Grand River Plowmans Ale

Slow gusher, popped and left on the counter, a minute later it’s sitting in a pool with a small foam puff rising out of the lip. Bottle conditioned? Cool. Cloudy rust brown body with a fine-bubbled tan head. Infected nose, all isovaleric acid, cheesy, lactic, minerally, blood-like and metallic. Spoilage actually tastes like a poorly made biere de garde or saison, with some minerally, dusty yeast (the bad kind) taking over some of the malt sweetness. Pretty bad.

Ruddy brown color and very fine rounded feel. Earthy balance of hops and malt, Caramel, wood and citrus. Great on tap.

On tap at Volo. Fruity, flowery, and slightly grassy comes to mind. This beer makes me think of spring. Complex with a fairly easy finish.

Bottled on 4/14/09. Poured clear, medium garnet with a short, creamy cap of yellowy-beige head. The aroma picked up toasted caramel and nutty notes with an ample dose of juicy grapefruit, pine, and earthy hoppage.. sappy sweetness emerged as it warmed up. The flavor had caramel, darker fruit, and berry sweetness at the core, but the hops were a bit of a mess.. sticky grapefruit, pine, and peppery notes didn’t play well with each other or the malts.. finished bitter and sharp. Light-medium bodied, with an empty feel at times on the palate.. again it didn’t flow too well and ended very bitter. Lost some ground after the initial impression.

Bottle thanks to Matt7215. Pours a slight brownish amber with medium off-white head. Aroma of hops, caramel, malt, and slight chocolate. Flavor similar with the addition of wheat, spice, and a slight sweetness. Very dry on the palate. Good flavor, bad finish.

500 ml bottle from HogTownHarry; Bottled Feb 11 2009; Nose of flowery hops, caramel, and some lemony notes. clear rust with a small beige head. Flavor is bitter with some toffee; the big bitterness almost covering the toffee. Very hoppy for an amber.

Bottle courtesy of Matt7215. Pours copper with a thin white head. Smells of citrus, roses, caramel, dough. Tastes of tea, some bitterness, light spice, dry malt.

Brown bottle, 500 ml, bottled on August 19 2008, gift from Steve Gamble received on September 13 2008, savoured on November 21 2008; eye: copper, clear, good effervescence, voluminous beige head that eventually diminishes, good lacing; nose: lots of malt, and even more bittering hops, grapefruit, caramelized malt, pine; mouth: bittering hops, lots of malt, more bittering hops, grapefruit, caramelized malt, pine, short and dry finale in bittering hops, light astringency, lightly sweet, rather bitter, medium body, slightly harsh texture, a bit thin, rather carbonated; overall: quite likable FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 500 ml, embouteillée le 19 août 2008, cadeau de Steve Gamble reçu le 13 septembre 2008, savourée le 21 novembre 2008; œil : cuivrée, claire, bonne effervescence, mousse beige abondante qui diminue éventuellement, bonne dentelle; nez : beaucoup de malt, et encore plus de houblon amérisant, pamplemousse, malt caramélisé, pin; bouche : houblon amérisant, beaucoup de malt, encore du houblon amérisant, pamplemousse, malt caramélisé, pin, finale sèche et courte en houblon amérisant, légère astringence, légèrement sucrée, plutôt amère, corps moyen, texture légèrement rugueuse, un peu mince, plutôt carbonatée; en résumé : bien aimé