Hempen Ale

Formerly brewed at Wild Goose LLC (Flying Dog)
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Frederick, Maryland USA

Name: Blue Ridge Hempen Ale
Date: 05/17/1997
Source: Brewfest, Richmond VA

Appearance: dark amber, thin head,
Aroma: toasted malt with floral hop aroma,
Flavor: malt flavor with a definate earthy hemp touch that substitutes for bitterness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Score: *4
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Respectable enough brew, but with very little of the hemp seed character.

This was an interesting beer. A novelty, really. Very, very good, but not great. No, it doesn’t taste like pot. Try one if you can find it. Good luck.

Dark Brown Color, Medium Head. Roasted Malts, lightly hopped. Full complex taste ’Brown Ale with a twist ’brewed with the seeds of the hemp plant added. Did not notice any ’mellow herbal flavor’. Finish is clean, aftertaste is slightly bitter; malt sweetness shines through in the aftertaste. 2nd tasting much better than initial tasting

Bargain bin at my distributer for $0.79 for a 12 oz bottle. I dont really know what hemp seeds are supposed to taste like but if they did substitue all the hops for hemp bitterness and flavor it kinda tastes just like a regular ale. This is not to say it is bad however, I actually enjoyed it. Deep amber color with a pretty good head. Some spice in the aroma, which is otherwise dominated by malt as is the flavor profile. You can clearly tell they used lots of crystal and caramel malts as well as a hint of chocolate. Just a brief hint of those cascades in the aroma as it warms. Different in its approach, yet very middle of the road as far as overall taste and uniqueness.

What an interesting beer. I can't quite put my finger on what the hemp seeds add to it, but this is a nice sweetish brown ale. The aroma and flavor were chock full of chocolate, caramel, and coconut (yes, coconut) notes. Perhaps the hempseed oil is similar in character to coconut oil?? That combination led to a general impression of german chocolate cake - sounds strange for a beer but rather enjoyable. Sweet without cloying. Nice brown color and lacing. I also should add that this beer does not contain any part of the hemp plant except the seed. There should be no expectation of special herbal qualities because it contains no herb other than hops.

Fairly carbonated, hoppy beer with a graininess to it. Not bad, and cheap for microbrewed beer.

Whatever happened to this beer? Hoppy aroma with a bitter malty taste similar to an APA. Why do they use Hemp? This could cause you to fail a drug test or something.