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We are about to embark on a journey, you and I. Well, I say that we are about to, but it's really just me, and any readers that happen along can jump in when they can. A good while back, I had the fortune of trying a bunch of beers that were all brewed the same, but they had one component that was changed. This allowed me to do a superior side by side comparison of one particular ingredient as it changed through the beers. This series has four beers, and it would seem that the nature of the hopping is the difference. This particular one is double dry hopped, but there is no indication of what kind of hops those are. Subsequent beers will either call out a specific kind of hop or be hopped in a different manner than double dry hopped. I'm going to try them all, and I'm expecting them to be fantastic.
The can warns that sediment in the beer is expected and part of the process, but I didn't really see any sediment whenever I poured the beer. Yes, it is plenty hazy, but I wouldn't call it the same thing. The yellow beverage has a deep orange to it in the dead center of the beer, but other than that it appears very light and lively. The clumpy head is not particularly voluminous, and it doesn't look like it's going to be leaving any lacing. That said, it manages to stay on top of the beer to allow the beer to have a general look of freshly poured orange juice. The aroma is pleasing, sweet citrus with maybe a twinge of tropical to it.
First sip is quite mild. I expected something that was double dry hopped to be busting at the seams with hops and bitterness, but the bitterness is toned down, and that is likely the result of a significant lack of hops. I guess this is a pale ale, not an IPA, so I shouldn't have expected an IPA level of hops. For a pale ale, this is quite hoppy, and it's good either way. I could probably sip this all night, but I think we all know that's not the way we do things around here.
Tip-in is gentle grapefruit, no carbonation, and what I can only describe as a seared sugar around the outside. The middle raises some carbonation to the roof of the mouth with citric acidity in hand while the grapefruit is joined by tangerine and even some orange in the center where bitterness looms. Bitterness and dryness await the finish as the juices give up and run away to allow their echoes to trail off.
Bottom Line: That's not bad, and I am really looking forward to the other beers in this pack.
3.5/5
