bad elf winter’s ale
December 29th, 2007 by don
Bad Elf is brewed in the UK by the Ridgeway Brewery. This ale made the news in 2005 when the state of Connecticut tried to ban its sale because they claimed the label appealed to children. Luckily, we’re not quite that uptight here in Iowa, so I was able to get some of this for the holiday season.
However, the label might be the best part of this beer. It pours a golden yellow with a slight haze. The aroma is strongly of alcohol, and reminded by of a white wine. The alcohol taste is also evident right up front. This is followed by a sweet maltiness, before the bitterness creeps in. The bitter taste, however, is somewhat nondescript. It’s bitter, but without a particular hop flavor. As the bitterness fades, the alcohol presence returns.
I didn’t really care much for this brew, which is supposed to be an IPA. The alcohol content is 6%, which is somewhat high, but not unusual. However, the alcohol presence was just too much, and seemed to overtake everything else. Bad Elf is going on my naughty list.
