Hopfinder
Saugatuck Brewing Company

 

 

22 oz. bottle, with no apparent bottled on date present. Snagged the second to last bottle on the shelf at the local Binny's in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. I haven't drank anything from Saugatuck Brewing Co. in a while, and I've never tried Saugatuck Pathfinder.

Poured into a clear balloon snifter glass.

A - Pours two fingers of big fluffy doughy off-white head with excellent staying power. Body is a beautiful bright orange color with some light brown highlights when held to the light. Some thin scattered bubbly lace.

S - Smell is light and floral with notes of lavender and lilac, some dish soap, and biscuit malts. Some fruity clementine / blood orange is noticeable when I twirl the beer in the glass.

T - Taste is very light, floral, and vegetal. In a way, the taste reminds me of the vegetal flavors that I experienced in the Magic Hat HiCu. Oranges, lemon, kiwi, melon rind, cucumber, flowers, some bready pilsner malt, some vitamin / mineral taste, and some earthiness. Very different than what I was expecting, but I think it's truly delicious. There is a lot going on here.

M - Feel is crisp & sticky, smooth & juicy, with some hop bitterness clinging to the palate. Medium bodied, with ideal carbonation.

Overall, I found it to be incredibly delicious. Definitely an unconventional pale ale. I admit that I was weary at first, but this beer exceeded my expectations by far. The floral mosaic hops really shine through here, and it all makes for an excellent, tasty beer. Moderate 5.80% abv; I could easily see myself drinking this on a warm summer's day. A beer I hope they choose to brew again.

Saugatuck + Binny's Hopfinder ---4/5.

 

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

According to the label (and a couple employees at my local store), Saugatuck had some of the Binny's beer department over to brew, and they decided on using the Pathfinder base and hopping it to Heaven with Citra, Simcoe, and Nelson Sauvin (possibly among others). For good measure, they dry-hopped it with Mosaic. I'm expecting some hop character here...

This stuff pours a clear copper topped by a finger of relatively short-lived off-cream foam. The nose comprises grapefruit zest, candied orange peel, pine sap, light pineapple juice, mixed greens, a touch of leek in the back, and a backbone of mild sweet caramel. Definitely some nice hop aromas caressing my 'strils here. The taste generally brings in more of the same, but here the fruits tend toward their rinds and peels, emphasizing the bitterness over any other flavor profile. Not only that, but the caramel falls out nearly entirely, coming through only in faint whispers every now and again. The finish is loaded in such a way as to mimic the act of licking the inside of a grapefruit rind. Been there, done that, never been truly happy with the result. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, things started off well, both in concept and in smell, but the final taste execution just didn't do it for me. What could have been a bright expression of tropical fruity goodness and moderate balance instead followed a strange path of vegetal bitterness and one-sidedness.