Dominion Hop Harvest Ale

Clear amber body with off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, grapefruit, some caramel. Taste is medium sweet, grapefruit, some caramel, light bread. Light-medium body, light stickiness.

To start with I expected a lot from this brew and was left wanting. Lightly hazed amber-copper body. The aroma took a while to come out as it was served VERY cold! It really lacked the big citrus burst I have come to expect from a wet hop ale. More herbal than fruity to me. In fact the whold experience was very ESBish. A good dose of biscuit malt flavor keeps things interesting but teh hops are subdued throughout. In the end a decent beer but it does not live up the expectations that I had. Oh well.

Enjoyed this one on draught at the brewpub in Ashburn, VA, and a 2 liter swing top growler to take home on 10/23/06. Hop Havest, "fresh" hop, or "wet" hop ales have been done for a while, by West Coast breweries. This beer is brewed with fresh hops, just hours off the vines. Many hop heads and beer geeks are surprised and dissapointed, that these beers are not hop blasts with tons of hop aroma and bitterness. If that is what you are expecting, then you will be dissapointed. Wet hop ales, allow you the experience to enjoy the aroma, and flavor of young, fresh, hops. In Dominion’s case it is fresh Centennials and Cascades grown in NY. This beer pours to a hazy, amber color, with a nice white head that fades, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is pleasing, with gentle aromas of fresh hops, fresh bread, and biscuity malt. The palate is firm, with good carmel and biscuit malt flavors, paired with a very pleasing citrus hop flavor. This beer finishes with more good pale and carmel malt up front, then ends with a pleasing, gentle citrus hop bittereness that lingers. Well done, very tasty wet hop ale. You really get very enjoyable citrus/bitter hop flavor in this beer, but it is by no means a hop blast, but it isn’t meant to be. Worth a try to see what fresh hops, hours of the vines are like in a beer.

On tap at Dominion 10/20/06. Was very much looking forward to this. Unfiltered, somewhat hazy amber with a white head that which thins out but lasts for the most part. Has a floral PacNW hop aroma but nothing that really stands out or blows you away. Flavor has notes of caramel, pine, grapefruit/citrus. Moderately sweet with a good hop presence which actually isn’t all that bitter. It could use some more malty heft as the taste ends a little watery. Medium bodied with a smooth texture and moderate carbonation. Overall, a solid, well-hopped American Pale Ale. But, I have to admit, it was disappointing - in fact, I brought my growler for this and didn’t even fill it up after dinner. Nothing about it really stands out as being from a fresh hop harvest - just kind of normal to me.

Draft... Murky amber ale with a small, wispy, white head. The nose delivers subtle notes of black tea, toffee, biscuity malt and very light grapefruit. Perfect balance is the only way to describe the flavor. Fresh, bitter lupulin countered by sweet, breadsy yeast and malt. Medium-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Crisp finish with only a whisper of bitterness. Refreshing, quality beer. Certainly not good enough to keep me from ordering a "brewpub version" Oak Barrel Stout as my second pint of the night. Good American Pale Ale or English IPA... or as jeffc666 mentions, it could just as easily be classified as a Bitter.