Shepherd Neame / Fat Head’s Yakima Sun

Brewed by Shepherd Neame
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Faversham, England

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Hoppy craft brew but one with a varied mix of fruits of its pleasant taste.

5th October 2011
Hamilton Hall Spoons. Clear gold beer, small white head. Smooth dry palate, a little soft. No carbonation! Clean pale malt with some sweetish hops. Slightly sherbetty citrus. All pretty subtle. Dry finish with minerals.

On tap at brewpub
A solid but unremarkable release, this beer might be dull because I find it hard to get overly excited about golden ales. It is sessionable and light on the palate yet somehow I still don’t find myself wishing I had ordered a full pint. Perhaps that is the curse of a brewery cranking out too many solid beers and raising expectations.

Aroma / Appearance - The golden bronze body shimmered with a soft white head providing some contrast. Tropical notes were a little bit different than your typical golden ale. This feels more Caribbean than some cheap yellow lagers.

Flavor / Palate - Bitter tangerines were the first of a series of sweet sensations. Lemons and a buttery finish wrap up a decent beer. Like biting into a fake piece of waxed fruit it has the feel of something out of place. You can tell it is a Fat Head’s release though; the citrusy IPAs are not that subtle. All around this is a good collaboration.

(Growler Pour) - Labeled an ESB at the brewery. The American hop strains are really on display with this beer. It starts with a big blast of Citra hops, and pours a pale amber with a full white head. Mild malt flavors, with hints of biscuit and bread, which is quickly overpowered by the hops. This is a really nice drinking sessionable beer. I can easily see why fans of traditional ESB’s might be taken back by this beer, which almost hits the hop levels of an APA.

Aroma: Hints of citrus hoppiness with a nice malty aroma, nutty if I had to label it. Appearance: Clear dark gold with a thick white head that dissipates quickly, but leaves lots of lacing. Taste: Light sweetness with hints of bitterness that build across the tongue. Very nice, and not too strong. Palate: Medium body, light, crisp texture, lively carbonation, with a long, mild finish. Overall: This is a nice, solid beer, well developed and balanced. I’m not blown away, but could certainly see putting back a few of these. Nice session beer.

Cask-conditioned at the Commercial Rooms (JDW), Bristol 4/10/2011. Golden with a slight white head. Fruity aroma with some grassy hops. Flavour had solid, cereal malts with contrasting citrus fruit and dry finish.

[Cask at the Falcon (JDW), High Wycombe] Deep gold, large white head. Lots of flowers and pine with just the right amount of bitterness at the end. A resinous mouthfeel with a dry finish. One of the best at this Wetherspoons festival - a good mix of American flavours and British balance, just what I was hoping for.

Cask conditioned Handpump High Cross Leicester. A light golden beer with a white head. Slight in the nose. Good citrus flavours but with a UK like creaminess. A tad chewy at times but the hops do shine after a while with Cascade flavours to the fore. A tail of two quarters really in this half pint as it certainly picked up, with even some spicy hop entering the aroma.

Hand pulled cask at the Moon and Sixpence (JDW) Hatch End. Gold with a lively white head in the peak of fresh condition. The US hops are unmistakable (if a little under used). Unlike some people, I thought that this was quite a decent effort.

time to get some yankees rating this! tough style 2 have smell great. terrific hops bite upfront followed by bitter british bite featuring some subtle nuttiness. outstanding.