Profile by Maria Devan for PGA
Pours a golden amber with yellow hues. A creamy head of bone white foam that falls quickly and leaves spots of lace. beautiful clarity and only a few bubbles lazily wafting to the top.
Nose is malty with a little soft sweetness and a bit of cracker. Sweet lemon peel and earthy grapefruit peel. Some sweet grass and a bit of pine that also has a sweet little backing to it. A bit of simcoe spice that I would call tangy.
The taste is wonderful. Fruity and juicy. A bit of lemon, grapefruit and a nice little orange that is fresh and lightly sweet. The pine is soft and sweet on the palate and so is the malt. The malt is more crisp than it smelled on the nose and it comes right up to the definition of west coast style mouthfeel before it takes just one shy step over. The hops give an herbal quality at the back palate that is broad and leafy. This one finishes dry and with a lovely bitter that does not start on the mid palate. It starts at the swallow and then resonates back leaving you with a surprise bit of crisp cracker and some of that lovely light orange.
4.
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.