Week 29 of 52
Cold Spring Moonlight Ale
July 14th thru July 20th
Brewer's Description
This beer is a combination of two beers, one is a porter and the other a bock.
The porter is brewed with a combination of specialty malts. This brew has three hop additions: Cascade, Tettnang and Mt. hood.
The bock beer is sweeter; mild in bitterness and lighter in color. It is brewed with caramelized barley. This beer is lightly hopped with Mt. hood and tettnang hops for bitterness. Then Mt. hood hops are added at the end of the boil for aroma.
Overall Rating based on 6 reviews
3.08 of 5 stars
Brewery Information
Cold Spring Brewing Company
Cold Springs, Minnesota
coldspringbrewery.com
Interesting Fact
The water for both beers comes from a fresh water aquifer. Read more
Photography
Courtesy of Erin Reichelt. View more on her flickr set.
Reviews | Learn More About the Brew52 Reviewers | Previous Beer | Next Beer
Joe Lunchpail says Bocky Porter
August 26th, 2008
This is more of a bocky porter than a portery bock, in my taste. It pours nicely and looks promising, but the overall character of the beer leaves something to be desired. Like most Cold Spring beer, it just lacks a little personality. Now I’m not saying this is a bad beer, in fact, it was quite enjoyable. It just sounds like a better idea on paper.
jwilliams731 says Best of both worlds?
July 23rd, 2008
I want to preface this: I don’t think this beer is bad. However…
This strikes me as an attempt to take two mediocre beers and make a decent one. It reminds of what Newcastle could taste like if it wasn’t so sweet.
flashmcduff says solid, but not amazed
July 22nd, 2008
Bock? Porter? Both? Yes. They aren’t lying, that pretty much describes it. More malty than hoppy, but a good balance of the two. Very drinkable.
Maybe I’m the only one, but Cold Spring Brewery just seems….different without a solid identity. Maybe I’m just missing their marketing efforts. Beer and energy drinks out of the same place, though? No shame in making a dollar when you can, I guess. Watch out for the packaging of their hard lemonade.
beckel says Differently Malty
July 15th, 2008
This beer is a bit different than most, their website states that it is 1/2 porter and 1/2 bock combined into one nice brown ale. Pours an interesting dark brown color with hints of rose when brought to light. The head on this beer is very minimal, under an inch and light in color. Aroma is interesting, traditional bock malt scents are predominate but it smells a tad bit like a porter. The flavor is even more strange than the scent, quite malty, almost sweet but more caramelized. The mix of these two beer styles gives a very different flavor, pretty decent, but a bit boring. Mouthfeel is medium. I’m glad I got only one of these beers in a mixed six pack, but I think after drinking a few in cooler weather this beer would potentially have a bit more to offer. If your a fan of malt or different brown ales this may suit your tastes. Always nice to try a Minnesota brand that I was previously unfamiliar with.
Josh says Not a Bad Mix
July 15th, 2008
Cold Spring’s Moonlight Ale is an interesting mix between a Porter and a Bock. It has a good balance between malt and hops. I might buy this beer again if I see it but it isn’t as good as some stand alone Porters and Bocks I’ve had.
Rett says Appropriately named
July 14th, 2008
I’m sitting here in the only cold room in the house (the one with the air conditioner) freezing my toes off at 11pm. So it seems appropriate to be sipping on a Cold Spring Moonlight Ale. For that I can appreciate this craft brew. There wasn’t too much to the smell, and my first taste wasn’t as flavorful as I’d like, but it’s definitely better than Miller lite or MGD of which I drank plenty this past weekend while canoeing down Minnehaha Creek. So while I promised the wife that I’ll just have a sip, enough to write my review, I think I’ll finish it. And I can only say that because I know she won’t read this 