Schoenling - Little Kings Original Cream Ale

Dead King

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Little Kings Original Cream Ale

Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Company

10921 Reed Hartman Highway - Suite 329

Cincinatti, OH USA

Est. 1958

www.littlekingsbeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 7.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Pale, translucent golden color.

Grainy malt and small zip of hops in aroma.

One-half finger, fluffy white head. Foam disappears almost immediately.

Slightly sweet corn-like grain with drying hops taste in the finish.

Active carbonation.

Light and slightly sweet mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

What puts the "little" in these cute Little Kings? It's the seven ounce bottles. They are such a throwback to a day when beer was enjoyed by the sip. You would find this popular size at picnics, beach settings. Of course every manner of family get-togethers would have them on hand. Plenty of your aunties and uncles had the urge for, "a short one", as opposed to a whole 12 oz. bottle or can.

I spied these on the shelf of a small local package store and was intrigued. I had heard of Little Kings popularity, but had never found them, until now. I scooped up the nifty 8-pack carrier and went home to the mortuary fridge to chill them up. I figured that I could be "king for a day" with these on hand.

Cream ales were popular in the 1950's and 1960's, then sort of disappeared around the mid 1970's. A few have hung around and stood the test of time. The BJCP classification lists cream ales as a "Light Hybrid Beer."  The cream ale is characterized by faint malty notes with a corn-like aroma, (check). They are pale to straw in color, (check). The flavor is described as having medium-low hop bitterness with neither malt nor hops prevailing, (check-er-oony). Mouthfeel can be summed up as light and crisp with a thirst quenching character. The BJCP goes on to even include its overall impression as, "... a flavorful American lawnmower beer." 

Now that your beer style lesson is complete, see if you can find a bit of lilliputian royalty for your very own. The bottle's cuteness is matched by the Little Kings website. A bit of schlocky humor, but delightfully fun!