Starr Hill Brewery | Fall Tour Variety Pack
According the the calendar, it is officially fall. As we have entered October, East Tennessee has had some record heat. While the great weather prognosticators would indicate cooler temperatures are on the horizon, summer seems to be the gum on our seasonal shoes. Retailers had prepared for fall back in August with pumpkins, pumpkin spice, Halloween costumes, candy and, dare I say it, pumpkin beer. No one is ready for such silliness in August yet no one is accepting of 95 degree weather in October either, yet here we are.
Fortunately, our friends at Starr Hill have a solution-in-beer that covers the gamut of this weather ridiculousness with a selection that both covers the warm and the cooler days. We’re no stranger to the seasonal 12 packs that come out of Charlottesville and we appreciate that the team at Starr Hill is always looking to change things up. In this particular Fall Tour we find Grateful Pale Ale, Last Leaf Maple Brown Ale, Festie Oktoberfest Lager and Reviver Red IPA. While we’ve covered each of these beers previously, the two that immediately caught my eye were Last Leaf and Reviver. Being as I geeked out on Last Leaf in the linked post above and ol’ snob Don wrote about Reviver, I thought I’d take a shot at the latter.
Reviver Red IPA: I’ve always appreciated IPAs that fall into this category as the amber characteristics signal to the brain through the eye that more malt sweetness should be found. This beer pours a nice clear amber that lends itself a little towards the brown side. The head is nice and thick, white and laces the glass well. On the nose I find the marrying of malt and hops that I was hoping for. The citrus hop aroma gives way to the toasty malt quality as they both ebb and flow with each sniff. On the palate the malt brings forward a toast bread-like sweetness and a bit of caramel. This is quickly washed away with a slight bitterness as the sip exits the palate leaving only a slight bitter flavor that calls for the next draw. The body of this beer could be considered medium to medium low and coats the palate very nicely with a moderate amount of carbonation.
Final Snobs: It is as I remember. This is a beer that could certainly stand alone on a hot day but could easily pair with a cool fall evening surrounded by falling leaves, a campfire and the laughter of good friends. I’d pair this beer with BBQ pork or ribs in a heartbeat.
Prost!