Sugar Hill Golden Ale

Brewed by Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Saratoga Springs, New York USA

Hard to imagine a more mediocre beer. I had this one at a jazz club, with Jimmy Heath playing sax; maybe the best thing about the beer was the sax on the label? Thin in the mouth, not much malt or much bite. OK with dinner and not enough going on with the beer to distract from the performance.

bronze golden color with off-white head. aromas of sweet/spicy grass, a little yeasty. flavor is mild honey malt with a crisp mild hop finish. went fine with a spicy dinner, maybe would be good with Ethiopian and/or Soul Food?

Bottle at Spring Brewtopia 2005... Clear, yellow ale with a floral nose. Slightly malty and fairly well-hopped. Some honey and toffee notes. Medium-bodied and very creamy with fizzy carbonation. Lengthy, crisp, bitter finish. This one came toward the end of two long tasting sessions and impressed me somewhat. It held it’s own. Should do the folks north of Central Park proud... Harlem Brewing Co. was the brewer listed.

Brewtopia ’05. Yellow color, like no head. Taste was off to me. But, at a brew fest, the conditions may not always be best.

04.16.05 Brewtopia ’05. I was surprised in talking to these guys that they’ve been around for a few years but I’ve never heard of them before. The beer is pretty, glowing golden with a frothy, rocky, lasting white head - looks like something in a commercial. I’ll admit I had low expectations of a contract brewed beer which seemed to be marketed almost solely on image, but the image and story was intriguing enough to give it a chance. Aromas were plenty bready with scads of weedy and grassy hops. Flavors bright, crisp, lots of hop sharpness, lemongrass, semolina (oops), sweet like a dewey spring meadow. Now, it’s not a world class blonde, to be sure, but as b.p. golden ales go around these parts, I’d say its more interesting, more fragrant, and more tasty than most. Had the body and constitution to impress towards the end of the tasting session, too--a session that included a number of big beers.

12oz. bottle. Hazy golden/amber color with a good sized white head that quickly dissipated. Sweet aroma with an off metallic smell. Flavor was malty, fruity sweet with some hop bitterness on the finish. Not very enjoyable.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with Eyedrinkale, thanks Mike!) "Like a can of beer that’s sweeter than honey…" Well, the Sugar Hill Golden Ale isn’t quite sweeter than honey, but it’s got a moderate honey sweetness for sure. A gentle bitterness emerges in the finish, but the bitterness kind of clashes with the honey sweetness. Sweet, honey nose. Light to medium bodied. Light golden color with some slight haze. Off-white head threatens to overflow the pint glass, and gradually fades, maintaining a full, thin topping over the beer. No lace though. "I’m just sittin’ here makin myself nauseous with this ugly beer that stinks." Okay, Wonder Mike, it’s not that bad a beer, brother.

Bottle from Goldtwins. Hazy medium amber color. Fast fading off-white head leaves very little lacing. Aroma is sweet with a little lemony touch. Light bodied. Flavors are all over the place. Sweet, then a touch sour and then to a dry, somewhat harsh hop finish. Interesting, not that great.