Charles Reibenbach Ice Ale

Brewed by Cold Spring Brewery
Style: Pale Lager
Cold Spring, Minnesota USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Lager glass, Shaker

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Picked this up at Albertson’s today as a "quick-buy." I came home and searched for the Reibenbach brewery and found nothing. Not to be dismayed, my wife and I cracked a few open and sat out on the patio to try this new brew out. Initial opinions - poor head, few bubbles spewing from the bottom of the glasses, but not a bad aroma. Sweet to the senses. Taste was not spectacular, but good for the price. This beer does "settle" quickly, so guzzle it down. Overall, a VERY nice beer for the money - beats Natural Ice anyday.

Don’t expect too much from this one, its a common tasting ice beer, Ice beer is strong tasting but weak in flavor. low malts and no hops. too many adjuncts make this unpleasant.

The aroma has corn, alcohol, and metal. The appearance is pale gold with some small particulates. The flavor is just like the aroma with chemical bitterness, and that signature "Gluek twang". The palate is very thin. This is pretty bad stuff.

one of two 12pks sitting in a local liquor store for a long time, finally broke down and tried it. i wasn’t missing much. weak yellow in colour, fairly substantial white head, thin, sad mouthfeel with a strange over-ripe banana taste. it’s drinkable, far better than say, bud ice, but certainly not worth satisfying your curiosity at the expense of $3.99.

A ghost of a brew, across the 5 categories. However, at 5.8%, who’s complaining?

This is the Albertson’s store brand, and this is a surprising good for swill. Gold colour, with a decent, fruity(!) malt flavour. No hops of course, but no strong nasty chemical aftertastes.

Not as bad as the other Reibenbachs. Has a decent flavor. Pretty good for a cheap beer like this. Only $3.99 a twelver.

I get this one at Savon/osco for 3.99 a 12 pack, I don’t complain for the price, But not a stellar ale, I drink it after I spent all of my dough on stone or Belgians! I really wish this brewery would consoladate all of their brands into gluek, it would give them a little more consistancy! Dorango, Jozef hoffbrauer,Charles Reibenbach, hell, call it all Gluek!

Last of my visits to the esteemed house of Charles Reibenbach. Aroma - not as bad as the other CBs - does have that slight yeasty twang to it though. Pour is uneventful and pale yellow with a thin clingy head. Flavor is initially smooth and carbonated but then settles into the familiar Gluek meltdown - is there an atomic plant in Cold Spring? The can looks like a budget Club Soda can.

UPDATED: APR 29, 2003 This is just bad brew. I should have expected as much for $5.49/12 at Albertson's. Clingy, starchy, tart flavor. Specimen colored. So-so can, lousy packaging. Lots of chemical Gluek character. Even the wife didn't like this...