Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company Concrete Pillow
What the brewers say
“Big, hearty, chewy, and bready, Exhibits notes of toasted bread, chewy caramel, and raisins with a slight hint of alcohol to remind you where this beer could take you. Brewed seasonally with different hops.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Spicy hops and tropical fruit notes come to the front, with a hint of mint, followed by a caramel malt backbone. Some nice sherry oxidation. The balance of citrus hops and forthright molasses/malt makes me think more of a West Coast barleywine. The fruity esters intertwine with alcohol.”
Flavor: “Caramel malt sweetness and fruity esters give way to strong hops a- vors and bitterness. The hops are a bit too prominent for an EBW. Finishes slightly dry with a lingering bitterness that plays well with the subdued malt backbone.”
Overall: “Really tasty beer, but hard to judge as an EBW since it really doesn’t taste like one. Traditional stone-fruit es- ters are replaced by tropical characteris- tics. A hops-forward (aroma and avor, not bitterness) barleywine that brings most of the elements together fairly well. Bitterness and alcohol warmth becomes more pronounced as it warms.”
