I'd go ahead and call this a hazy orange, but sticklers would point out that it has a bit more amber to it than that. The head is sticky as all get out, and it's impressively even on the sides (even though it's patchy on the top of the beer itself). The aroma is orange and maybe a little wheat. But I'm not here to smell the beer; let's have a sip.First sip is caramel and citrus. There's pine peeking through to give the whole beer a kind of outdoorsy taste with some bread... no, make that rolls under it all for substance. As a simple sip, it's not jarring, and it's not really telling me much about the beer. Could I sip it the whole way? Yup, and I'd probably be fine with it. Subsequent sips reveal a bitterness that I didn't notice in the first sip, but it's still pretty tame. How does it swig?
Tip-in is orange and some undefined grains with a hint of that pine coming through. The middle is exceptionally smooth and sweet. Caramel takes over, and the orange is just loving the dance that they do together. The finish is a bang of pine bitterness and the caramel just can't hold it back. The rolls assert themselves to cover things a bit, and the bitterness isn't anywhere near what it would take to overcome their calming influence.
Bottom Line: Bold in a way. Good in a way. It has some growing up to do, but the essentials are there for it.
3.25/5
