Samurai Rice Ale
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Great Divide Brewing Co. is responsible for the great YETI Imperial Stout I enjoyed a few weeks ago, and I have several of their beers waiting for me.
Tonight, the Samurai “Rice Ale” caught my attention and reeled me in.
What does Great Divide say about this beer? According to both the label and their website, they opine:
SAMURAI is an easy drinking, unfiltered ale that changes the status quo for unfiltered beers. The addition of rice gives Samurai a slightly fruity, crisp, refreshing and clean taste. This is definitely not your everyday unfiltered beer. 5.1% ABV
This makes it sound like a delicious take on Budweiser, but only tasting it will tell the tale.
I grabbed a tulip glass and started pouring. Samurai splashed into the glass looking somewhere on the spectrum between soft yellow and pale gold. This beer is definitely hazy and unfiltered, but it’s without apparent sediment or floating suspensions. The top section of my tulip glass was completely filled with tightly packed white bubbles as the foam rushed upward before beginning its slow sink — ultimately settling down to form a creamy ring.
The aroma is both floral and energetic, refreshing with a few citrus notes. But if you agitate the glass, it foams up and layers in a warm, delicate bouquet of spicy hops.
In short — it smells pretty good, so let’s bring on the taste!
Samurai comes across as crisp and very soft on the palate. My immediate impressions were of malt, followed by a light fruitiness and more grain. But the hops soon began to assert themselves at mid-palate in the form of a gently-warm spice that lifted and carried the taste. I began to imagine a battle between an American Ale and a Japanese Lager, but before I got too far in this reverie the hops surged and each sip became pleasantly herbal and spicy. And as I neared the bottom of my glass, the citrus fruit reappeared — resulting in a tart, lemony, dry finish that was balanced with just the right amount of hops.
I’ll hold this beer up as another example of why craft beer should be given a chance to warm up and breath. Served at refrigerator temperature, I imagine I would have completely overlooked the nuance at the start and finish of this beer.
If you’re looking for a light, refreshing beer but aren’t interested in having a lager, this is certainly the beer for you. I liked it — Samurai was a nice respite from many of the heavy-handed beers I’ve been having.
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