The Saturday after Thanksgiving was spent having a boys day with my brothers and my dad. Played some Par 3 golf. My two brothers don't play golf so they were learning. We also went out and played some tennis. All of us played tennis in high school, only 3 of us were actually any good while we were in high school. In between the two sports, we ate some lunch at the Aviator restaurant. They have their bar setup across the street in the old train depot, and the restaurant part across the street. Very good food for a brewery, I had a big burger that was more than enough for me. The best part is you can replace your two sides with a beer if you want. A burger and a beer was all that I needed for lunch.
So which beer did I get? I went with the Hot Rod Red, Aviator's flagship brew. I received my beer in your standard pint glass with about half a finger of tan head. Solid retention, it left a sheet of lacing around the rim of the glass. A very nice red, copper color, deeper and darker than some of the amber ales that I see. I detect aromas of malt, toast, earth, and light herb. I guess I don't have a lot of this style of beer, especially when in hindsight I was thinking that this would fall in the amber category. I was wrong.
The taste is different and interesting. It's a little more earthy and has this mouthfeel and bitter finish I would associate with unsweet tea. There's some candy corn sweetness that goes with the toasted malt taste. Pretty complex, maybe even appropriate for the style, but it just wasn't singing in my mouth like some beers can. Both the carbonation and the body was moderate. As far as sessionable goes, this one is borderline, depends on your tastes. Not a bad beer at all, I'm surprised it took so long for me to get around to drinking it. Still, I plan on tasting the rest of their wares down the line.
Grade: B-
Price Paid: $5.00 (16 oz draught)
