Light colored body with some excellent lacing. Simple hop profile in the nose with a nice malt balance. I got an amazing blue cheese taste from this beer!! Who'd have thought?? Anyway, drinkable with an interesting aftertaste - not unpleasant but a little odd. This detracts a little from the drinkability, but still an interesting beer and worth a try.
Notes on beers brewed by
Big River Grille & Brewing Works
House Brand IPA
Pours light orange/copper with a surprising amount of alcohol in the nose. Upfront tastes are dry hops immediately and then some softer malts later. Finishes with some sweet sherry alcohol notes. Some excellent lacing makes this very attractive. I was surprised at the alcohol taste of this beer - it was quite noticeable considering both the ABV and the style. A simple IPA in the English, rather than the American style. Nice, drinkable and I enjoyed it.
Big River Vienna Lager
Lovely looker with a light amber color and some first class lacing. Malts are all upfront that are complemented by a nice balance on the dry hopped finish. A little metal in there too on the quick finish that reminds you that this is a lager despite the richer looking color. Clean, crisp and refreshing, I could easily put a few of these away without really noticing much!
Southern Flyer Light Lager
Yikes! Is it Ginger Ale?? It has an almost transparent appearance with a slight yellow tinge. Has a large head and a very fizzy appearance. Very, very light tastes of citrus with almost lemonade notes. This is just about as close to a non-alcoholic beer (that actually DOES have alcohol) that one can get. Not only is is 3.67% ABV, it also tastes of nothing much and honestly looks pretty close to water. Amazing clarity and lack of color! Not my thing, but in the land of light lager this isn't...
Iron Horse Stout
Black with ruby port colored highlights. Mouthfeel and body is very, very light but surprisingly (especially for a stout) this does not really detract from the beer. Some alcohol with roasted rather than bitter flavors. Some Porter tendncies, this is a light stout that doesn't really suffer from this lack of depth. Smooth and drinkable, I enjoyed it. Apparently a gold medal winner in the sweet stout category at the 2004 Beer World Cup.
Sweet Magnolia Brown
Very classical type appearance with a deep chestnut color and decent head that leaves some lacing. The color is excellent and makes the beer appear to have some depth and body. Malty aroma is backed up by a sweetness in the taste. Very little hop character or bitterness here, this is a simple, malt based brown ale that really hits the spot in terms of the style and drinkability. Very easy, light drinking on this one. A tiny bit of milk chocolate in there too. Goes down easy, and before you...
Summer Wheat 2005
Bar staff told me that this had been tapped for about a month at BRG. Good, yellow color to the body and a decent head, but it lasted all too short a time. Some nice lacing, and came in a "Summer Wheat 2005" 400 mL glass. For some reason I like this serving size. Nice presentation. Quite a surprising "hoppy" aroma, but light body as expected. The carbonation seemed to die a little as I drank the beer and as it warmed. Some fruit, but all the tastes were rather muted. Drinkable without doubt,...
Steamboat Pale Ale
$3.25 small glass (16oz?), Big River Brewing, Chattanooga, TN, USA. Lovely golden color with a surpisingly decent head that hangs around. Definite aroma (and taste of) of apple undertones. Dryish aftertaste brought some bitterness but very well balanced malt, yeast and hops. A distinctively large mouthfeel too. Very refreshing on a very hot day in Chattanooga.