Barleys Hot Spot Ale

Brewed by Barleys Brewing Company
Style: California Common
Columbus, Ohio USA

Serve in Lager glass

8/30/08: On tap @ Smokehouse. Orange-brown bodied. Mild nose. Sour malt, honey and some hops with a bit of herbal funk. Sorry guys, Barleys has some of the best beer out there... - Claifornia Common or Scottish Ale? This one is neither, I’d have to classify it as Barley’s Worst.

On tap. Poured copper with a thin white head. Aroma of light banana, earthy/grassy hops, light caramel malt. Flavors of light caramel, crisp grassy hops and light fruit, soft pepper notes and light spice. Medium-light body, crisp, somewhat bitter, dry/malty with a crisp/dry/malty finish. Really reminiscent of of Anchor Steam, maybe not as polished as that one, but a pretty clean brew overall.

On tap. Pours a clear golden color with a memdium sized white head. Aroma is all caramel malt. Flavor is all caramel malt. Palate is medium bodied, medium carbonation, finished sickly sweet. Absolutely putrid, why they even put this on is beyond me. I would be embarrassed to serve this to the public. Mistakes happen, take your medicine and scrap it!

The origins of this beer vary depending on the source. The beer board states that it was brewed on the hottest day of the year and the "fermentation temperature got away from them". Our server said they put the wrong yeast in a batch of Scottish Ale. Either way this beer is a one time deal. Sample at the Smokehouse. The beer is a hazed golden orange color with a thin and fizzy light beige head that diminishes slowly. Stringy lacing on the glass. Earthy malt aroma with notes of caramel and hops. Medium body with a balanced hops and malt profile. Some spice and yeast characteristics as well. The finish is moderately bitter hops with a sweet malt aftertaste. Overall I can understand them repackaging a mixup to at least make some money back, but this one did not do much for me.