Brewed in ‘San Luis Obisco tradition of fine California microbrews,’ worthy reddish copper pale body places sweet barley-wheat conflux above dry roasted rye malting and faint cherry nicety. Clean mineral finish preserves slight floral spicing and toasted almond tingle.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
SLEEMAN STEAM BEER
Slim barley roast, soft Scotch smokiness and fluffily foamed creaming caress delicate tangerine tang for simple middle of the road amber lacking distinction. Word has it Sapporo Brewery now makes these.
SLEEMAN SILVER CREEK LAGER
Bland straw-cleared cumulous-headed dry lager with polite rye malt palate, thin resinous hop bitterness, minor floral stint, and moderate creaminess gets cloy despite pungently skunked waft. Misleading 5% alcohol volume vaporized by metallic watering that wouldn’t scare away novices. Once again, Sleeman finishes below Molson in yet another style category.
SLEEMAN ROUSSE ALE
Faint citric-grained entry and sugary malt sweetness contrast mild hop roast of dark amber red ale. Sticky yeast finish suffices, but overall depth lacks.
SLEEMAN PORTER 68
Metallic auburn hued porter finds early licorice dawdle fading to ashy malt smokiness and dismal leathery tobacco spell. Charred hop bittering obscures thin cocoa-vanilla creaminess, dried fruit quip, and black tea acridity informing shaky finish.
SLEEMAN ORIGINAL DARK AMBER LAGER 50
Garnet amber mediocrity brings dry nutty dalliance to caramelized crystal-black malt roasting and orange-peach-grapefruit tang. Similar to IPA 46 minus the piney protrusion.
SLEEMAN ORIGINAL DARK AMBER LAGER
Red-tinted creamy-headed dark beer with 5.5% alcohol content, thin buttery malt texture, delicate hop bite, and sugared blandness. Unspecific golden ale fruiting or red ale toasting kicks in after few swallows, but lack of prolonged finish hurts resolve.
SLEEMAN I.P.A. 46
Efficient, if not creative, russet-tinted IPA allows smoky Cascade hop dryness, orange peel bittering and piney nut taper to counter increasingly effectual peach-grapefruit tang. A well-balanced medium body.
SLEEMAN HONEY BROWN LAGER
Bland light-bodied bronze-hazed Euro-styled lager lacks tangible distinction. Thick round-bubbled head and expectant Sleeman creaminess exist alongside mild sugar water palate as grassy-hopped astringency lingers to honey-roasted finish. Light white-breaded toasting nearly escapes notice.
SLEEMAN FINE PORTER
Thin, clear-bottled, 2004 limited edition ruby-brown porter leads with subtle caramelized malting deepening dry hop roasted flog. Sedate cocoa-chocolate chalking and remiss plum-walnut keepsake dull out by impish espresso finish.
SLEEMAN CREAM ALE 64
Translucent coppery one-off can’t escape miring Sleeman-related grain dankness. Yet heavier alcohol combustion and tangy orange-apricot stint best brewers’ traditional Cream Ale. Sweet malts turn frustratingly pungent though straw-to-cracked wheat spine holds up well against meager lemon drop snip. Too bad carbolic diacetyl finish gets oily. (Numeric appellation designates ancient recipe page.)
SLEEMAN CREAM ALE
In cheap transparent bottle not unlike Miller Beer, pale-toned welterweight layers soft lemony-hopped toasted nut sputter and doughy dullness across corn sugared malt piquancy. But light buttery essence lacks discernible creaminess. Polite, simple, indistinct mediocrity gets nod over Genesee.