Fresh Hop Ale
Kern River Brewing Company

Here's one that hasn't been reviewed in almost 10 years. Sampled at the Sierra Nevada Single, Fresh, Wet & Wild festival. The recipe (hops) have changed over the years, currently they're doing a Strata hop one.

Pours a cloudy yellow before it was cool. They didn't release much information back then in terms of what the hop was, but my notes indicate I suspected it was Amarillo back in 2013. There was a large lemongrass vibe to it. Amarillo has been a hop KRBC uses in a lot of their beers back then too. Meridian is a possibility too.

The light amount of 2 row here allowed for a more substantial grassy bitterness. I'm really going back over the fence and thinking more about Meridian hops here. Whether you call it vegetal or minty, there is a green edge to it, that I welcome, its a fresh hop beer, kind of supposed to go with the territory. In terms of 'fruit' flavors from the hops, I really didn't get that, more vegetables outside of the hit of lemongrass.

 

 

 

 

 

Chilled growler into a glass.

A: Pours a clear, lightly hazy gold body. Nice head of off-white head that falls into a light cap.

S: When cold, it has a lot of green, grassy notes. As it warms, it transforms into vegetables and weed (I was the only one who detected the latter) with a touch of malt. It's obviously a light beer, without a lot of malt character, and the hops drive it. But it seems quite overhopped, on the whole.

T: As noted in the aroma, it's overhopped, transforming into a vegetal, grassy beer. It is light-bodied, dry, and generally clean in regards to malt flavor. The weed note that I commented on in the aroma is here, too, but at times I was describing it as rubbery. It's fairly unpleasant.

M: Dry, light-bodied.

D: Disappointing. I'd like to see them tweak the recipe; wouldn't mind giving it another shot.

Growler shared by Arbitrator. Thanks.

Clear gold with a light haze. A thick white head tops the body and sustains well, eventually settling to a film.

The nose is green, grassy, very vegetal and earthy. There isn't much noticeable malt or yeast character here, hops are dominant but unfortunately not entirely pleasing to me.

The palate is slightly better than the aroma. It's still very vegetal and grassy, nearly reminding me of seaweed. The body is light but not thin, and it's quite dry and clean overall. It ends on a pleasantly bitter note. This is a well crafted beer, but I don't like the hop character very much - it's entirely too vegetal for me, and that's coming from someone that usually loves both Kern River and wet hop beers.

Shared generously by Arbitrator at a tasting tonight.

Poured a dull looking orange/reddish/amber color, which seemed a bit indistinct. A nice eggshell white one finger width head topped things off, seemed fluffy enough. Good retention and decent lacing.

Smells a lot like how I remember Citra smelling, however it's quite a bit low key in comparison. For a pale though, it's pretty strong and extremely nice smelling. A lot of citrus, some danky marijuana, and some tropical fruitys along with a slight breadiness that rounds things out nicely, not much spice or earth here.

Mmm, really well balanced flavor profile, much more balanced than the other Kern River beers I have had. A nice bit of malt up front, mostly mild bready flavors, and then a sweet dose of tropical fruits like mango and pineapple... This is all followed up by some awesome grapefruit, lemon, and orange which has made this brewery famous.

Mouthfeel is spot on, somewhere south of medium but not by much. Carbonation is not that lively, which creates a smooth sensation and a somewhat oily feel.

Drinks very well, and I could session this, even though I would definitely advise slowing down and enjoying the complexity this beer has to offer. A definite winner of a wet hop pale ale.

The first year, this looks to be a once a year from here on. This beer is brewed with locally grown hops. Vine to beer in the same day.
The beer stradles the line between Pale and IPA not just by the the abv. but by the flavor and mouthfeel. It has the refreshing lightness of a pale but it also has the crushing hop flavor/aroma of an IPA. The medium alchol level is a great it allows me to enjoy more of this deliciousness than say Outstanding or Citra.

This beer pours into your glass about the same color as the IPA, dark orange to reddish, with a good portion of foam on top.

A big nose of fresh floral and citrus with a little sweet maltiness.

Tasty brew that is light in the initial sip but turns thicker and chewier with the resin of hops coating your palette.

Very drinkable brew from KRBC, a great first attempt by the brewery.