December 23rd, 2014
31 Beers of December – Day 22: Rhinegeist Dad
@Rhinegeist @QueenCityDrinks
To celebrate the Holiday Season, we have teamed up with beer bloggers and craft beer enthusiasts around the country to host the fourth annual beer bloggers advent calendar. This is the season of sharing and we intend to share our love of beer with you.
During the 31 days of December, we will be sharing our favorite regional/winter seasonals/holiday beers with the help from our fellow beer bloggers. We hope that you tune in every day, to hear our stories and share our holiday cheer.
Rhinegeist Dad
Blogger: Tom Aguero
Website: Queen City Drinks
Twitter / Facebook : @QueenCityDrinks / http://facebook.com/QueenCityDrinks
About Tom: Server administrator by day, craft beer enthusiast and dog owner by night. Learning and sharing everything I can about craft beers and the craft beer industry.
Beer: Rhinegeist Dad
Brewery: Rhinegeist Cincinnati, Ohio
Website: http://www.rhinegeist.com
Twitter: @Rhinegeist
Beer Details:
-Style: Hoppy Holiday Ale
-ABV: 6%
-IBU: 60
-MALTS: 2 Row Pale, Crystal 15
-HOPS: Sterling, Cascade
-AVAILABILITY: November- December
Commercial Description:
This hoppy Holiday Red Ale has a blend of hop spice, citrus and some caramel malts to raise the holiday spirit in this Pale Ale.
Why I selected Rhinegeist Dad:
When Ryan & Sean contacted me about this I initially waffled on committing because I do not enjoy winter warmers. I know very little about our local and regional ones because I avoid them at almost all costs. Still I felt this was something I wanted to get involved in so I went out and bought 4 different ones and wrote quick reviews on each, not enjoying any. Then I had Dad.
Dad is described as a Hoppy Holiday Ale, everything Rhinegeist does is very hoppy so I was ready for citrus or pine under a mountain of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and ginger. Luckily for me the only thing “holiday” about Dad is the season when it comes out.
We start off with an abundant aroma of light floral hops melding with a touch of citrus notes. That hop profile rests atop a hefty caramel background serving to remind you how malty this beer will be.
Dad rocks the kind of clarity homebrewers dream of. I can see straight through the reddish brown body and feel confident I could read this text on the screen if not for the curve of my glass. The head was a nice fluffy tan which hung around for a bit but is now reduced to a light skim.
Caramel coated biscuits great my tongue followed by a wave of spicy hops and a touch of citrus. After a moment you discover a pretty close balance between malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness but it tilts a tad toward the bitter end.
Dad feels heavier than the 6% on its label suggests. I initially imagined it to be 7.5% – 8.5%. It certainly feels as warming as its stronger winter compatriots. Don’t take that as a dis though, it’s nice to know I could have a few of these at the work holiday party without getting totally trashed.
About Queen City Drinks:
We’re a collaborative blog focused on all things alcohol in Cincinnati. “Where, when, and with what to wet your whistle in the Queen City.” I handle all things beer from beer & book reviews to industry insight and education pieces. We’ve got a collection of other writers but if you’ve got something you want to say, especially about alcohol in Cincinnati, shoot me an email and I’d be happy to give you a guest post!
About Rhinegeist Brewing Co:
Rhinegeist roughly translates as “The spirit of the Rhine.” The Rhine River is a major river in Germany and Cincinnati was a major German expatriate city in the 1800s. A canal cut across the north of town and the Germans moved north of that canal. In time the canal became known as the Rhine and the area north of it Over The Rhine. What was once a German hub became a ghetto and is now becoming a haven for hipsters.
Rhinegeist opened in June 2013 occupying the space once used by a pre-prohibition brewery. They’ve come out hard and hoppy canning multiple brews, with plenty more on draft, and most recently bottling. You can’t find their beer far beyond Cincinnati but they’re can designs have become a favorite of the internet.
Visit the brewery online at http://www.rhinegeist.com