Day 20: of the 3rd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 20: Clown Shoes Reindeer Games
One of the first craft beers that Broad fell in love with was Muffin Top from Clown Shoes so this brewery holds a special place in our hearts. We don’t usually think to look at this brewery for special seasonal ales but we’re excited to try this one. Plus, the can is amazing. There isn’t a description on the website or really on the can besides it being a Bavarian style IPA, which leads us to believe it’s an IPA brewed exclusively with Bavarian, or German, noble hops.
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: I’m a fan of most of Clown Shoes’ beers, they make some great stuff. They also have an incredible design team because their cans and bottles always look amazing. This can is no different, and neither is what’s inside of it. There’s not many Bavarian style IPA’s out there so I was looking forward to this. It definitely has a softer bitterness than a regular or west coast IPA because of the German hops used, which are more floral and herbal than citrusy and piney. It’s also a bit more on the malty side. All in all, a really nice beer. I wouldn’t say it’s the most Christmasy thing out there, but dammit the can looks awesome.
Broad: I don’t know what a Bavarian style IPA is but I’m interested to try it, especially since I love Clown Shoes beers. Also this is the best can ever! It has a hoppy, IPA smell which I like but it also smells like a malty Pilsner. I can’t put my finger on the taste. I wish it had more hops or a more piney taste. It almost has a malty taste and it tastes like a Pilsner mixed with an IPA. I would not classify this as a Christmas ale, but I would probably try this again.
Adam & Alex
Adam: I wish I loved this more because it has the best possible can ever and is named after a truly terrible ben Affleck movie. Alas, it’s lacking. It smells like caramel but tastes flat. Not piney enough or anything really. Nothing stands out unfortunately.
Alex: This can deserves top marks, but I can’t say I enjoyed this beer. It smelled a little weird and I couldn’t put my finger on what this actually tastes like, which is not helpful here, so I apologize. “Suck it, Reindeer Games.” – Ronnie.
Scott & Christa
Scott: We’ve found a winner for best can this year. I mean the artistry is beautiful, funny and clever. I would love to get this framed and hang as a print on my office wall. No wonder they used a tall boy can because it was worth the extra real estate. As for the beer? Eh, not great. But the can is top notch!
Christa: This beer is sadly bland despite how baller their can is. It has nothing that strikes me as wintery or holiday. I don’t get much of anything at all. Perhaps their marketing team knew they had a dud on their hands and amped up their artwork but it doesn’t distract from the fact this is a pint of disappointment.
Tony & Megan
Tony: Right off the bat you notice the can art where Santa is shooting his snow ball bazooka at his reindeer so thats pretty sweet. The beer smells hoppy but I think hops are startin to grow on me. Not literally, that would be ackward and probably a sign of something more serious, but I’m startin to come around the hops flavor. You get a hint of spices with this one, tastes a touch watered down (if thats even a thing) but overall pretty good flavor. The can definitely screams “Christmas” but the flavor doesn’t as much. Fun can, great name, and pretty good flavor.
Megan: If you like IPAs, you might like this one. The can is whimsical but this doesn’t stand out to me as a Christmasy beer as much as just a regular IPA. It’s not overwhelmingly bitter, so I could drink a couple of these, but, not my favorite.