3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 13/20
On tap at 515 in Santa Cruz. Poured into a pilsener glass. Clear gold color with a slight orange tint. Nice frothy white head that lasts awhile. Aroma is sweet with grains and a clear honey note. Flavor is honey, pale malts, and grain up front before finishing nutty and slightly grassy. Well integrated flavor, very smooth and crisp. Drinkability is off the charts. Good beer if you’re not looking for a ton of complexity.
2 AROMA 2/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 9/20
Pale yellow color with little head. Indistinct "beer" aroma with a touch of sweetness. Very "pilsneresque" overall. Quite bland really--little mat, no hops, nothing special. Slightly oily mouthfeel.
2.6 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 11/20
(Draft: 2005 Stone 9th Anniversary Festival in Escondido, CA) I guess I would prefer they brew a brand new style for a specialty rather than just tweak an existing recipe, but beggars can’t be choosers. Grainy, crisp and moderately bitter, and slightly sweet from the honey, but also a bit tart in the finish. Doesn’t really taste all that different from their Blonde, just a bit more malty to me. Grassy nose with perhaps a vague honey aroma, or maybe that’s just the power of suggestion at work. Light bodied, but not watery, with quite the crisp finish. Medium straw color is darker than their Blonde and fully clear. The whitish head is small on the pour and settles to a wide ring while leaving very nice lacing for a dirty festival glass. Nothing I’m too fond of, but I’m not fond of this style of beer anyway. But at least it’s good to see some experimentation with new brews.
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