Tasted: Carrot Top

By scot in Home Brewing on Tuesday, January 24th, 2017

A small amount of chocolate malt gives this beer a solid amber, almost mahogany color.

Carrot Top took a few weeks bottling condition in order to round out the flavor and aroma. The first taste, a week to ten days in the bottle, made me fret what this beer was going to be. As always patience won out, allowing for this to become more of what I was envisioning when developing the recipe.

Each time I enjoy this beer, I think back to those grade school days, the 70s, and all the other memories of my youth. I wasn’t drinking beer back then, lol, I didn’t care for the aroma of my uncles Buckhorn and I thought I would never be a beer lover. I am sure glad that Samuel Adams found its’ way to my coffers as I couldn’t stand too much more cheap lagers. Nostalgic.

Look:Deep amber, almost brown in color. Half inch of off-white, creamy foam covers. Retention is above average, eventually leaving a thin blanket on top. Lacing it thick and sticky. Good looking in the glass.

Aroma: Papaya, tangerine, citrus, grass and hints of spice are first. Clean sweetness and caramel bring up the malt end.

Taste: Slightly sweet, caramel throughout. Hops are above normal level for an amber but not overbearing. Papaya, citrus, grass and spice carry from the middle to the end. Some bitterness but on the balanced side.

Body: Medium body, almost creamy. Medium carbonation. Dry at the end, in spite of the creamy body.

Overall: A nice beer. Maybe a bit too dry for an amber. Maybe not enough malt profile as well. The hops are solid for the style. Otherwise a solid beer.

I liked the beer but not as much as The Dude. Possibly style difference, lack of reverse osmosis water, or that I feel it needs more malt. If and when I brew this one again, I will would want to change several things: maltier, higher mash temperature, and reverse osmosis water split 50/50 with tap water. Enjoy!

Useless Fact: The seats and curtains in theatres are red because red is the first colour that is lost to our sight in low-light conditions, which thus makes the surroundings seem black and unobtrusive when watching a movie or performance.