Sun Up Light Rail Cream Ale

Brewed by Sun Up Brewing Company (Sonora Brewhouse)
Style: Cream Ale
Phoenix, Arizona USA

Gold with a thin white head. Beer had a light fruiy aroma. Flavor is sweet creamy vanilla with light citrus notes at the finish. Smooth, easy drinking beer. Not bad.

On draught at the Brewer’s Den (Sonora Brewhouse) in Phoenix, AZ. Pours a clear pale golden brew with a creamy thin off-white head that slowly dissipates to a white ring and film top. Aroma of fruity light golden grain malt, a touch of vanilla, some citrus zest and honey. Taste is light to medium bodied, light carbonation with a light fruity malt and vanilla flavor. Finish has a light flowery hop aftertaste and then quickly changes to a clean cut palate. One of the better cream ales I’ve tried.

I thought this beer was unremarkabale until I tasted it. I’m relatively inexperienced with cream ales, but this beer tasted actually quite creamy and lightly fruity! This (for some reason) pleasantly surprised me. It poured a bright sparkling yellow with a good amount of head which had limited durability. Aroma was really minimal, but lightly fruity. Taste was quite odd (in a good way)...a bit of subtle spice along with a genuine creaminess which I found quite shocking. Mouthfeel was a bit harsh, but not bad. I found this beer rather drinkable. I’d recommend this beer as a great example of a cream ale.

Draft at the brewpub. Clear golden color with a tenacious white head that left some nice lace on the glass. Smelled of light sprucy hops and malty cereal grain. Smooth and slightly sweet on the tongue. Very easy to drink. Minimal hop bitterness with light flowery hop and malty ceral grian flavors. Pretty good, especially for a cream ale.

On tap @ Brewers Den poured a clear yellow with a lasting white head. Aromas of bread and a hint of citrus. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of bread and a hint of lemon with a crisp dry finish.

Tap @ brewhouse. Had a vanilla, sweet citric and some spice for aroma. Gold body with creamy white head and left good lacing on the glass. Body texture was little thin but it had a decent fruity flavor and vanilla aftertaste on palate.

This beer is a brilliantly clear gold color and is topped by a thin, frothy, pale, off white colored head. A soft fruity aroma is a mix of kiwis (I think), apple and honeysuckle. Actually more than fruity this reminds me of an aromatic sweet nectar from a flower. I really like the aroma, there is a soft herbal character to it as well an perhaps even a touch of diacetyl, which only adds to the complexity.

The taste is a touch creamy feeling with a definite malt sweetness and again just a hint of diacetyl. A nice honey flavor runs throughout as does a nice hoppy, herbal bitterness. The bitterness fades in the finish where the sweet honey-like nectar notes linger on for a bit. The mix of flavors in this cream ale are just so well integrated. In fact this is the first cream ale I have had that I would be happy to drink again. Despite this, I don’t see this being too much for the craft beer neophyte or reluctant brew-pub goer.