Weyerbacher Harvest Ale

Brewed by Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Easton, Pennsylvania USA

From a bottle poured brown with a fair amount of head. Nice hoppy flavor with a lasting finish.

12oz bottle from Chevy Chase in DC. Pours a mostly clear amber color with a creamy, medium-sized white head and decent lacing. Aroma is caramel, grain, black tea, and mild floral hops. Flavor is pleasant but really not too hoppy. Black tea and caramel malt dominate, along with some grain and floral/citrus hops. Medium body with a mildly resinous mouthfeel and average carbonation.

Pours a copper color with medium white head. Hoppy aroma. Flavor was an immediate hop bite that was slightly mellowed by a caramel malt. There was a dry and satisfying finish. Very drinkable and hoppy beer.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy, amber color with a moderate, frothy white head. Lacing is fairly strong. Aromas of spruce, citrus, hay, and malts. Mouthfeel is sticky throughout. Tastes of heavy bitterness, medium sourness, and light sweetness. Overall a very nice session beer for an IPA. I will purchase this again.

Bottle. Pours an attractive slightly hazy amber with an off-white head. Aroma is surprisingly subdued - earthy, herbal hops with a hint of berry and toastiness. The overabundance of carmel/toffee clutters-up the hop character of the beer. First are notes of malty caramel then an ample woody, earthy hop character. Lingering notes of pine resin and grapefruit. Malt sweetness is minimal. The body is full and round with a nice creamy texture and moderate carbonation.

Bottle. Aroma of floral notes, straight hops, caramel, toast. Flavor very malty though fortunately not overly sweet as some of these harvest ales are. Hops are still very presence with a floral and citrus character. Mildly astringent, but not distractingly so, quite drinkable. Nothing terribly unique, but still a solid brew.

THOUGHTS: Tons of hop flavor, but not very bitter. Very juicy hops. It was like some sort of crazy hop nectar. Perfectly balanced. More like a DIPA in balance. A great beer from one of my favorite breweries. It could use more hop aroma or really just more aroma in general. It had a complex aroma, but it was very light. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, medium to dark orange with an average to large head that mostly diminished and left good lacing. The aroma was nice, but way to weak. There was light caramel malt; light floral, herbal, grassy, orangey, minty and earthy hops; hints of honey and hints of vanilla. The initial flavor was lightly sweet, a little acidic and lightly bitter; while the finish was sweet and rather bitter with a fairly long duration. There was caramel malt, orangey hops, grapefruit hops, a little mint, a bit of pin hops, slight honey, orange and grapefruit rind and a little apple. The medium body was a bit syrupy, but also oily with lightly fizzy carbonation and a very lightly astringent, ever so slightly alcoholic and lightly metallic finish.

12 oz bottle served in a tulip glass. Pour was an orange amber with three fingers of thick, pillowy white head; a nice show of lacing is left on the glass as well. Nose was strong floral and caramel, malt, and a resonating hop that is detectable in every aspect of the aroma, just not as loud as the main attraction. The taste is not as sweet as the aroma might hint at, but very pleasant none the less. After the initial caramel and malt, the hops kick in with an unexpected hint of spice, before taking on a sweet, but dry earthy finish. A very good beer that is quite sessionable.