Roots Organic Calypso Ale

Brewed by Roots Organic Brewing
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Portland, Oregon USA

Surpisingly a really good ale. The peppers and apricot mimic a more robust floral hop profile and come out great. A little bite to the end of a sip, a creative recipe.

Pale gold with a bit of blush and a slight head. aromas of apricot, honey and hot pepper Light in the mouth, like a good summer lager. flavor is light, with little apricot, wheat toast, and then that habanero heat that comes up after a few seconds and doesn’t go away.

Draught. Poured pale gold with floral and peppery nose. Very peppery flavour, you could really taste the scotch bonnet, but a wheat bread backbone that kept the valance in. lingering peppery finish.

Sampled at 2008 Oregon Brewer’s Festival. One of my favorites at the festival because of its uniqueness. First sip is a smooth ride and then you’re hit with the spice of the scotch bonnet peppers on the palate. Very tasty.

OBF 2008. Didn’t have high hopes for this one, but thought it was quite brilliant. Great pepper taste, but balanced well with bready malts. It’s not often I’ll go back for seconds on a pepper brew, but I did for this one. Held up well together.

Revisited on tap at the Green Dragon. This sampling was quite a bit better, more carbonation gave this beer more life and broke up the watery palate. The pepper was still nice, but this had more body to it with a light bready/wheaty malt flavor up front that improved it. OBF 2008. I really wanted to enjoy this beer. I like pepper beers a lot, but this came out to watery for me, very thin bodied, the pepper was there, but stayed soft and mild. The base of this beer just came out to watery and bland for the pepper to do much.

On tap at OBF 2008--Poured a light golden body with a small white head. Sweet, crisp prickly hot mouthfeel. Nose of bright peppers and chips and salsa. Quite unique. Not too hot, just right. Great example of a pepper beer from one of the more inventive breweries around.