I like this beer.

I just wanted to admit it out front first. Maybe set a precedent of declaring my allegiance up front. That being said, it is by no means a perfect beer. I wouldn’t be spoiling a great movie ending by telling you the plot here — this beer has its serious shortcomings. Lack of decernable aroma being chief among them. So there. I said it. I like this beer and I think it sucks. Well, parts of it do.

Operating out of quiant St. Marys, PA… Straub brewing (www.straubbeer.com) is a real throwback to the way things were down. Back then. Known far and wide for their “no sugars, no salts, no preservatives”process and I like that. Makes me feel like it might closer to what was traditional German beer.

Appearance

Pours cold into a pint glass — appears to be a slightly cloudy pale amber. Not really a “dark” amber per se… but I suppose next to the standard Straub on tap — its ‘dark’ … with just one quote.  A reddish tint blows lightly. Off-white, almost dirty dishwash water, white head is intact yet never reaches past ¼” in height. Surprising to see the head hold steady.

Smell

Faint at best. Really the weakest area of all. Slightly soapy but hard to pin down.

Taste

This is the part where things get… interesting. Tasty beer without a nose? Is that possible? Special Dark leads off with a not-so-subtle caramel sweetness that seems overpowering if it weren’t for its breifness. There and gone. The light toast of malts comes through to cut into the sweet. Only enough to register then it too leaves. In a hurry. And thus the next part… even weirder.

Mouthfeel

Medium at best but so fleeting that it barely registers. It does leave a short lived sweetness that overpowers as well as soothes at first — but then it dries out to nothing. No memory. No last effects. Thats weird too.

Drinkability

THIS is the real name of the game here. I can drink this beer all day long. Not a pounding hectic pace — but respectable, good natured fun. This is what makes the Peter Straub Special Dark is so special to me. That taste is there beer after beer. Sure, the 4.1 APV is certainly there to keep yourself in check. Just a great, easy going session beer.

Bottomline

I will admit it. I like this beer. I like drinking it. I like drinking this beer when I am just sitting around, safe and sound. Just a great table beer, to spend hours around a campfire. Its cheap and the wife likes it.

Appearance

Nice enough. A bright copper that glows nicely under light. A light carbonation streams bubbles up nice. A doughy, slightly dirty, way off white head is fluffy. Mismatched bubble sizes dot the landscape of the head. The head falls eventually. Although to its credit, the head manages to nag on longer than expected. The fall is not graceful. The lacing that remains just from the drop is staggering. Looks untidy.

its just not as dark as i expected. sort of shiny.

Smell

Hard to get at first. Might have been due to the couch loaf i floated. whew! stinky. In any event, I did end up getting quite a nose full. whoops. hand slipped. But the aroma that came through was clear. Slightly bready and a hint of… ghetto car wash citrus Tree. That all too perfect, sleazy orange scent. But a malt undertone peaks through to cut the artificial sweetness.

Taste

Steak. Red meat beef. That’s a meal. Everything else is fluffy, secondary and limited. So too, when it comes to beer – taste is the thing. If I’m grabbing a six pack for the night. Poof. I want it to taste good. For me, lagers give me that flavor without the weight to make it terribly heavy. This beer comes a little underneath my expectations. I’ve been riding a Yuengling kick since visiting them last year. I admit it. So I’m judging this beer against that specific beer. Fair or not. It is what it is… I’ll freely own up to it.

This beer is balanced. No question. It is the first thing that I even realize first. But it seems somehow fake.  Too perfect. Beer after beer tasted exactly the same. Four beers in and it tastes the exact same… that is weird to me. I always seem to want a beer to change as I get through it, its follow up beer. So when the Boston Lager comes across the plate the same way each beer is off putting. Or is it?

Way fuller than the rest of the widely available competitors. Its certainly on the same level as Yuengling here … in that regard.

Mouthfeel

Its light. Crisp enough to be playful. Its fuller than a light beer for sure. It never over stays its welcome long enough to become unrepeatable. The distance is reached with ease. And Kody kitty likes it too.

Drinkability

Not overly filling. Certainly holds true to itself. Beer after beer. The entire measure was six and the distance is equal. Easily done. The drinkability is there without question. Which really brings us back to the beginning of things. Doesn’t it?

Bottomline

This beer keeps to its even keel the entire ride. I guess I expected some imperfections. Consistent taste delivery, beer after beer. All in all it tastes good. In that background kind of way. Nothing loud, but certainly not the type of taste that is lost on you. I can dig that.

B-