He'Brew Genesis Ale

Alright, this rather tumultuous week is drawing to a close and more beers from the Missouri stash are calling my name. Today's selection is Genesis Ale from He'Brew. As my beer is cooling down, I am indulging further nerdy tendencies by listening to "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". I think in some deep, pretentious recess of my mind, I'm hoping for an aural pairing with the beer I am about to consume. HA.

On a side note, I really want a time machine. I watched a documentary a couple of days ago on Genesis (the band) and am absolutely amazed at the bizarre stage prescense of Peter Gabriel. In many ways, I think I was born about 20-25 years too late. No matter.

Moving on to the main event:

Upon the pour, I fear my pairing of "Lamb" might be off. The beer is amber in color, though the label claims that it is a "light brown ale". Fair enough, I didn't make the beer, so who am I to say what it is or isn't intended to be. Changed the music to "A Trick of the Tail", much lighter in most regards, with a greater infusion of classic Genesis humor. The color of the beer is a pristine amber, with lager-like clarity. Carbonation is quite visible and seems appropriately active. A medium full head fades through the glass, with just a ring remaining at the end. It retains a pleasant cream color with just a touch of the amber from the beer.

Smell is grainy, with a touch of barley husk. While quite simple, it is inviting. Strikes me as really good home cooking in a way, simple but immensely pleasing. There is a touch of hops towards the end, which leads me to believe this will be well balanced.

The taste follows in kind, with the slightly sweet grain and huskiness coming to the forefront. The hops are more fully realized as well, and provided a surprising and refreshingly dry finish to what could easily be an over malted brown. Again, simple, but supremely satisfying.

Mouthfeel is light to medium, and the carbonation is fitting. Quite an easy drinker, and I regret only having one instead of a six pack. My grief is brief, as I realize many more beer runs will be in order.

Overall: 7.75/10 A superb beer, but not phenomenal. This would make an excellent early fall session beer.

In other beer news, Freestate is going to open up a bottling facility in east Lawrence. They are going to be able to put 25,000 barrels a year, which is a tenfold increase from their current production levels. I may make some inquiries and see if I can't get in on the ground floor. I'll be a brewer yet.