Barley Creek Back Country Cream Ale

On nitro. Smooth, but corny-grainy flavor and some odd sweetness. A sticky paper-flavored finish.

On tap at Barley Creek. I spoke to the folks at the brewery and they are brewing this for the summer. Its currently being served out of the Stout tap. Pours a brilliant clear gold with a moderate creamy white head. The aroma was a bit off I thought, which is my only negative with this beer. A bit sour, sort of. It was difficult to nail down. The flavor, however, was very true to the cream ale style, well balanced and refreshing. Very creamy mouthfeel. Real easy to drink. An excellent summer brew.

The aroma isn’t strong but I’m pleasantly surprised by the other elements. There is a medium texture in this golden-colored brew which has a nice bitter hop aftertaste. The malt factor seems to keep things from getting too bitter. There are some floral and citrus tones here. That hoppiness is mixed well to create a highly drinkable and tasty beer. This beats the days I drank Genessee! I hope BC bottles this one someday. Rerate (7-15-06): there is a bit of a woodsy piney character underlying this one.