spice taste in this one
ReplyDelete