Sugar Hill Golden Ale

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

The name is very fitting for this beer, since it has a sugary taste and finish. Poured with a nice head which quickly dissipated. It smelled like honey to me, which I think intensified the sweet, sugary taste. I think it is too sweet for a session beer, however the one I drank tonight was pretty good. I would try it again, but only one at a time. It was a little TOO sweet/sugary!

First look, it was cloudy, like my homebrew. Also smelled just like my pale ale homebrew. About all that was missing was the yeast. Cascade hops definately are the main attraction here, with a nice bitterness. Tasted just like my brew with cascade hops and Alexander's pale malt. Better than a macro, though I'll probably never get this again, unless I'm outta my hommade stuff.

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.

Clear light golden color wth no real head. Aroma is light and sweet. The flavor is clean and refreshing. Sweet but with enough hops to be clean. I kinda like it.

Sugar Hill has a pleasant aroma and well-balanced taste. Its high-malty flavor and well-hopped character make Sugar Hill a refreshing complement to any meal or special occasion.

Hazy orange with a small white head. Orange peel and yeast aroma with some grass, medium bodied with lively carbonation. Starts and ends lightly bitter.

Hazy golden colour with orange highlights and a very quick diminishing white head. Decent aroma, some fruit, but mostly just malt and a small amount of hops. Light-bodied; Decent maltiness with adequate sweetness and even a hop taste. Aftertaste shows some of the sweetness and a tad of the malt, but doesn't leave the palate bitter nor bland. Overall, better than I thought it would be, and seriously not bad at all for the style! I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York.

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