Brewery- Taft’s Ale House
Beer- Nellie’s Key Lime Caribbean Ale
ABV- 4.8%
IBU- 19

This Caribbean-Style ale hails from Taft’s Ale House in Over-The-Rhine, Cincinnati and is named after the Commander-and-Chief’s better half.  Brewed with key lime juice straight from the islands, with a hint of coriander, it’s refreshingly fruity.

This beer is a few different things – number one it’s delicious…but when you look a little deeper into what role it plays for Taft’s Ale House you can start to see the other parts.  It fits into a great spot in their can lineup, as a beer that is really flavorful, while remaining refreshing and easy to drink.

It was added to their lineup of draft beers from the very beginning of ‘Taft’s Ale House’ – it’s designed to remind you of summer even when you crack one open in the dead middle of winter.

Much like their other packaging, this one got a nice refresh when the production was moved from their OTR brewpub to their ‘Brewpourium’ in Spring Grove Village.

My Thoughts On Nellie’s Key Lime Caribbean Ale

I think I’ve said this before about a few beers, but this one is perfect for a hot summer night in OTR.  When I first take a big whiff of this from my glass I get a big noseful of breadiness with some hints of the coriander.  When I keep sniffing at it, the aromas really start developing into a nice mellow graham cracker smell.

I don’t know if they were necessarily going for “Key Lime Pie”, but with the aromas that’s 100% what I get is a nice fresh key lime pie.  Maybe it’s just my imagination running away with it, but I really even get the sense that I can smell the big dollop of whipped cream on top.

The taste of this is very nice and subdued.  It’s not a big, in-your-face fruit bomb like they could have easily done, it’s a subtle and sophisticated lime taste that just lingers in the background of it all.  It’s clean, and refreshing with a light lingering fruit taste that is perfect for a sunny afternoon.