Three things right off the bat before I review Clown Shoes Beer’s Clementine:
1. I do not like clowns. Ever since Stephen King’s IT. So, the name scares me off.
2. Not a fan of some of their beer names. Tramp Stamp, Muffin Top, Lubrication and Flight of the Pimp seem more attention grabbing than anything. On the other hand, I like Hoppy Feet.
3. The label art seems to feed into the attention grabbing and talk about me on Facebook good AND bad mode that says to me, that the beer can’t sell itself.
But, with that being said. I am clearing my mind and pouring this beer with a good name and nice-simple label into a glass.
Lot’s of bubbles here. Color is tinting towards orange though primarily yellow. Good amount of foam here. Aroma gives off a candied orange peel note of medium strength. The taste is straight up spicy. Lots of coriander going on here. But the orange taste sticks. Almost to the point of creamsicle orange before it pulls back. Those two competing flavor notes work well together in this effort. One of the better and punchier white ales that I have had in a while. I’m glad Sunset Beer Co. had started getting these beers in so that I can take stock of the beer inside.
And here is the info from the Clown Shoes website…..
“Light-bodied and crisp, this is a terrific White Ale with plenty of zest! Hazy in appearance and healthily carbonated, it utilizes Chambly yeast to energetically shape its wheat malt base. Incorporated in the brewing process is Clementine, sweet orange peel, a hint of Coriander, and Summit hops.”