First sip is more malty than I expected. I really thought the hops would be the most prevalent taste in there, but the malt is probably just beating it up and tossing it in the corner. It combines with the citrus and something more earthy to just drive on down the gullet, smacking the walls the whole way down.
A proper draught find the taste start with a kind of crappy tip-in. It tastes like old shoes. The middle is a little hops and pretty highly carbonated. Finish is smoky and a little bit of citrus. It gets earthy right at the very end.
Were it not for that bad tip-in, this would really be a decent beverage. I'd say the middle and finish are probably a 3.5 together, but that tip-in is daunting every time I go to put the beer to my lips. Sam is still an excellent brewery, but this one kind of got away from them.
2.0/5