D9 "Cotton Candy Salt Water Taffy" Ale

This is the third of this four pack of confectioner style beers from D9 Brewing. The first two were not spectacular. I don't know if it's the fact that dessert beers tend to be better whenever they're a chocolate stout or something similar, but it seems really hard to do a good sweet ale. A few have managed to do it pretty well, but it seems to be an uphill battle. I'm certainly hoping that this one and the one that comes after it balance out this four pack with winning combinations.

The color is quite attractive with its very clear brass coloring. The head is not obnoxiously thick, but it is enough to let you know that this is an ale. It sticks around pretty well, and the ring around the sides of the glass is pretty thick; it combines with a significant enough lily pad of tiny bubbles in the middle of the beer. The aroma is nebulously sweet, and it has a tropical fruit quality about it that is equally indistinct. Presentation is pretty good, but I don't know what I've gotten myself into.

First sip absolutely does not taste like cotton candy or salt water taffy. In fact, if those things weren't written on the can, they would probably not come up in this review whatsoever. It is relatively sweet, but that's more of a caramel malt than it is anything else. I suppose there's a bit of agave sweetness that might be coming from the beats that this was purportedly brewed with. It's not bad, but it's watery, and the flavors are very indistinct watermelon, honeydew, and coriander.

Tip-in is faint carbonation sizzle with coriander, watermelon, and honeydew mixing with an undeserved sweet agave. The middle is where the malt comes forward a bit, and the caramel seems to be pretty much the meat in a water sandwich. The finish tastes a little off, and the trail off is a little sweet.

Bottom Line: Another one of these that I can't recommend.

1.5/5