Fresh Hop 100 (2012)
Town Hall Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really got a nice vegetal impression from this....both on the aroma and the taste...these fresh hops are always nice to try and often are not what I expect. Simcoe is one of my favorite hops and this was a much different "simcoe" impression....I've never found it to be real bitter but in this beer there is almost no bitterness from it....also don't get the fruity notes I usually associate..with that said I still thought this was very tasty and well worth the purchase to try.

 

This year's is made with 100% fresh Simcoe hops. Served at the brewpub in a standard shaker pint glass.

Appearance: Color is a deep and clear copper amber orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. About two fingers of off white head with decent retention. Leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass.

Smell: A bright and sharp aroma of ripe citrus and resinous hops. Big hints of citrus grapefruit, orange peel, pineapple, mango, tangerine, and lemon. A fairly dank scent of pine resin and grass. Behind the big hop profile are some sweet bready malts with hints of caramel, biscuit, toffee, and cracker. Pretty hop forward and the hops smell nice and fresh. Very solid smell.

Taste: Like the aroma previews, a big load of fresh and ripe hop flavor. Nice mix of citrus and earthy spice with tasting notes of grapefruit, pineapple, oranges, tangerine, mango, and lemon. Some notes of spicy and dank pine resin blend in with the citrus. The hops taste very fresh and sharp but are not overwhelmingly bitter. Nice malt backing with some caramel, toffee, and biscuit notes in the background. A very good taste overall.

Mouthfeel: Body is more on the medium side with a moderate amount of carbonation. Fairly sharp, juicy and spicy although it is still fairly easy to get down.

Overall: A very good fresh hop IPA that easily stands up with the other well known Midwest ones. Nice juicy hop profile and spice.