Taft's "Nellie's Key Lime" Ale

The first Taft's beer I had was one that my brother recommended, and it was excellent. This one was actually provided by my brother, so I'm expecting even more from it. The fact that it's a key lime pie-style beer doesn't automatically mean it's going to be bad, but it's not inspiring confidence for some reason.

The full, rocky head consists of many large, medium, and small bubbles almost in equal measure. Eventually, they settle to a scattered and light dusting of bubbles atop a golden beer that, were it not for the scant carbonation that I can barely pick out, resembles a clear, filtered apple juice. The aroma hit me as soon as I opened the can, and it smells like a somewhat abrasive lime juice mixed with a very dull lager.

First sip is surprisingly good. I'm not sure what abrasiveness I was sensing in the aroma, but that fear is dispelled is soon is the sip hits my lips. The lime is there with a combination biscuit and cracker malt that engenders a certain amount of sweetness into the beer for a calm, but still involved, beer experience. I can sip this all day. At 4.8% ABV, I could do it relatively without fear.

Tip-in is a little watery, but the lime rind and the crackers are mixing with the carbonation sizzle to try to cover up the lack of flavor thrust. The middle rides the carbonation up to the top of the mouth where it increases its burn while the watery mixture of lime juice and rather dull ale flows underneath it. The finish hits with a little more solidity, and the slight tartness that the lime leaves with the sweetness of the malt makes up for that unsettled center.

Bottom Line: Not an everyday beer, but not a bad one to try out.

2.25/5