Another day has dawned and that day is hump day, the middle day of the week. That makes today the perfect day to review the middle of the three beers I got from Eric over at the Bearded Brewing Blog... El Muerto Ale. What started as a Dead Guy clone has morphed into something I can only classify as an Amber and that may be inaccurate as well. I love the naming convention of calling a Dead Guy clone 'El Muerto', very clever.
This beer started as the Gringo did, with a big rush of carbonation. A big poofy tan head sits atop this cloudy dark amber to brown colored brew. This beer isn't clear but it is fairly translucent. It was much prettier than I could get with my camera and flash. Some sediment in this one too, but again appears to be mainly yeast. In the nose I initially got a phenolic peppery or clovelike aroma. Not what I think Eric intended, but I think time may have gotten the best of this one. I am getting a little bit of papery aroma which would suggest oxidation, also evidence of aging. Fortunately those aspects weren't dominant enough that I couldn't get down to the meat of the beer. I got a slight but faded hop aroma and toffee and caramel sweetness. The flavor was very intriguing. This one again started sweet but finished dry, kind of a dusty dry. There is plenty of nutty toasty malt presence which I found very welcoming. Nice bitterness dances across the tongue and down the back of my throat. The bitterness lingers ever so slightly into a medium to medium-high mouthfeel. Lots of cleansing carbonation but the body almost comes across as chewy, but in an enjoyable way.
I liked this beer, but I have a feeling in its prime I would have loved it. I especially enjoyed the malt profile which was one that you rarely find by either commercial or homebrewers these days. I would love to see this rise from the dead sometime down the road and give it another shot. I imagine the hops could be more of a highlight and the malt aromas would shine through.
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