Friday, February 26, 2010

Railway City Dead Elephant Ale Review


Today I have something different - a growler. I went to a party last weekend and someone brought 3 growlers of Railway City brews. One was the Blonde Ale, one was the Amber and the last one was the Dead Elephant Ale. At the end of the night, only one remained sealed and that was the Dead Elephant Ale. The guy who brought these was nice enough to give me the last growler to take home and give it a peaceful, sober try.

I was told that each of growlers cost $12, a cost which includes $4 for the deposit on the bottle and $8 to fill the bottle. Eight dollars for half a gallon of beer does not sound too expensive here in Ontario. The beer is poured fresh into each growler and then marked appropriately. In this photo you can see the name, DEA and the percentage - 6.8%. The sticker next to the label indicates the date the beer was poured. The cap is then sealed with black plastic foil.


The only problem with these growlers is that you cannot get the $4 back unless you drive to St. Thomas and bring the bottle back to the brewery. The brewery is sadly too far for me to bring back the growler so I will keep it as a souvenir. Now lets try the beer.

The beer is a bit cloudy, amber/reddish in color and poured with a thick, lacy and creamy head due to the size and awkwardness of the growler. The head takes some time to go down and once that happens, a pleasant aroma hits the nose. It is flowery with hints of biscuit, mango and dried fruits. Excellent aroma. The taste is sweet and just as good as the aroma with similar characteristics, and with a touch of malt. The hops come alive at the end and the finish is medium, bitter and dry. I love it. I like this much more than the Blonde Ale I had a few months ago.

Scores:
Cost - $12 for growler plus beer, $4 for the bottle so $8 for the 1/2 gal of beer
Taste - 8.1/10

Overall - 8.1/10...great complex beer that is good for both sipping and straight drinking. The only downside is that I haven't seen this in store, only at the brewery

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