Not too long ago, RJ Rockers Brewery and I had a bit of a falling out. Their bottled beers have gotten really expensive in Georgia, and to top it all off, they let out a batch of badly infected beer last winter. It was their seasonal beer The First Snow, and reports surfaced from around their distribution area from folks I know of bad beer.
Their response left almost as sour a taste as the beer. Basically, they admitted the bad batch and promised to make it up on a brewery tour. Now, I might visit the brewery if I’m in the area, but I’m not making a special trip over bad beer.
Anyway, as consumers we do like to complain when things go wrong; we’re far less likely to do that when things go right. When’s the last time you called your cable company and told them your picture was crystal clear, or your bank and thanked them for your no-fee checking account? As a reviewer, one gets to visit the good as well as the bad, and I can tell you that RJ Rockers Bald Eagle Brown Ale is definitely to the good side.
These days, beer geeks don’t sing high praise on anything but the sledgehammer beers that hit you over the head with a ton of malt and hops and 15% alcohol by volume. More’s the pity, for the soft sublimity of a good brown ale is a joy to behold, and RJ Rockers Bald Eagle Brown nails the style of a good English brown completely, then toss in a little more “oomph” for good measure. Here’s what they say about the beer:
A traditional English-style brown ale, but with more body. Its deep brown color comes from a combination of Chocolate and Black malts. Tall, dark and smooth – the perfect cure for the domestic beer blahs.
RJ Rockers Bald Eagle Brown has an alcohol content of 5.6% by volume, and was a very reasonable $5 for a full mug at Taco Mac. I enjoyed it on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in May, and it was a wonderful break from the uber-hopped double IPAs and one-dimensional “session IPAs” that are all the rage these days.
RJ Rockers Bald Eagle Brown pours to a beautiful dark brown color with a generous creamy head formation and luscious fresh dark malts in the nose. Taking a sip, I get wonderful soft cookie malt notes in the palate, a subtle dark malty sweetness, gentle suggestions of toasted nuts and light chocolate followed up with a drying grassy hop bitterness. Take a classic English brown ale, add a dash more black malt and English hops and you have this, one absolutely perfect beer.
What more can I say? Don’t miss out on this wonderful beer, a perfect sipping sensation you can enjoy over an afternoon or evening and never get tired of.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft