BREWER: Uiltje Brewing Co., North Holland
STYLE: American Black Ale
ABV: 5.5%
VESSEL: 330ml bottle
TWITTER: @HetUiltje
JYMI SAY’S…
The aviarian eyed of you will have noticed that the packaging for this American Black Ale is centred around a cartoon. The cartoon’s dialogue is between two curious looking chickens discussing Sir Turnaround and it goes a little something like this…. In fact it goes exactly like this…..
‘What a klutz’!
‘What a goof’!
‘Nah, he’s just playing mind games with you’.
‘What do you mean’?
‘He looks dark and toasty, but he actually flies like a butterfly’.
‘Huh’?
‘He hops like an IPA’.
‘By God that’s genius…. Any drinking tips’?
‘No flashlights, no strobe lights, no sunlight. Drink fresh or keep dark and cool’.
What an incredibly innovative way to describe the experience you should get from a beer and what the characteristics of this ABA actually are… my only issue is, it looks terrible!. Don’t get me wrong, marks are certainly being awarded for the innovation here but when it comes to the look of the packaging I’m really not being so generous. The colours are terrible and the fact you can’t really see the name of the beer without turning the bottle is pretty irritating. I love and admire what Uiltje have attempted, it’s just not worked out.
Nose is of burnt caramel which should be a huge highlight but because it’s a bit thin only comes out as pleasant enough. This pretty much carries on into the ‘sip n swallow experience’…. A huge plus is that there is plenty of flavour up front, again of burnt caramel, but the body is so thin it just disappears into a large disappointment. Then come’s a very bitter almost acrid aftertaste. Oh dear. None of the above is helped by the fact that the whole beer seems to be over carbonated.
However, in conclusion I’m actually going to finish on a high! With a bit more care, attention and thought all the way through from packaging to body to carbonation, this could actually be a really good beer.
Idea’s…Good.
Execution…Meh, not so good.
Jymi’s Rating: 52%
SAMMY SAY’S…
Sir Turnaround is a fantastic name for this beer. The unique way of presenting the story on the label works to a degree. Many would like it. The USP is clear: it’s a dark beer that isn’t heavy. It’s obvious that even before you get into this beer you know what you should be experiencing. However, I am going to state that I do not like the gimmicky cartoon. And chickens? Why chickens? Talking chickens? What do chickens know about beer? I must be missing something (I mean to cause no offence to the poultry world). It somehow makes the beer feel cheap. But hey…what do I know?
In the glass, the nose doesn’t give the impression of a light beer. In fact, it backs up the colour, which is very, very dark. Once on the palate, it’s like you are dealing with a lighter coloured beer, as promised by the chickens on the label. The thing is, it is not great. There’s very little to the taste and when I drink it, I find myself searching and waiting for the flavour to deliver…and it just doesn’t. Nothing comes through. There is no follow up. The initial sip is the best you’ll get. It has very little body to it, so you’d be able to happily throw a couple of them back, and that’s about as good as it gets.
Chickens, you are definitely not beer experts. Stick to laying eggs.
Sammy’s Rating: 53%
MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 52.5%
MOB review next weekend: INSPECTOR REMORSE by ELECTRIC BEAR BREWING CO.
MUSE ON BOOZE 