Beer # 366 Eephus Oatmeal Brown Ale: Left Field Brewery

Beer #366 Eephus Oatmeal Brown Ale

Left Field Brewery

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Established: 2013
Oatmeal Bown Ale
5.5 % ABV IBU: 35
600 ml Brown Glass Bottle
$5.45 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @LFBrewery



Tonight we head down to Left Field Brewery. A, obviously, baseball themed brewery in the Leslieville neighbourhood of Toronto. They have been around since 2013 and while I have had a few beers by them not much has made it into the blog. This one came as a bit of coincidence. I read an article about the "10 Must-try Beers from Toronto," and this was one of them, then by Chance I stumbled across a bottle in the LCBO.  As the brewery tends to use baseball terms to name their beers this is one that had me scratching my head. I've watched a bit of baseball, but hockey was king in my house growing up. Eephus (pronounced either EE-fuss or Eff-ess (see below)) is a very specific type of pitch.


The Eephus Pitch, from Wikipedia:

According to manager Frankie Frisch, the pitch was named by outfielder Maurice Van Robays. When asked what it meant, Van Robays replied, "'Eephus ain't nothing, and that's a nothing pitch." Although the origin is not known for certain, "Eephus" may come from the Hebrew word אפס‎ (pronounced "EFF-ess"), meaning "nothing".^[3] The Eephus pitch is thrown overhand like most pitches, but is characterized by an unusual, high arcing trajectory.^[4][5] The corresponding slow velocity bears more resemblance to a slow-pitch softball delivery than to a traditional baseball pitch. It is considered a trick pitch because, in comparison to normal baseball pitches, which run from 70 to 100 miles per hour (110 to 160 km/h), an Eephus pitch appears to move in slow motion at 55 mph (89 km/h) or less, sometimes into the low-40s mph (66–69 km/h). source

Most often when the Eephus pitch is employed it is used to catch a batter off-guard. A pitcher will throw a bunch of fast balls and then lob in an Eephus to confuse the batter. And I think this is the heart of the idea in naming this beer Eephus, something to catch us off-guard.

Tonight's beer is a rich,  smoky, and fruity oatmeal brown ale. Let's try it.

Pours a rich chocolate brown with a generous tan head made up of small and medium bubbles. Aroma is dark and malty with strong notes of molasses, light smoke and a hint of spice. first sip is warm and malty with rummy molasses, light bodied, still fruity , with hints of smoke, and smoked meat. Light sweetness from the oatmeal, and a hint of effervescence. Very smooth and easy drinking. Makes me want a big stack of ribs. Aeration gives us notes of caramel, vanilla, some spicy green hops Second pour into the glass gives me a smoother creamier head with much finer bubbles. Flavour builds and develops as the beer warms.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCELLENT
Re-Order:  5/6  PASS
Experience: 6/6 EXCELLENT


Final Thoughts:

Definitely falls into the category of a "Must-try" beer. Malty and complex while still maintaining an airy fruitiness. Much more than a curveball... certainly a Eephus.
Cheers

CJT

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