Beer of the Weekend #276: Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale
Tonight is a commemorative midweek edition of BotW. Today, Zee German accepted a new job at UC Berkeley. At long last he is leaving the tortures of Orange County for the cool, sea-salted embrace of the Bay Area. So to commemorate the occasion, I am celebrating with the NorCal beer that has been chillin’ in my fridge for a week: Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale, brewed by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, California.
For whatever reason, Sierra Nevada styles Tumbler like this: “Tumbler®.” Tumbler must be a trademark of some kind, but I cannot find any information on the Sierra Nevada website.
Just to be sure, I checked to make sure Chico is in NorCal. Yep, it is. It is waaaay NorCal — NorNorCal — which I never made it to while living in the Golden State.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. There is a batch code printed on the label and shoulder, and I hope it is not a freshness date because it reads “1224108:58.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a nice dark brown with caramel tones where the light shines through. Three fingers of dense, cappuccino-like head dissipated slowly to leave a billowy lacing.
Smell: Toasted caramel, but it is very faint. The smell that really grabs my attention is the hop citrus; I cannot gauge whether or not it is grapefruit or something else. I can pick up a little coffee and chocolate, and the smoked malts mentioned on the beer’s webpage are also noticeable, but, overall, the aroma is very unassertive.
Taste: The mouthfeel is incredible. Very thick, rich, and buttery. The taste is reminiscent of the smell, but much bolder. The smoked malts create the backbone, offering a nice, smoky bitterness. It supports caramel, chocolate, a little coffee, and maybe a hint of the hop bitterness I got a whiff of in the smell.
Drinkability: The taste makes up for everything the smell lacks; it is very bold and aggressive. I am really impressed and eager to have another.
Fun facts about “Tumber®”:
-Style: BA classifies it as American Brown Ale. Here are the facts, ma’am:
-Price: $7.49/sixer at New Pioneer Food Co-op on Van Buren Street in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), nutty cheeses (Asiago, Colby, Parmesan), chocolate, and beef.
-IBU: 37. So this is like light beer in NorCal.
-Here is nerdy verbage from the beer’s webpage:
As far as I know, “verbage” is not a word. People use it anyway. Frankly, I have no clue what it even means, but it sounds wordy, obviously.
-Too bad Cal is not making tonight memorable for the Zee German. After leading Oregon 15-14 at halftime, the Ducks have opened up on the Bears.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
For whatever reason, Sierra Nevada styles Tumbler like this: “Tumbler®.” Tumbler must be a trademark of some kind, but I cannot find any information on the Sierra Nevada website.
Just to be sure, I checked to make sure Chico is in NorCal. Yep, it is. It is waaaay NorCal — NorNorCal — which I never made it to while living in the Golden State.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. There is a batch code printed on the label and shoulder, and I hope it is not a freshness date because it reads “1224108:58.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a nice dark brown with caramel tones where the light shines through. Three fingers of dense, cappuccino-like head dissipated slowly to leave a billowy lacing.
Smell: Toasted caramel, but it is very faint. The smell that really grabs my attention is the hop citrus; I cannot gauge whether or not it is grapefruit or something else. I can pick up a little coffee and chocolate, and the smoked malts mentioned on the beer’s webpage are also noticeable, but, overall, the aroma is very unassertive.
Taste: The mouthfeel is incredible. Very thick, rich, and buttery. The taste is reminiscent of the smell, but much bolder. The smoked malts create the backbone, offering a nice, smoky bitterness. It supports caramel, chocolate, a little coffee, and maybe a hint of the hop bitterness I got a whiff of in the smell.
Drinkability: The taste makes up for everything the smell lacks; it is very bold and aggressive. I am really impressed and eager to have another.
Fun facts about “Tumber®”:
-Style: BA classifies it as American Brown Ale. Here are the facts, ma’am:
Spawned from the English Brown Ale, the American version can simply use American ingredients. Many other versions may have additions of coffee or nuts. This style also encompasses "Dark Ales". The bitterness and hop flavor has a wide range and the alcohol is not limited to the average either.
-Price: $7.49/sixer at New Pioneer Food Co-op on Van Buren Street in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), nutty cheeses (Asiago, Colby, Parmesan), chocolate, and beef.
-IBU: 37. So this is like light beer in NorCal.
-Here is nerdy verbage from the beer’s webpage:
As the nights grow cool, the leaves on the valley oaks begin to turn and fall. In honor of this yearly dance, we bring you Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale and invite you to enjoy the show.
We use malt within days of roasting at the peak of its flavor to give Tumbler a gracefully smooth malt character. So pour a glass, and grab a window seat to watch as the leaves come tumbling down.
As far as I know, “verbage” is not a word. People use it anyway. Frankly, I have no clue what it even means, but it sounds wordy, obviously.
-Too bad Cal is not making tonight memorable for the Zee German. After leading Oregon 15-14 at halftime, the Ducks have opened up on the Bears.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Comments
Post a Comment