Granite City Poor Richards Ale

Pours a clear deep copper brown, topped by a slim head of cream colored foam. What little head there is reduces to just a ring around the edges of the glass in under a minute. This gives a little bit of lacing, but not much. The aroma reveals a hint of toasted malt, and provides a little sweetly fruited whaftiness. The beer starts out very mild but pleasant enough with some toasted malt and some light bittersweet chocolate. About midsip, some dry bitterness creeps in - though more like bitter oak than hops. At this point, the beer also shifts from being almost medium bodied and lightly carbonated to seeming almost flat and watery in the mouthfeel. The dry bitterness lingers into the finish with just a hint of molasses coming on in the aftertaste. Apart from the mouthfeel, this is a decent mild beer. Maybe it will grow on me some more as I work my way deeper into the growler. For all I know, it just might be the most accurate representation of what an Americanized English ale back in old Ben’s day was like. Or it may be poppycock.