Chama River The Hop Merchant

Brewed by Chama River Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Hand bottled: Reddish hued honey, very slight haze, large pillowy off-white head, lovely lacing, low carbonation.   Soft hop nose, slight candied orange zest.   Very soft hop bitterness up front, slight tea leaf, touch of citrus, but falls off quickly towards the end.   Moderate body and mouthfeel.   Quick finish, clean, but needs more umph on the backside.   Sums up as soft hop tea.   Thanks Steve for this rare one!

Thanks to whaleman for sharing this hand bottled brew from the brewer... Appears a cloudy amber with a soapy white head and scattered lacing. The head fades into a nice film that lasts for the duration of the drink. Smell is of a huge hop bill with lots of citrus and pine, along with some caramel malt coming through. Mouthfeel is slightly watery with some bitter hops sticking around . A tad more balance was needed IMO but it’s still a decent beer.

Thanks to whaleman for this unique hop experience. Pours a translucent orange amber with a small bubbly white head. Aroma was very much orange with some pine. Flavor was dry and piney. Lots of hops, which I really enoyed. Quite an interesting American Pale Ale and I’m really glad whaleman brought this treat along to a tasting.

Thanks Whaleman. Poured a orange amber in color with a small lasting head. Very citrusy and hoppy aroma. Grapefruity and pine notes. Flavor is hoppy with a little malt character. Very bitter tasting. Finish is grapefruity. Decent.

12.10.05 Bomber thanks to whaleman, RLB YEHA-05. Glowing orange amber pour with small but lasting white head. As soon as Dave opened this bottle, the room filled with a perfume of citrus blossom, resin, and spruce. Damned if I didn’t slam whatever was in my glass to get a load of this stuff. One of the more exciting beers I’ve chewed on in a while. Pretty much, this stuff is a lightly malty, slightly sweet lipton tea-like brew that is absolutely packed to the gills with tastebud and saliva stripping hops. There is no way this beer would ever quench your thirst for anything but citric and resinous bitterness, but never your thirst for fluids.

Poured a clear amber with a white head. Surprisingly strong aroma of citrus and pine hops, much stronger than one would expect from the style. Flavor is almost all pine hops, a bit chalky and unbalanced. Needed more malt to support the hops and to keep more to style. I had great expectations for this from the aroma, but the delivery is one-dimensional and though not bad, not exceptional.

Poured a medium golden orange color with a small sized, off white head. Aromas of pine, citrus and flowers. The aromas on this one was all hops. Tastes of citrus, grapefruit with a malty note. The hops in the flavors were a lot ’softer’ than the aromas.