Anchor Humming Ale

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
San Francisco, California USA

On tap at SDBC. Poured a clear, dull gold color. Aroma was on the light side; sweet malt, bread and citrus in the finish. Flavor was the same; a bit sweet for the style. Citrus in the finish. Solid overall.

16 ounce sample on tap at the Davis Graduate. Aroma has some spicy hop notes present with what also appears to be a bit of banana esters. Transparent golden body with a fine, fizzy white head. Fizzy start with some honey-like flavoring and some doughy malt notes in the middle. Perhaps the honey flavor is a figment of my imagination. Finishes a bit dry with quite a bit of spicy bitter hop flavors that linger. Relatively straight forward, but flavorful.

Tap at City Beer Store. OK beer with a healthy dose of bitter, interesting hops. Humming Ale pours golden and very cloudy with a big, fluffy white head. The aroma is a floral/piney/herbal hops. The hops don’t translate terribly well to the flavor, though. It’s bitter and chalky, and the delicate hop flavors are largely lost. I have little experience with Nelson Sauvin, but Mikkeller did a much nicer job with it in their Single Hop line. Feel is too thin and a tad grainy. Still, Humming Ale isn’t terrible, just disappointing, particularly so as a rare special edition beer from Anchor.

Tap. Clear golden body. Creamy white head. Grainy, grassy minimal hops...little to no Nelson. Some grape and citrus. Exotic taste, grainy, caramel and a really unique exotic hop.. Thinnish, bitter, grainy. Nice pale.

Draft at the Rubicon. Pours dark gold with a creamy, clingy white head. Nice hoppy aroma. Medium body with mild carbonation. Not lush, but quite floral and bitter. Goes mellow towards the end. Lingering bitter and floral. I like the reference to juicy hops from kmweaver. It’s true.

Bottled. (Yes, bottled, with a label, at a promo -- the "draught only" line is wrong). Golden orange pour. Skunky, gym sock aroma, tree bark, dirty sheets. Pushy, play-doh flavor, some bitterness in the back, with only the slightest hint of fresh hop. Unbelievable that this is made with Nelson Sauvin, because it sucks. Tastes like a blend between Liberty and Steam.

Tap @ Hamilton’s. Wow, its been a while since I’ve seen a new brew from Anchor! Pours a crystal clear medium gold with a small white ring. Nose holds some faint citrus hops, grain and a touch of pale malt. Flavor starts with malt, grain, then finishes with a fain hop bitterness.

lager meets IPA? the nelson hops are not coming through at all. more of a sipper. abv seems high to me. only OK. i expected more.