Nov 21, 2012

DuClaw Brewing Mysterium

There are just some styles of beer that I don’t get along with — never have and more than likely never really will. That said, I will always make an effort to those beer styles an opportunity to change my opinion of them. Take my ongoing battle with the red ale for instance. It’s not a style that I’m particularly fond of, but if you search the archives of this site, you’ll a plethora of reviews — some confirming my dislike of the genre and others that were actually pretty darn good.

Herbed or spiced beers occupy another area of Beerdom that I have mixed emotions about. More often than not, the beer is overly spiced and just not all that pleasant to drink. And, unfortunately, DuClaw Brewing’s own version of the style, Mysterium, won’t do much to sway my preferences. This isn’t a bad beer mind you, but the 5% ABV spiced beer just has too much going on spice-wise for my simple minded palate.

Appearance

Mysterium pours a golden amber in color with a short-lived cap of white foam.

Aroma

Oh man. There is a ton of spice notes rising up from the surface of the beer. It’s already sending warning messages to my tongue. There’s a hint of cereal malt and lemony citrus in the mix, as well.

Taste

And, yep. Lot’s of spices here, but not as alarming as the nose let on. Lemongrass, ginger, lemony citrus coriander all present themselves right from the get-go. The beer is a little on the syrupy and sweet side, as well. It reminds me a little bit of Brasserie Dieu du Ciel’s Rosée D’hibiscus (a beer I actually liked), but not quite as refined or as delicate.

Overall

I’m not trying to knock Mysterium. I’m sure that it has legions of fans who whole heartedly love themselves a ton of spices. I’m just not one of them. does that mean, I won’t have another herbed/spiced beer ever again? Of course not. That would be silly and quitting. And as noted above, regarding the red ale, I’ll never quit finding that one beer that will change my opinion of it and its brethren.

Rating: 2.75/5

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