Real Ale Brewer's Cut #17 - Helles

I have been on Real Ale beers like a fat kid on a cupcake lately.  But, who can blame me when their output is just so damn good?  The latest in their Brewer's Cut series is a Helles, a light and tasty German style beer that's an excellent drink for a warm Spring day.  The beer pours a light gold with a white, foamy head and smells of malt and bread.  The taste is fairly bready, but with some spicy hop notes in the mix and a mild sweetness.  This is a post-yard work kind of brew.

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Real Ale Real Heavy Scotch Ale

Blanco's Real Ale have seemingly been all about the high-alcohol brews of late with the recent release of three different heavy hitters in bomber form.  One of these is their Real Heavy Scotch Ale, a 9.7% ABV brew that uses English malts and hops to fine perfection.  The beer pours a dark brown with a light head and smells of molasses and toffee with some fruit and alcohol notes.  Toffee is the predominant flavor of the brew, but there are some nice hoppy notes that keep the beer from getting too terribly sweet.  It's a lovely way to unwind after a long day.

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Rapture Fusion Brown Ale

Last week, i was able to try a beer from a brewery i had not heard of yet, Rabbit Hole Brewing out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Their Rapture Fusion Brown Ale is a delicious beer, a brown ale that's malty and roasty but with a citrus and hops bite.  Pouring a dark brown, the beer smells of malts and hops that are evident to the tongue as well.  Some bready notes are there as well.  What surprised me most was citrus and spice, giving the beer a way different character than your regular brown ale.  Nice stuff.

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Real Ale Commissar Russian Imperial Stout

The springtime usually puts me in the mood for lighter beers or IPA's, but i just had to make an exception for the always dependable folks at Real Ale and their Commissar Russian Imperial Stout.  Weighing in at 9.8% ABV, this big boy does not mess around.  The beer pours a dark black with a good and foamy tan head.  Aromas of roasted malts, some dark fruit notes, and hints of spice.  The beer is roasty and full bodied, the malts, subtle fruit, and hints of coffee and chocolate hitting at first taste with a nice and bitter backend.  The Commissar is definitely a sipper, but i really enjoyed it.

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