Sorachi Ace Single Hop Strongman Pale Ale
Pratt Street Ale House

Draft, at the Pratt Street Ales House, Baltimore poured into a goblet

Appearance: Pours a pretty, golden copper/amber color with an eighth of a finger of white-head that dissolved away into a lacing of foam that completely covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Nice aromas of bready, toasted malt up front, imparting notes of freshly baked sourdough bread, or English muffins. I also get notes of caramel and brown sugar, as well as some spices of black pepper, dill and parsley. There’s quite a bit of lemony, grapefruity citrus as well. Finally, as a double IPA should, I get lots of grassy, piney, hops. Oddly, there’s a faint soapy aroma too.

Taste: Almost exactly like the aroma, sans soap. Toasted malt, up front, imparting notes of freshly baked sourdough bread, or English muffins, followed by caramel and brown sugar-like sweetness, as well as some spices of black pepper, dill and parsley. There’s quite a bit of lemony, grapefruity citrus as well. Finally, as a double IPA should, I get lots of grassy, piney, hops, which really asserts itself as the beer gets closer to room temperature.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and with a good balance between smooth, creamy and effervescent. With an ABV of 8.0%, there is a surprising amount of alcohol on the palate.

Overall: This is an interesting double IPA. It’s not as hoppy as I was expecting it to be, and as a consequence, I ended up liking it a hell of a lot more than I thought I would. This would be a great entry beer into those who don’t necessarily like IPAs and DIPAs, but are willing to try them, like me.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Scott for splitting this pull with me. On cask at Churchkey.

Beer is yellow / amber with a mild haze, big bubbles for a "head", low retention, no lacing, very low carbonation.

Sorachi ace is not my favorite hop but this smells fine, I like the levels here, mildly grassy, mildly coconut, a little malt.

Taste, a little disappointing here, the hops dominate but it detracts from the beer, mild sherry notes, some sweetness up front moderate bitterness on the finish. Interesting experiment but I'm not a huge fan. I like the original better.

On cask at Churchkey in D.C.

The beer is a hazy reddish orange color and sports a thin white head. The aroma offers lemon grass, coconut, herbal tea, and dank hops. Definitely Sorachi Ace hops at work here. Bold flavor, but one dimensional and cloyingly sweet. Glad I only ordered a 4 oz. pour. Low carbonation and medium to full bodied. Lingering alcoholic warmth in the finish. If you're a big fan of Sorachi Ace hops, perhaps you will enjoy this more than I. Not a repeat for me.

 

Very rich twist on the Strongman Pale Ale with a shining grassy Sorachi range over the malty sense.

Presentation: Growler from Pratt Street Ale House Baltimore´s headquarters. Seasonal ales menu offers a small description, and notes 9% Alc. by Vol.

A - Lightly hazy deep amber pour with a fair creamy head, medium retention and nice lacing.

S - Rich malty sweet range touches of caramel woven with lemongrass… Characteristic Sorachi identity in a enticing combination..

T - Taste follows with a sweet and fruity range of malt, which is coated nicely by the lemon grass of the Sorachi hop, the sweetness is never loss, but the herbal long sense of the hop shines in a surprising sync with the malty backbone

M - Medium body, soft carbonation, great smooth and creamy finish, with a tiny bitter balance in the finish where a sweet lemon grass lingers.

O - Beautiful flow, the way that the malty sense, the English yeast with those fruity tones are coated with the Sorachi sense is quite something else.

Notes: Sample, 10oz serving at the Ale House, and growler home. We had some other nice things but this was the winner (closely contested by the 3500 Juniper batch) Loving this iteration and the general quality bracket of Oliver Ales. The ESB was very nice, but this seasonal offerings made the highlight of the day. (When we brew an English PA reaching 9% and single hopped with Sorachi would it be fair to say that we are bordering DIPA territory?)