DuClaw Snake Oil

Brewed by DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: European Strong Lager
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Clear gold body, thin white head. Aroma of light honey and hops. Flavor is only a little bitter, honey, herbal, grassy, somewhat lacking in body.

Draft @ Arundel Mills location. Pale golden color. The flavor was really sweet, bordering on cloying. Lots of fruit and honey type flavors with a mild grassy hop finish, some graininess. Just an okay kind of beer.

On tap @ Arundel MIlls-Clear golden color w/a slight white head. Floral hop aroma. Crisp, clean floral hop flavor; has good character but the hop doesn’t knock you over. Had some citrus flavor to it as well as a little carbonation. Very drinkable, sesson type brew which was easy to enjoy w/o thinking about it too much.

Draft @ Arundel Mills location. Pours a reasonably pale, honey-orange color; copper-like appearance; off-white head with excellent, fine-bubbled lacing. Candy sugar, citrus bitterness, and some toasty malts in the aroma; slightly elusive nose, but a clear, clean hop character. Lively, almost sharp carbonation (and served quite cold). Medium-to-full mouthfeel: chewy, resiny citrus and earthy hops upfront (minimal astringency); oranges and toasty malts and sticky sugar at the core; tasty and a lot more drinkable than many "imperial pilsners." Lengthy finish, showing zesty citrus and oranges; some dry hop bitterness.

Damn! This is the definition of an Imperial Pilsner. If you can catch this at Duclaw, GET IT. Seasonal brew that ran our real quick. Received t-shirt from release party which is rather cool. You can have too much before you know it. Follow up with the Venom...

on tap-pours a white head with yellow color. Aroma is grain. Taste is slick, biting hop, some grain/malt, some sweetness. Good carbonation.

Nice-sized draught sample at the Bel Air location. Fully lasting, beautifully bright white snowcap atop the clear, bright golden body....absolutely tremendous, huge, intoxicating aroma offering overripe bananas, light fuesal alcohol notes, sweet almonds, vanilla and faint noble hops as grassy freshness exerts itself....the body is lightly sweet, with lots of dry herbs, but very full and a touch sticky/syrupy....vanilla shows up here again with lots of fruity esters and faint alcohol growing with more and more sips, golden raisins and a bit of dry cherry....very full with quite low carbonation, somewhat harsh and astringent to finish but overall edgy, distinctive and surprisingly drinkable and enjoyable. A joy; best from this fine brewer I’ve had yet.

2006 version, 7.5% ABV. On tap, from growler. Poured out a bright golden yellow color, with a volumous white head. The head is thick & dense, like meringue. Aromas are of sourdough bread, sweet malts, delicate fruitiness. Flavors are of yeasty bread, strong malts, slight fruitiness, and earthy hops. Thick mouthfeel, rich & creamy. Slightly bitter at the finish from Noble hops. Slightly sweet aftertaste. Alcohol is well hidden, even in the aromas. Decent take on an Imperial Pils, but light on the alcohol.