Beer of the Weekend #304: Bad Elf
Remember back in the day (last Friday) when I wrote about sampling as many holiday seasonal beers before New Year’s as I could? No? Well, I did. With my LV recommendation out of the way it is time to start chipping away at the unbelievable array of holiday beers available at John’s. (Thinking about it now, I should have done a “12 Beers of Christmas,” but it is too late now. How about the “17 Beers of New Year’s”?)
The beer tonight is Bad Elf, brewed by Ridgeway Brewing of South Stoke, England.
Ridgeway will be featured a lot in the coming weeks. You will see what I mean.
Also, tonight I decided to use my half-liter Hobgoblin glass just because I could. Frankly, I do not think I use it enough; I bust it out maybe once every year. It fits the serving size and is British. Boom. Perfect beerware.
Serving type: 500 ml bottle A batch code is printed on the label but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a half-liter Hobgoblin glass. The color is a clean and slightly hazy honey that is a touch on the light side. Three fingers of dense, billowy white head dissipated fairly quickly to leave trails along the glass, a rocky lacing, and eventually a ring around the edge.
Smell: This is truly an English IPA as the aroma is dominated by floral, earthy hops. However, it definitely has a citrusy aroma to it, along with pale malts, caramel, toffee, honey, buttery biscuit, and apple cider.
Taste: The mouthfeel is coarse and grassy and the flavor follows suit. Lots of floral and earthy hops, which the labels warns about. The hops are not overpowering, but they provide a consistent presence throughout each sip that keeps the cheeks and tongue tingling. Along with the grassy/earthy element are flavors of lemon citrus, caramel, pale malts, toffee, and honey.
Drinkability: If this elf was bad (and the dude on the label looks pretty sinister), then he cannot be too far from good. It is pretty decent stuff, though.
Fun facts about Bad Elf:
-Style: BA classifies it as English India Pale Ale, while the US importer calls it “IPA/Hoppy Beer, Winter/Holiday Beer.”
-Price: $5.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried and Indian cuisine, nutty cheeses (Asiago, Colby Parmesan), sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), and shellfish.
-Here is some nerdiness from the importer’s website:
-Nerdiness on the label:
Signed, “Peter Scholey, Brewer”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
The beer tonight is Bad Elf, brewed by Ridgeway Brewing of South Stoke, England.
Ridgeway will be featured a lot in the coming weeks. You will see what I mean.
Also, tonight I decided to use my half-liter Hobgoblin glass just because I could. Frankly, I do not think I use it enough; I bust it out maybe once every year. It fits the serving size and is British. Boom. Perfect beerware.
Serving type: 500 ml bottle A batch code is printed on the label but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a half-liter Hobgoblin glass. The color is a clean and slightly hazy honey that is a touch on the light side. Three fingers of dense, billowy white head dissipated fairly quickly to leave trails along the glass, a rocky lacing, and eventually a ring around the edge.
Smell: This is truly an English IPA as the aroma is dominated by floral, earthy hops. However, it definitely has a citrusy aroma to it, along with pale malts, caramel, toffee, honey, buttery biscuit, and apple cider.
Taste: The mouthfeel is coarse and grassy and the flavor follows suit. Lots of floral and earthy hops, which the labels warns about. The hops are not overpowering, but they provide a consistent presence throughout each sip that keeps the cheeks and tongue tingling. Along with the grassy/earthy element are flavors of lemon citrus, caramel, pale malts, toffee, and honey.
Drinkability: If this elf was bad (and the dude on the label looks pretty sinister), then he cannot be too far from good. It is pretty decent stuff, though.
Fun facts about Bad Elf:
-Style: BA classifies it as English India Pale Ale, while the US importer calls it “IPA/Hoppy Beer, Winter/Holiday Beer.”
-Price: $5.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried and Indian cuisine, nutty cheeses (Asiago, Colby Parmesan), sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), and shellfish.
-Here is some nerdiness from the importer’s website:
A little malt, a little hops, and lots of holiday trouble-making; this Elf is so bad, it’s way good.
Olde England meets the New World in this strong, warming golden ale. A generous amount of famous English malt is masterfully balanced with an astounding 45 ounces of fresh hops – including English Cascade – per barrel. Bad Elf is brewed by Peter Scholey, master brewer for the late and much-lamented Brakspear Brewery of Henley-on-Thames, England. Peter has bought up the entire crop from the single row of Cascades grown in the U.K.
ELF WARNING: Consumption of too much Winter's Ale may be bad for your elf and may impair your ability to drive a sleigh or operate toy-making machinery.
The illustration for the Bad Elf label was painted by Massachusetts artist Gary Lippincott, whose work also adorns Shelton Brothers labels for Inveralmond Blackfriar and Isle of Skye Wee Beast.
-Nerdiness on the label:
‘Tis a heavy hand what adds the hops to this festive golden ale. Truth be told, there’s near to three pounds of fresh hops goes in every barrel of this treasured brew. Pull up a sturdy chair, let’s fill up yer best flagon with the season’s finest natural ale, and I’ll tell you a dark tale of elf and woe. ‘Ere’s to your elf!
Signed, “Peter Scholey, Brewer”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
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