Ewww.... there's pictures of sperm on the label!
A lively discussion took place at the Beer & Whiskey Brothers blog when this beer was first introduced. In a nutshell, some thought the label was gross, some trust Smuttynose and would definitely try it, and others could care less about the label and just don’t like Belgian-style Golden Ales.
Since The Wookie referred to me as the “Mikey of Alcohol” (*) because I will “drink anything”, I just had to track down this beer and review it! This past Wet Wednesday, The Wookie and I enjoyed the cool fall weather and split a bottle of Smutty’s Homunculus on his patio.
Here’s what Smuttynose has to say about the Homunculus:
This hoppy, Belgian-style golden ale first appeared in early 2007 as the first edition of our Short Batch Series. At that time, we called it the Gnome, an homage to Brasserie d’Achouffe. Renamed Homunculus, it will make its first appearance as part of the Big Beer Series in the spring of 2011. You can read about its origins in the Short Batch Series here.
And now for the review…
- Appearance: Cloudy, pale orange color with a thick and creamy quarter inch head. Sticky lacing clings to the glass.
- Aroma: Orange zest. Honey. Mild, floral hops. Yeast.
- Taste: Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation that tingles your tongue. Slightly tart. Moderate bitterness. Slightly astringent finish that reminds me of a Belgian Farmhouse Ale.
- ABV: 9.9%
Looks like Smuttynose has done it again! Their Homunculus is a smooth and easy drinking beer that will definitely sneak up on you if you’re not careful (I still can’t believe that it has an ABV of almost 10%!). It was a bit too cold when I first started drinking it, but after letting it warm up a bit, all of the flavors started to reveal themselves. To paraphrase The Wookie, “if a beer still tastes good when it gets warm, then it’s a damn good beer!”. The Smuttynose Homunculus is a damn good beer!
Footnotes:
(*) The Wookie screwed up the Mikey reference. Mikey was super picky, not 99% omniverous like me. Here’s the commercial for your viewing pleasure…
Filed under: Beer, Brew Review Tagged: Beer, Beer and Whiskey Brothers, Craft Beer, Photo, Pictures, Portsmouth, Review, Reviews, Smuttynose, Smuttynose Homunculus