New Albanian Phoenix Kentucky Komon

Brewed by New Albanian Brewing Company
Style: Traditional Ale
New Albany, Indiana USA

Draft sample at Keg Liqour Fest of Ale. Poured a hazy brown color with an average off-white head that diminished slowly with fair lacing. Good aroma of toasted malt and tart fruit. Medium body with smooth texture. Good fruity bittersweet flavor with a complex bittersweet finish of medium duration. Interesting complex brew.

Tap. Tart cherry malt aroma. Dark brown color with a small head. Puckeringly tart cherry with a light juniper/heather flavor. A very unique beer.

On tap at Rich O’s Publick House during RBSG Road Trip 2007. Clear ruby amber body with a small off-white head. Sweet grainy malt aroma with some light sour cherry. Sweet grainy chocolate malt and light nutty flavor with some light sour cherry. Very fizzy mouthfeel.

Light and tasty, the corn mash came through with a bourbon like sweetness and a faint pleasant sourness. I normally detest bourbon because of the corn, but in this case it was oddly refreshing, mostly because of the light and drinkable character of the beer.

Draught at the brewpub. Nearly-opaque dark brown, short lacing, beige head. Slightly sour/funky nose. Thin, lightly bitter body with a bit of a crisp bite. A little bit on the warmfunk side, as if a better beer had been left out in the sun for a while, but with nice playfulness at the back of the mouth and into the throat. Medium-full body with a touch of spice in the aftertaste. This was presented to me as another of this brewer’s California Commons, though it is listed as a Traditional Ale here; in either case, it’s at least as good as an Anchor Steam, with slightly more character.

Draft: Generous covering of dirty-white silk. Charming nose of glazed pinewood and sweet bready malt. Cleanly yeasty with a touch of corn and yogurt. Soft and slippery mouthfeel. Tight carbonation. Nicely understated tartness immediately underlines the ensuing barrage of sweet corn and dry, bread-accented malt. Suggestive black cherry flavor harmoniously gels with a mild black licorice tingle. Substantial woody dryness from the malt. Finishes with an easygoing blend of minerals and plums over a firm base of barky malt dryness and earthy hops. Superb session beer.

On thinking back on this my number may be elevated a bit for the uniqueness ~ so it goes, I’ll stick with my original numbers. Sampled at Schlafly Repeal Fest ’08. Pours dark brown with a minimal sized head. The aroma has sourness (sour mash, not like a Flemish sour) and dark malt. Medium / thin body with light but biting carbonation. The taste is much like the aroma and is lightly sweet. Okay, but I wouldn’t want too much.

Draft at the brewpub: When I ordered this, I thought it was going to be a steam beer, and yellow in color. It came alongside a Community Dark and looked virtually the same. Dark brown with a medium beige head. Aroma was of light roasted malt with hints of sour cherries. Flavor was much the same. Just a slight sour note to it with a little roasted malt. Kindof watery but easy drinking. I enjoyed it.