Mayflower Audacity Of Hops

Brewed by Mayflower Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Plymouth, Massachusetts USA

Tap at my campsite at BCTC 2009. This was one of the highlights of the fest for me. Having this beer that I had heard about via the Craft Brewers Conf was on tap right at my campsite. Score! Pours a hazy golden amber with a medium creamy off white head that laced. Aroma of up front floral and citrusy American hops, some pine, bready malt, caramel and Belgian yeast esters. Flavor of yes that Belgian yeast, but also an assualt of crisp American hops. Mixed citrus, pine and floral noted along with caramel malt, vanilla and nuts. Love the hoppy Belgian Ales!

Appearance: Pours out a clear, bright, golden body with a smallish, sudsy, white head. Smell: While you do detect a light, understated maltiness, it’s mostly (an audacity of) hops, with deep notes of pithy citrus fruits, grasses, pine flowers, and gooey resin. Taste: Starts with faintly bready, crackery malts with a mild, brief sweetness and small zip of rye. This sets you up for the intense hop flavors of white grapefruit pith, crushed pink peppercorns, freshly-mown grass, and distilled pine resin. Very pronounced bitterness as the somewhat delicate malts can only do so much to counter the hops. There are some mild hints from the yeast but, for me, the heavy hop additions have almost completely overshadowed the lesser Belgian yeast characteristics. Finishes as dry and staunchly bitter as one might expect from an audacity of hops. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Drinkability: Certainly a beer for the hopheads out there. It’s about as caustic and bitter as I can stand without having to tap out on the mat. Though, having said that, I was happy and relieved this was available in a sensible twelve ounce format, as finishing anything bigger might prove to be a daunting task. Even with the lone twelve ounces, it might be best to share this with a friend. Or as dear Samwise Gamgee might say, "Share the load."

Hazy golden in color with a small lasting off white head. Aroma of moderate citrus, some light floral hops. Taste is moderately hoppy with a nice malt backbone, moderate bitterness in the finish. a straight up decent hoppy ale, I am thinking that this one was probably better fresh.

2009 Symposium Ale
8.5% ABV, 60 IBUs, 1.072 OG.
12oz bottle. Golden pour. Aroma of sugary bubblegum. Big Big Big hop florals. Big hops flavor. Sweet malt backbone. Cotton Candy sweetness. Well balanced with the big hop bite. How is this beer over 8% ABV? It is well hidden. An Awesome beer.
Rating #2190.

On tap. Hazy golden with an off-white head. Fruity, Bretty nose. Medium body, dry and lightly citrusy with very dry Brett accents. Very little Belgian inspiration to be found here. 110709

Name: Audacity of Hops
Date: August 08, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Ticker
Appearance: clear copper, fine white head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet spicy and fruity aroma, sweet orange, spicy hops and phenolics, peppery
Flavor: sweet orange citrus flavor, balancing spicyness from both the hops and yeast, nice peppery character, bitterness follows the spices
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Pours a clear golden color with a white head. Aroma is honey, yeasty, spicy, and slightly floral. Flavor is honey, vanilla, floral, and a nice spicy bitter finish.

Draught/Jockey box at BCTC. Thanks for sharing, Matt. A pretty tasty, very hoppy belgian ale. I actually thought this was a regular ipa. Did not find much Belgian character but this was still very nice.