Frank's Mystery Beer

We got this beer in the mail from our good friend Frank - his first venture into homebrewing. No labels, no info - just a challenge to guess the style. I can already tell this is going to require a lot of research. I may need more samples.

The bottles were pretty shaken up by the time the mailman dropped them off, so I let them sit in the fridge for a while to let the yeast settle out. As I poured the first bottle, I couldn't believe the clarity - a beautiful sparkling amber-brown...which I then muddied by accidentally pouring a bit of yeast from the bottle. Oh well...it's good for you!

The head is fantastic. Thick, creamy, and with good retention. The aroma is sweet and malty, but I'm getting some clove from the yeast, maybe.

The taste is a little nutty at first, followed by a light maltiness, then a pretty firm hop assertion, finishing with some clove and light toast? It's a pretty dry finish, leaving me reaching for the glass again.

It's amazing - especially for a first brew (or a 20th). Great job, Frank. If I had to nail it to a style, I'd guess...Pale Ale, maybe? Can't wait for the next batch!

Rufus and the Giant Peach Wheat

This is a very exclusive limited-production beer from the Hammer & Key Brewery in Palm Bay, FL (ok, so I made it).
It's approximately 6% abv, is a reddish golden color (lighter than the picture) with a nice frothy head.

The aroma has some nice yeast notes, faint peachiness - hinting of the sweetness to come.

The carbonation is pretty lively, and there's some wheat character, but very little peach flavor - just a little bit of initial sweetness, but a fairly dry finish.

It's pretty refreshing - not as much fruit character as I was expecting, but not bad as a wheat beer. It's not my finest creation, but pretty enjoyable.