Shmaltz Star Trek 50 Golden Anniversary Ale (The Trouble with Tribbles)

A gift from the same friend that gave me the last Star Trek beer I tried, this is also from the same brewery. That one wasn't the best, but I have hopes that hops will make this one much better. Star Trek should certainly be picky about how good the beer is that they put their name on, but they've put their name on some pretty shoddy stuff before, so I don't know.

The beer is definitely golden. The head is dense and sticky enough to make me think that it may deserve the name of "ale." It's not patchy like an IPA, but it has possibilities. The aroma is more spices that have a right to be here; the bready malt is a lot more forward than I'd expect from an ale.

First sip is aggressively caustic. It's odd that it manages to have the difficulty in the spiciness and grains while also managing to be excessively watery. So, not a sipping beer, this. Will it be a swigging beer? I have to admit going into the next phase with more than a modicum of trepidation, but I must discern the truth!

Tip-in is actually a little sweet and caramel with carbonation nipping at the edges. The middle raises spices and bread with some kind of manufactured acidic calm. It's like if you took a very citrusy beer and then made it a nitro version - so you have the acid from the citrus, and the mellow of the head at odds with each other. The finish abruptly makes things intolerable with a pretty nasty jolt of spices and citrus before trailing off with an intangible wateriness.

Bottom Line: This thing is a mess that should never have sullied the Star Trek name.

0.75/5