May 20, 2015

Old Ox Brewing Kristen’s Temper

I’m a big fan of a mellow bit of peppery spiciness in the right beer. Whether it be a roasty chipotle character or the late warmth of serrano pepper, there’s just something about that presence in a beer. Of course, with tongue twisting baddies like Ghost Face Killah and Stone’s Crime and Punishment, there are those beers where too much can also be a good thing. Old Ox Brewing Kristen’s Temper isn’t really all that feisty and sits comfortably at the tamer end of the pepper spectrum.

This 5.5% ABV American pale ale is brewed with jalapeños and Citra hops to create a beer that has a solid hop profile and distant tingle of peppery warmth. The jalapeño has never really been one of my favorite peppers — they have a nice burst of heat, but not the best flavor. Thankfully, the brewery didn’t over do it with the peppers and the flavor doesn’t really impact the overall nature of this beer.

Appearance

Kristen’s Temper pours golden amber in color with a large cap of frothy, off-white foam.

Old Ox Brewing Kristen's Revenge photo

Aroma

The jalapeño dominates the aroma as light bready notes, a touch of citrus and grain are also present. I wish there was a bit more Citra here.

Taste

The flavor pretty much follows the nose’s lead. A good amount of jalapeño files in first with citrus, soft bready notes and a touch of pine quickly following closely behind. A moderate bitterness (35 IBU) tingles the senses as just a hint of pepper heat waves “Hello” late in the lasting finish. The beer has a good body and refreshing quality.

Overall

While there is a good amount of jalapeño flavor throughout this beer, it’s not at a level so great as to fully distract from the base pale ale. With a name like Kristen’s Temper, I was expecting a bit more heat perhaps, but maybe that’s because I like a good amount of heat. That said, the tease of spicy warmth in the background is a nice touch and compliments the light hop bitterness well.

Rating: 3.5/5

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