Profiled by Maria Devan
Pours orange with with bright clarity and remnants of golden sunshine hues to make the color sharp. I did not pour a fat head with this one but I was taking a photo and that could change when I do a pour that doesn’t necessitate me doing it slowly and carefully while trying to hold a camera. Off white head that fell to a thin ring and film on top.
Nose is bold and fruity with orange and with an herbal that seems vegetal and crisp to me. Grass and a light spice faintly in the shadows. As the beer comes up to temp there is a twiggy scent that’s a bit piney. The malt is faint on the nose except for a light, light caramel.
I was not expecting the wild bonanza of fruits in this beer! Taste is pine needles, succulent fresh orange, a bit of bitter pith from grapefruit. An overall citrus character that has something sweeter and more tropical in the background but it remains elusive. A taste like hemp seeds. This beer is perfectly balanced. The malt is a light and dry biscuit that never lets the caramel run away with itself. The beer itself is dry and the mouthfeel is the lighter side of medium. In the middle of the drink is a vegetal quality that really makes this beer crisp and refreshing. The finish is perfectly dry. The citric tartness and that woody pine needle take you to the swallow where there is a decent bite from bubbles and a bit of stickiness to coat the throat. The bitterness seems tame at first because of the sweetness of the mosaic hops and while it does become more prominent as you drink, it does not linger too long. Aftertaste is dry pine needles, citric tartness with some bright orange peel and a surprising caramel that has come forward albeit softly to a sassy and brisk flourish.
I loved this and think this is one of the best pale ales I have had.
4.5
Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”
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Maria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is frequent reviewer of beer and a beer lover deluxe.
Ithaca beer’s 17 is like a breath of fresh air. It has a fruity scent that is tempered by sweet wheat. It’s got a lovely floral to the nose and a bit of delightful pepper. That yeast is delicate and dry. There’s funk but it too is delicate. taste and it’s like it is as light as air and and clear as water. The flavors are cool. Yellow golden flavor like it’s color. The beer is hazy and beautiful topped with a white crown. Light fragrant wood is on the nose. The taste is surprisingly herbal. It’s pungent with bitter herbal. It’s also peppery. The bitter is a tad sharp. Light honey scents start to come forward as it warms. It’s tart but not bone dry in the finish. That touch of honey finishes this beer and a peppery little edge.
It’s that time of year again –– time to dust off your steins and head to your nearest purveyor of fine lagers to celebrate Craft Lager Day.
Venture through a dank railway tunnel, then turn on to a small industrial estate in south east London and you’ll find yourself at a fine example of a British brewery. But there are no rambling roses or tumble-down ancient buildings crying of English tradition here. The Kernel brewery is little more than five years old and the beer produced in this urban hideaway combines old traditions with new thinking – and a little experimentation.
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