Beer- #794 – Choice Bros – On the Brain
What was I thinking? What were they thinking? Peanut butter and Raspberries and Pale Ale. Like some weird pick and mix.
An English Ale With Peanut Butter & Raspberry.
From the fill station this is a slightly bigger 1.25 litre bottle of a 5% Beer, at 150 calories a serve size, 25 IBU things and that would make this 4.93 standard drink units worth.
Brewed by Choice Bros Brewing in the style that is somewhat described as Bitter and they are in Wellington, New Zealand, where it is contract brewed for them at Townshend.
Doesn’t smell like anything
‘On the Brain’ Peanut Butter & Raspberries English Ale, brewed at Townshend Brewery. Containing 12.5kg of peanut flour and 20kg of Nelson raspberries
So, what could possibly go wrong?
Aroma is raspberries. I’m sure you’d know it if you smelt it again, a childhood memory, fresh from the bush, dusty, ripe. Brilliant.
MrsPdubyah said it smelt like beer. I give up.
For aroma alone this wins the best aroma in a beer I’ve had in a while.
The taste. Well the taste is somewhat like dry peanut butter, not a surprise, and there is a certain amount of that raspberry taste in the longer profile of this. Enough but the both of them are about all there is in this.
Very lightly hopped you might struggle to get that this is a hop based beer. But what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.
At the end of a period of time when it seems that anything went when it came to additions to a beer this is a bit of a stand out. Sure there was watermelon and cucumber and all manner of things, but this is even odder and more removed than that. And so much less aggressive and syrupy than the Rogue Donut things.
I honestly though think that this is a bit thin. There isn’t enough or anything in the body that carries this or gives you a sense of mouthfeel. As a Bitter or Pale Ale I would have expected more by way of hop bite perhaps. But it doesn’t have it.
Sooooo you’re left with a raspberry aroma and a peanut butter fizz, with some raspberry after linger.
It is though really really not the worst or most difficult or daftest, or undrinkable or weirdest beer. Neither is memorable, except for the quirkiness, the most flavoursome, aside from the two tricks, or something you’d possibly want to try again.
It wins because it is quirky, it is aromatic, and is flavoured as advertised without being a sledgehammer about it. I’m still on the fence though.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. It is interesting, but then so are conspiracy theories. It is aromatic, but then you don’t often get raspberries as a base taste that often. Who doesn’t like peanut butter? But it isn’t jam packed (no pun intended) with flavour, an it doesn’t have quite enough body or sweetness to lift it.
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? Liquorland in ForrestHill. They’re a small brewer doing contract beers so where and when you can.
- Am I enjoying it? I’m not not enjoying it. I think this is a bit of a two trick pony though, not quite the thoroughbred.
- Would I have another? There isn’t enough to make you go ooh! or aaah! so probably not.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? For audacity and verve I would, but for impression and being impressive no.
Music for this: ” Peter Frampton ” made an album ” Acoustic Classics ” on Spotify
BITTER
A gold to copper color, low carbonation and medium to high bitterness. Hop flavor and aroma may be non-existent to mild. Great to drink with steak and lobster.
