I'm pretty sure I've voiced an opinion about beer makers throwing in various buckets of whatever they have lying around to try and make a "special" beer. I'm not in favor of the edible detritus of whatever brewery happens to think that... oooo, this will taste good, let's use it! But I can understand someone liking the taste of - I don't know - elderberries? And then thinking that it would offset the bitterness of the hops if used in the right quantity. But dandelions? Have you ever eaten one? Ever wonder why you haven't?The beer looks good. I like an ale that is a bit cloudy, as it typically means I'm in for a good helping of hops in this one. The head rapidly dissipates, and the aroma is not bad. It's a bit more floral than I generally like, but I guess you have to kind of expect that. But, I sit back and prepare for what I hope is a good beer - after all, Magic Hat produces some good ones. When I visited their brewery with my brother-in-law, we must have tried every one they had and even took some home with us. That was a good day, but trying to set up his wireless network afterward was hard - the screen was all blurry.
Back to the beer. The head really thins as it sits, but it doesn't go completely away. That's kind of nice. It improves the look of the beer in the glass, and a lot of times it's the little things that make a beer good. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of the taste. It's a clean taste, but the finish is off. I can only assume that is the dandelion, but what do I know from dandelion? I really wish there was more hops in there, too. There is some sediment at the bottom, and I'm guessing that's more dandelion; it can't possibly be hops, as there isn't enough for this.
It's an ale, dammit! Make an ale! ADD HOPS!
I've got a problem with the fact that this is labeled as a spring ale, too. This tastes like a summer beer. It's almost hefeweizen. I wanted an ale. All I wanted was an ale. I think I've got a Sam Adams Whitewater around here somewhere.
1.75/5
