Anchor Humming Ale

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
San Francisco, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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Bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is dark yellow. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), lightly to moderately hoppy (grapefruit), lightly to moderately yeasty (dough). Flavor is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Light to medium body, velvety/watery texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. People ’round the brewery must have described this as "ho-hum", hence the name. Ha, sorry. But honestly, yeah, it’s instantly forgettable. Pretty yeasty in the nose (raw, vitamin B smell), just as much as it is hoppy. Is this just a minor variation of Liberty Ale? Wouldn’t surprise me. Looks nice, but otherwise a very mediocre beverage.

Tasted the 355 ml bottle. Golden/orange color with white head. Aroma of caramel, a bit of honey with some citrussy notes. Tastes hoppy, citrussy with some caramel. Very refreshing, easy to drink. Nice pale ale.

12oz bottle poured into a shaker. Pours a clear dark gold with about 3a fingers of thick white head. Aroma is mostly orange with some other citrus. Taste is light bitter. Lots if orange and grapefruit. Medium bodied with a slick texture. Lively carbonation and a long finish. Overall, very good. I would really like to try this when its fresh.

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bottle from Bierzwerg. Hazy golden colour with minimal head. Aroma is grape, fruity. Flavour is sweet, fruity, hoppy finish.

355ml bottle. Pours a hazy, pale gold, with a firm white head. Fruity aroma, a bit of yeast and sweat, citrusy hop notes, caramel, spruce, mangoes. Dry, light to medium bodied, medium bitterness, balanced CO2. Fruity, malty taste, a hint of grain, citrus peel, hops, apricots, spruce, quite refreshing. (2012-04-16)

Clear orange with an off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty and moderate hoppy - peach and grapefruit. Flavor is quiet sweet and moderate bitter. Dry and moderate bitter finish. 160412

Served on-tap at a bar in a traditional pint glass. A - Medium cloudiness, fairly orange/amber in color, with about a 1/2 inch of light tan head. No lacing. S - I’m picking up a very strange combination of things here including banana, a strong herbal scents, and honey. Not at all what i was expecting for an APA. Passed it around and several people made comment "that smells awful". T - I was conflicted about this beer. I didn’t think it smelled particularly good but the taste kept me, at a minimum, interested. It had a lot going on and thought the herbal/mint/grassy notes were overpowering the sweetness. Don’t really taste any hop/bitterness in the beer. It finished on the dry side. M - Medium carb, dry finish O - Overall, i commend Anchor for going out on a limb and trying something different. It certainly is an interesting beer and will catch you off guard if you’re looking for a standard APA. I would go as far as saying that i would never buy it again but i would say that this beer is not for the faint of heart. It’s definitely not a beer i would offer to others if i was hosting a gathering. That said, if you’re looking for something outside the norm, give it a try. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 01-27-2012 16:50:36

Tasted in the land that gave the world Nelson Sauvin. Sort of grapefruit in colour with a cream coloured head that thinned and disappeared. Orange marmalade aroma and definite sour citrus aromas going on. Full body and a rush of grapefruit and spruce flavours. Then there’s a good tingly bitterness on the tongue and tartness that either suggests I have grapefruit on the brain or that there’s a definite theme going on. Right tasty.

Pours copper with light white head. Aroma is candy like a twizler...taste is bitter. Light cutrus hopps.. Average pale ale imo

In short: A bland pale ale with discreet hopping and sugary malts. Meh.
How: Bottle 355ml, consumed as soon as could my hand on one up here in Montreal, but that probably means a few months after bottling
The look: Almost clear golden-orange body topped by a medium white head with medium retention
In long: The soft nose is somewhat herbal, a bit wooden and with notes of flowers and oranges. This beer is said to use Nelson Sauvin, but I must say this is not the type of aroma I associate Nelson Sauvin. Taste is a little too sweet, and the sweetness has that refined white sugar flavor that I don’t like in a beer like this. Also some pie crust, Melba Toasts™, plenty of those little dried orange cubes and other dried fruits, herbal hops, some lime. A soft herbal bitterness with citric notes. Overall I thought this was a rather lacklustre pale ale, maybe it has to be consumed super-super-fresh and a bottle in Canada just cannot be super-super-fresh. I was disappointed by this one. An ordinary beer to please the mass market, because no one can live by bread alone, unless you’re locked in my basement that that’s all I feed you(*).
* hypothetical situation, not admissible in a court of law