Clown Shoes Clementine White Ale

Today I'm drinking Clown Shoes Clementine White Ale brewed by Mercury Brewing Company in Ipswich, Massachusetts. I've been sitting on the sidelines, biting my tongue, and mostly laughing my ass off about a controversy surrounding the artwork on some Clown Shoes bottles. The controversy started when a Beer Advocate executive posted a forum discussion titled Done with Clownshoes. The main point from the post (not sure the 350 comments agree) is that some of the label art on Clown Shoes' beers is racist and sexist, pointing to the Brown Angel label in the first few sentences as exhibit number 1. Personally, I don't find that label terribly offensive. If it were my mission to make a point about label art and sexism, I'd have picked a few dozen other bottle labels before this one. Anyway, if you have a spare half hour, check it out.

Looking at the art on this label, you see an orange tree, front and center. Oh. No. They. Didn't. This orange tree is wearing clown shoes, and the ribbon it's wearing is not effectively covering it's barky legs and axe wound. Clearly sexual innuendo and multiple euphemisms are in play here on this label! So disgusted! I had to turn and look at the side of the bottle where I found a short story which in part states, "Clementine is a beer conceived in a dream, in the middle of a blistering beatdown of a day." I bet! Bottled 6/13/11.

Nice head! Spicy orange and sharp lemon meet a shit-ton of coriander in my nose. Zesty lemon combines with some prickly carbonation for an immediate flavor explosion in your mouth. Loads of citrus and loads of spices. On the lightly bitter side and quite refreshing. An interesting yeast component starts to become more apparent as you start drinking the second half of Big 22, or at least that's where it caught my attention. I did find that yeasty aspect to become a little bothersome by the very end, but overall it was fine. Good body, strong carbonation. The 6% alcohol wasn't really noticeable. Nice beer. Grab one when you see it.

Clementine Mandarin Orange Tree Dwarf, Five Gallon Container



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