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In the intervening time between my last Common John beer review, I actually went to a bar, and I had my choice of local beers. Admittedly, the selection was not quite what was advertised, but they had some good choices. Among them was a Common John beer that I had not tried and didn't have waiting for me in the fridge. That one was pretty good, and it has set this one up to be a home run of a beer, in my estimation.
Bottom Line: She's damn good.
The lightly hazy beer is yellow through the center, and the white head didn't really emerge all that well, but the ring around the sides lets me know it tried its best. The aroma is quite tropical with apricot, guava, and mango holding back any grapefruit that might be trying to inch its way forward. I even smell pine coming through a bit. Very nice.
First sip is crisp... at first. The lingering aftereffects of the hops bring bitterness that cannot be denied, but it is in stark contrast to the delightfully simple and clear nature of the sip. It may be a strange dichotomy, but it's one that the beer manages to pull off well enough to say that sipping isn't necessarily a bad way to go. But, sipping isn't what we do here.
Tip-in is light carbonation tingle with pine resin, apricot, and grapefruit vying for attention in a slightly bitter mist. The middle becomes so drinkable that I fear for my sobriety (especially at 8.0% ABV); the slosh of fruits and a rising malt are enough to make poets write entire sonnets about it. The finish is the expected pine resin-led bitterness that really hangs on for a long trail off.
Bottom Line: She's damn good.
4.0/5
