In Review #3: Tröegs Mad Elf Ale
My favorite side-effect of taking up home brewing is the “research” I get to do for styles I’m not totally familiar with. Sometime in early October I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to brew a pumpkin ale and get it aged in time for the fall drinking season. After consulting with my wife, we decided to move straight into winter ales and brew a stout and a “holiday” ale. I picked up “Emma’s Ale” as a base and I’ll be researching holiday offerings from different breweries to decide what I want to add to the kit. First up is Tröegs Mad Elf Ale.
Aroma: The cherry is full, but gentle on the nose. There’s a belgian yeastiness and some delicious dark maltiness. After a few sniffs what was originally discernable as cherry devolves into a deep generically fruity aroma.
Appearance: Mad Elf pours a beautiful coppery red. A short-lived white head formed nary a fourth of a finger thick during my pour. (insert obligatory comment about my inability to generate head here). As the “short-lived” would imply the head faded quickly and there wasn’t much at all during the rest of the glass.
Flavor:Mad Elf is a fruity Belgian Strong Ale at heart and it shows. Classic belgian yeast character is well-balanced with the fruitiness and cherry flavors. The caramel malt is evident, but definitely playing second-fiddle to the other flavors. There’s little to no hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel:Mildly syrupy. The carbonation is present, but not overwhelming. The fruit and yeast lingers in the mouth but evaporates to a mildly bitter finish.
Overall Impression: If you poured me this beer in a lineup and asked me to pick the “holiday” ale it probably wouldn’t be my first choice. The cherry flavor comes through as advertised, but it’s so in line with the Strong Ale style as to be nondescript. It’s a good example of the style (apart from the head, which may or may not be my own fault), but doesn’t bring the holiday flavors I’m looking for. This would be a good winter offering for nights curled up with some shortbread, a nice little blaze going in the fireplace, and a classic movie.
score: 37