Abbatacola's Craft Beer Review: Backmasking, Tart Lychee, 3 Citrus Peel Out

By Matt Abbatacola--

(CBS) Hey there beer buddies. I hope your beer journey is going well and you're trying some new brews and stepping outside of your beer comfort zone. Let me know what I should be drinking.

Here are three more beers for your consideration. As always, let me know your thoughts.

Follow me @MattAbbatacola on Twitter and friend me on the Untappd app -- MattAbbatacola.

As a reminder, here are the criteria that go into the review.

3 Floyds' Backmasking -- $$

This oatmeal stout comes from one of my favorite breweries and has an 8% ABV and checks in with 32 IBUs.

It has a black body with a big tan head. The aroma is a nice blend of chocolate and roasted oats. It's very smooth and rich. The body is creamy and finishes slightly bitter. This is a solid stout beer and is everything you would want in a good solid stout.

I'm fairly new to drinking dark beers. I did acquire a love for Guinness when I went to Dublin. It tastes better there than it does here, but I still enjoy a good Guinness here at home. FYI, the Island Tap in Libertyville pours a solid Guinness.

That being said, I've discovered that I enjoy flavored stouts more than a regular stout beer. Recently, I've tried and loved Southern Tier's salted caramel stout and New Holland Brewing's Dragon's Milk with raspberry lemon. I also prefer bourbon barrel-aged stouts over regular stouts.

My overall score on Backmasking isn't a reflection on the quality of this beer, just a measure of my preference. The score is also increased by the label -- quality work, although Miss Ruth, my Sunday School teacher, wouldn't approve.

Beer score: 6
Overall score: 7

New Belgium's Tart Lychee -- $$

From New Belgium's Lips of Faith series, Tart Lychee is a wood-aged sour ale brewed with lychee and cinnamon and has a 7.5% ABV.

It has a golden hazy body with a nice white head. It has a sweet and tart aroma. There's a hint of cinnamon in the background. NB provides a light refreshing beer in Tart Lychee. It has a mild sourness with no acidic bite in the jawline, so it's a good starting point if sour beers are new to your beer resume. It finishes slightly sweet. I never did taste cinnamon and honestly, I was pleased by that.

It has a cool label and looks inviting -- Lips of Faith series is a cool name as well.

Overall score: 7

Southern Tier's 3 Citrus Peel Out -- $$

This wheat ale is brewed with blood orange and grapefruit and tangerine peels, with a 8.5% ABV.

I'm a big fan of wheat beers, and 3 Citrus Peel Out doesn't disappoint. It has a light golden body with a white head. The pleasant aroma is full of citrus -- obviously. I could pick up a strong aroma of the blood orange. It tastes great -- light and refreshing, then it comes in slightly bitter -- most likely from the pith in the grapefruit and tangerine rinds. The blood orange, which I enjoy, comes through in the taste as well.

It has a cool label that catches your eye on the shelf -- and read the label, read all your beer labels!

They recommend to drink their beer in a glass (which you should always do) over ice and to even use it for a cocktail with simple syrup and your favorite spirit. It's probably best with vodka or rum.

I drank mine in a glass but will definitely get more and try out a beer cocktail.

Overall score: 8

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts.

Matt Abbatacola is a producer, host and update anchor at 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MattAbbatacola and email him at Matt@670thescore.com.

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