Rhinegeist Crash Pale Ale

Seems like I've been hitting a lot of local Cincinnati beers lately, haven't I? Well, with relatives in the area, why not take advantage of the access to see if other cities have just as vibrant of a local microbrewery scene as the greater Nashville area has proven to have?

The slightly hazy amber beer has a white head that is patchy and sticky enough to be an IPA rather than a straight pale ale. The aroma backs that up with the scent of pine and tropical hops absolutely exploding from the top of the beverage as soon as I pour the sucker. This is going to be a stronger pale ale than the rather bland can would lead me to believe.

First sip is a strong flavor of various citrus hops and tropical fruits - but it's got a lot of rind in it to alter the taste pretty dramatically. The biscuit malt has a nice and crackery crust, but it's not holding back the bitterness that much. There's a lot to unpack here, and the sip is just not the way to do it.

Tip-in is light carbonation burn with the skin of a pineapple and peel from a papaya just doing their thing unabated. The middle is where pine jumps in to join the grapefruit, orange peel, biscuit malt, and other, less important fruits to make a solid meal out of a single beer. The finish is a sharp downturn of bitter and earth with grassy notes.

Bottom Line: This is a highly complex beer that would probably take multiple tastings to truly sort out. And I'm down for that.

3.75/5