08 Nov Medusa, Copperhead Brewery by Tam

Medusa

Copperhead Brewery

Conroe, TX

Belgian Dark Strong

ABV: 10.5%

IBUs: 25

Packaging: Copperhead Tap Room Draft, 12oz. Bottles

When I first picked up a case of Medusa, I looked at Copperhead Brewery’s website and was delighted to see that this was a small craft brewery, based out of Conroe, that distributed only in Texas; making it a true Texan-made beer for Texans. The reason for my cheerfulness was that, in my past experience, smaller breweries would spend their time cultivating their recipes and truly refining their craft (pun intended).

In anticipation of tasting this beverage, I researched the style and influence in which it was modeled. Medusa claims that it is created in a traditional Belgian style beer, which is heavily based in fruits and an intense aromatic experience; I, for one, was up for that experience. The initial pour was little to no head and what seemed like no carbonation at all. This could be both a good and bad thing, since it could mean that the beer was not going to cause me to feel full and bloated or the beer was purposely bottled flat. The smell that erupted from the unsealed bottle carried heavy of grape, as if it were a dark red wine. The beer itself was as murky as the ocean’s depths on a moonless night and it allowed no glimmer of light to shine from one side of my glass to the other.

My first taste had an explosion of grape and suddenly nothing more. I was worried I did not embrace the full potential, so I took another drink. Once again, a burst of grape and that was all that lingered. I found myself disappointed because the only comparison I could conjure was of red wine. I grew frustrated about the taste, so I opened another fresh bottle, poured the contents into a mug, and began the tasting process over again. Once more, a flood of grape and nothing. I was utterly disappointed and slowly finished what I had of Medusa just so I would not let the beer go to waste, but was convinced it was not for me.

The artwork itself is clever, with its modern day twist on a monster of Greek mythology. Instead of a hideous face with venomous snakes, there is an attractive female that could pass as a Twilight vampire. Its packaging and distribution is simple: as stated before, a Texas beer for Texans, and its bottling is to the point.

A couple of our authors have enjoyed Copperhead beers in the past and perhaps this was not titillating to my own taste buds. I honestly can say that if this particular beverage was offered to me at a social event or gathering, I would not turn it down, but I would also not go out of my way to have one. Perhaps Medusa’s gaze has turned my tongue to a tasteless stone or maybe not. Tell us what you think, did Medusa hit its mark or does she lay quiet in the annals of Greek mythology?