Big Time Crystal Hopfest

Brewed by Big Time Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Seattle, Washington USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Draught @ Brouwer’s Café: Dark golden, hazy, moderate off-white foamy head, fairly nice lacing, lively carbonation.   Nose is of a soft hop character, slight citrus, trace of malt.   Smooth hop bitterness on the tongue, strong yet not overbearing.   Well balanced in that the malt backing rides from start to finish and compliments the citrusy hop bitterness.   I like this one much more over the previous Hopfest that I had.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate, but on the heaftier side.   Long lingering citrusy based hop bitterness that doesn’t make me over-salivate.   Clean, definitely clean.   I am impressed!

Amber body, slight haze with a small of white head. Crystal hops for the nose with some floral accent. Lots of hops, some citrus in the body, finishes hoppy and a little light.

tap at brewery - crystal hops version: Rather dark orange brown color with tiny white head. Aroma is faint, mostly caramel and a mild, earthy hoppiness. Flavor is malty, fair amount of caramel, mildly hoppy, with mild to moderately bitter finish.

Crystal hops: On tap at the Big Time. Pours a pale, slightly cloudy amber with a modest head. The malt stays in the background, showcasing the cops but balancing nicely; the hops themselves offer with a lovely dry bitterness without the strong citrus-and-pine of many of the popular PacNW varieties. The mouthfeel is good, and the beer is superbly drinkable.

(As an aside, I’d call this an American Pale Ale rather than an IPA.)