Beer Advocate score 4.2/5
Untappd score 4/5
BJCP Category - 18B. American Pale Ale
A pale, refreshing and hoppy ale, yet with sufficient supporting malt to make the beer balanced and drinkable. The clean hop presence can reflect classic or modern American or New World hop varieties with a wide range of characteristics. An average-strength hop-forward pale American craft beer, generally balanced to be more accessible than modern American IPAs.
On my way home for the weekend, I decided to stop by Whole Foods Market, an Amazon grocery store (that sounds weird... and gross), and I picked up this bottle. There were a lot to choose from but when something is named after a House in the GAME OF THRONES, you have to go that route. I also have never had a New England Style beer before, so I thought I would give it a try. Also, it has my favorite hop variety listed as an ingredient, Citra hops! I love using this variety in my homebrews when it is available. So on to the tasting notes!
Aroma: Rich, intense tropical fruit. Hits you as soon as you pop the top. Mostly papaya. I could say something like a little grapefruit, like everybody does, but I would be lying. 8.7
Appearance: Golden and hazy, just what is says the style is supposed to be. 8.5
Flavor: Dense tropical fruit, again mostly papaya. Detect a spicy, resinous note on the backend; heavy dankness, more hops than I expected. The aftertaste lends itself to more citrus. 7
Mouthfeel: Somewhere in the medium bodied spectrum. Definitely a juicy brew. Not quite Refreshing, but getting close. 7
Overall: Never had a NE Style Brew before this so I didn't know what to expect. Heavy intensity of tropical fruits on the nose and the taste. The dankness made it hard for me to consider this a refreshing brew. It kind of got bogged down with citrus. Not a bad beer, just not my favorite. Looking for something a little more refreshing in the summer. 7
Matt's mark: 3.82/5
When bottling a homebrew, one must either drink a previous homebrew or try a new craft brew. I decided to go with a new craft brew. It was a nice brew to keep me occupied when bottling my braggot (ale brewed with copious amounts of honey) but it wasn't my favorite. I believe this is the first beer I have scored that is below Beer Advocate and Untappd, making me in the minority I guess. This is supposedly a summer brew but I would consider it more of a sipping brew for the long autumn days. A little heavier than I like for summer. Also, after my first sip, I thought it was more of an IPA rather than an APA. That was my interpretation anyway. Yours might not be the same. All in all, I think this brew is worth the try if you come across it. I mean, the score is still fairly solid, so I definitely didn't hate it.
Pick up another one. I would like to try it.
ReplyDeleteI will see if Whole Foods still has it. Limited supply.
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