deepsouth (23), biloxi, Mississippi, USA
May 1, 2008
the beer pours an orangish color with tons of creamy tan head. the smell is very sweet and hoppy. i also detect a floral character to it as well as banana. the hop bitterness of this beer is not overwhealming and the malty sweetness is much more than i expected in a fresh hop beer. the taste is citrusy and i also detect honey maybe? the mouthfeel is medium but fluffy. this is an awesome beer i could easily drink several of and would seek out.
 highibus (271), Vail, Arizona, USA
Oct 11, 2008 amber color with thin white head. slight aroma of mellow hops and malty balance. nice beer.
trevor211 (107), Seattle, Washington, USA
Oct 8, 2008 2008 version. Pours bronze with a very nice head (though it dissipates fairly quickly). There’s a sweet and salty combination to the nose, almost like kettle corn. Caramel malts dominate, with the fresh hops showing through - but not enough. Either I’ve become far too used to DIPAs, or the fresh hop efforts this year aren’t paying *nearly* enough respect to the hops. They come through more in the flavor, which is also dominated by (great) caramel malts. I’m a little disappointed, but there’s one thing I love about this brew: the aftertaste. There’s this subtle lingering flavor that is *perfect* - a wonderful balance that makes you want to sip more. Bonus flavor points for that. Palate is nice - lively but not overbearing, and clean.
ditmier (228), Boise, Idaho, USA
Sep 28, 2008 2008 Bottle - Pours lt brown with a decent head, massive lacing...aroma is all hop piney resin and light citrus, flavour is nice and bitter, I love how the fresh hop ales don’t throw in gratuitous malts to overwhelm...nice change, good strong hop brew...
sirpsycho (190), Murrysville, Pennsylvania, USA
Jul 17, 2008 Bottle. Pours a cloudy orange, off white head. Aroma is subdued citrus hops, touch of malt. Flavor is hops, citrus and pine. Not overpowering, bitterness is very mild.
SamGamgee (593), Santa Cruz, California, USA
Jul 3, 2008 22oz bottle. Orange amber color with a sticky head and some sediment in the last pour. malty aroma for the most part, but a nice citric hop quality blends in the background, despite this being way beyond the age where you would expect the fresh hops to still make an impact. The flavor is a clean, fruity maltiness with a little hop balance. Almost falls on the less hoppy English side after all these months. Nice fruitiness adds character. This is definitely an elegant pale ale. Tastes quite malty and balanced with the time that has elapsed since last fall’s hop harvest, but still quite nice. I’ll definitely be getting some of this fresh when it comes out again.
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