ditmier (286), Boise, Idaho, USA Sep 28, 2008 2008 Bottle - Pours lt brown with a decent head, massive lacing...aroma is all hop piney resin and light citrus, flavour is nice and bitter, I love how the fresh hop ales don’t throw in gratuitous malts to overwhelm...nice change, good strong hop brew...
Beerlando (1460), Orlando, Florida, USA Dec 3, 2008 A clear, dark orange-amber colored body is crowned with a massive, frothy, cream colored head that displays excellent retention. Dense, foamy rings of lacing coat the entire glass. This is about as beautiful as a filtered pale ale can get. Aromatics include freshly cut grass, grapefruit rind, and hints of pine resin. Floral hop notes enter the fold as well, all amidst a toasted biscuit and light caramel malt base. Flavors are quite nice, toasty, malty biscuit laying the groundwork for the bitter floral and grassy hop notes. There’s a very nice balance being struck here, with no one particular element dominating. If there’s a fatal flaw with this brew, it’s the relatively flat mouthfeel. Despite the massive, frothy head, the palate lacks a little bit of sparkle, which I tend to like in this style. Overall, this is very nice, but there are a several other fresh hopped pale’s that set the bar higher. Enniskillen (1626), Port Angeles, Washington, USA Dec 1, 2008 Amber with a thin white head. Aroma is a light hoppiness, pine, sweet pale maltiness. Taste is light pine, light maltiness combined with a light hoppiness. Easy drinking pale ale that melds together well. malrubius (514), USA Nov 28, 2008 Updated: Dec 3, 200822 ounce bottle in pint glass. Orange copper with lasting head and full lace. Fresh citrus and earthy hop aroma. Fruity malt sweetness with mild toast and fresh hop flavor floral and citrus and fresh pine. Medium body and carbo. Awesome fresh soft mouth feel. Great complexity and flavor in a sessionable strength. Excellent. dwyerpg (2143), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Nov 28, 2008 A nice hoppy aroma. This is good stuff. Hoppy and bitter, but not lasting, so it stays more like a pale ale than an IPA. Great stuff. JasonG (642), Cleveland, Ohio, USA Nov 27, 2008 22 oz bottle - Pours a slightly hazy light amber color with medium sized off white head that lasts for a while and gives some nice lacing. Aroma has restrained but nicely notable presence of crisp floral hops, just a touch of citrus, wildflower honey and light caramel, hint of apricot. Flavor has chewy malts, fair amount of caramel, backbone of herbal hops, hints of lavender, honey, and lemon. Finish is balanced just towards the bitter side. Really a fantastically made beer, and one of if not the best wet-hopped brews I’ve had. The base beer is solid, much more of an english style IPA, and the wet hops really compliment the beer as a whole, rather than overwhelming the senses. This is not a "hop delivery mechanism" like some of the west-coast IPAs, but is a solid, well rounded beer. I sometimes feel that beers like this don’t get the attention they deserve because no part of them is "imperial", which is a shame, IMHO.
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