Beer of the Weekend #601: The Oracle
It has been a long time since I wrote a midweek review and I have a number of singles chilling in my fridge. Needless to say, it is time to drink some beer.
The beer tonight was brought to my attention by the beer peeps at the Co-op. It is a special, limited release seasonal that I could not pass up: The Oracle, brewed by Bell’s Brewery of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “PKGD” date printed on the back label is “8/08/14.”
Appearance: Pours a hazy, golden amber color into a tulip glass. Two fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipates slowly and leaves a bubbly froth and lacing along the side of the glass.
Smell: Wow. It has an excellent, dry hopped aroma, offering a big dose of tropical fruit and citrus. Mango, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, pine, and caramel. It is very sweet and very enticing.
Taste: The flavor is very hop-forward with a massive dose of hop bitterness. It is not aggressive, though; it lays a slow and satisfying bitter coating with flavors of grapefruit, mango, tangerine, pine, and caramel. Despite the bitterness, it is very smooth and creamy. The booze is noticeable with a light sting that lingers along with the bitterness, but it is not overpowering.
Drinkability: This one was worth it — definitely a high quality recommendation from the folks at the Co-op. It has it all: flavor, bitterness, and an incredible body.
Fun facts about The Oracle:
-Style: Double IPA.
-Price: $3.29/bottle at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: 10 percent ABV.
-Even though The Oracle is a seasonal that is released once a year, I was told that the reason why it is so special is because every store receives just a single case. Once that case of 24 beers is gone, that’s it.
-I cannot review a beer called The Oracle without somehow mentioning the character of the same name in The Matrix franchise. However, I was never a big fan of The Matrix movies so I cannot think of a way to weave it in with a clever reference.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
The beer tonight was brought to my attention by the beer peeps at the Co-op. It is a special, limited release seasonal that I could not pass up: The Oracle, brewed by Bell’s Brewery of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “PKGD” date printed on the back label is “8/08/14.”
Appearance: Pours a hazy, golden amber color into a tulip glass. Two fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipates slowly and leaves a bubbly froth and lacing along the side of the glass.
Smell: Wow. It has an excellent, dry hopped aroma, offering a big dose of tropical fruit and citrus. Mango, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, pine, and caramel. It is very sweet and very enticing.
Taste: The flavor is very hop-forward with a massive dose of hop bitterness. It is not aggressive, though; it lays a slow and satisfying bitter coating with flavors of grapefruit, mango, tangerine, pine, and caramel. Despite the bitterness, it is very smooth and creamy. The booze is noticeable with a light sting that lingers along with the bitterness, but it is not overpowering.
Drinkability: This one was worth it — definitely a high quality recommendation from the folks at the Co-op. It has it all: flavor, bitterness, and an incredible body.
Fun facts about The Oracle:
-Style: Double IPA.
-Price: $3.29/bottle at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: 10 percent ABV.
-Even though The Oracle is a seasonal that is released once a year, I was told that the reason why it is so special is because every store receives just a single case. Once that case of 24 beers is gone, that’s it.
-I cannot review a beer called The Oracle without somehow mentioning the character of the same name in The Matrix franchise. However, I was never a big fan of The Matrix movies so I cannot think of a way to weave it in with a clever reference.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
