Town Hall Haystack English Summer Ale

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: English Pale Ale
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Dark gold color with a medium head. Dry hay aroma, fitting for the name. I found it more bitter than everyone else apparently did. There’s a bit of a wheat base with a fairly substantial bitterness on top of it. Some of the typical floral tastes, but otherwise it seemed like just some bitterness. Different and not bad.

On tap at Town Hall. Pours a mostly translucent golden with some orange notes and a medium creamy white head that left some lacing. Aroma of mixed citrus notes, orange, cereal grains, lightly grassy, very fresh and hoppy nose, doughy and floral. Flavor was a nice mix of the same. Doughy, wheat and cereal grains on the malt side. But with a heavy does of flavoring hops to give it a nice crisp floral/grassy/citrus flavor.

I think they were aiming for sort of a light pale ale and in that they were successful. I sensed only minimal fruit, but the herbal, flower aromas and flavors were there and dominated the beer. Bitter hops were the secondary flavor. Fairly refreshing, not so bitter or heavy that I could only have a single glass.

Hazed straw golden hue, fine layer of creamy, dotted milk-white foam stands guard above. Citrus greets the nose first, laced with honey, lemon, peach and apricot stand tall in the aroma, with herbal, grassy tones at the side. Taste...big time fruit rushes into the mouth, a complex texture, though, overall, malty, but made more distinctive with the wheat involved. Very crisp and refreshing, with a substantial medium-sized body. Long, citric finish. Very well-balanced, and clean, with significant flavor and unabating pleasure. Extraordinarily drinkable, I could easily down this growler in one sitting. Has just enough zing to keep the tastebuds happy, yet so light, crisp, and smooth that one is undaunted from attacking another glass of the stuff. A great summertime beer, but a bit of a headscratcher for those of us trying to pigeonhole into into a "style". Town Hall don’t play that, though, and they just keep brewing every style every known, and making up a few new ones along the way.

Cloudy light orange body with snow white head. Apricot and grainy malt on the nose with hints of lemon. Body dominated by a bitter grainy taste that was a little disappointing given the fruity nose, but refreshing nonetheless. Some of the fruit makes a brief appearance in the mid palate.

Straw pour tall white dense head nice lace 4 Very aromatic fresh grass hops I’d guess this was dry hopped over a very light grain... 1dim but appetising 8 Pal is thin well carb 2 Grass hop prominant flavor some lt citrus over some stale grain jints of some light fruits 5 Ick.. Smells so good tastes so blah 10

Dry, fruity aroma with some hops. Hazy gold in color with steady rising bubbles and a frothy, off-white head. Good lace. Doughy initial mouthfeel with some grassy notes. Very well balanced. More bitter than most English bitters, even good ESB’s, but still not really bitter. Doesn’t really have the essence of an ESB per se. Very nice brew. The commercial description speaks of the aroma of freshly cut hay. I can see that. Good session quality with it’s only mild shortcoming being that it is a little dry. Still, another winner from Mr. Hoops.

On-tap at the brewpub: Modest blurry straw gold color with a small white cap of tight froth. Lacing decorates the glass well in snowflaked webby patterns. Aroma is of a Pilsner/Kolsch mix, pale malts, bready, grassy, tiny bit sweet, fruity, and candyish, wheat centered with a light floral hop addition. Quite crisp and relaxing. Took a while to evolve; its a bit light at first, but as it sits it gains some nutritionistic values and heightening. Nice taster with broad and well based pale malt and wheat malt play. A nudge sweet and fruity with a wheatish snap with a firm grassy edge to its corners balancing out to a floral Pilsner-like zip and malting with light spices into the finish. Very well rounded and extensive with long lasting breadish spicy malts. The wheat is the mainstay at first, then the Pilsner malts and character take over for a fantastic little grassy spiced finish. Feel is a medium to light body with a simple carbonation and slippery tone. Nearly perfect for the style as its very straight forward and easy going with only a slight emptyness to its overall front and middle. Quick drinker. Floats right down and could easily be quaffed from a growler or from a seat at the pub; take your pick. A great summer brew from TH.