Hop Scout (Strata)
Kern River Brewing Company

great taste off strata hops - i enjoy single hopped beers you get a true taste of what each brings to a beer hoppy refreshing taste

Kern is pretty much there. With Ernest, I always expect (and get) that “Lubitsch Touch.” And now with Kern, you pretty much expect quality at every turn - and they deliver here. Now, I’m not really a “hop on a raft and cruise down a river guy,” but if Hop Scout was at the end of the journey, you better believe I’d slap on a life vest and start paddling. Just beautiful dry bitterness is met with glorious tropical hops like watching the sunset with Emily Didinato.

I’m gone.

Canned 6/11/21

Appearance - Pours with a hint of haze, golden in color with a frothy, off-white two-finger width head. Good retention before settling to a thin, broken layer of suds, thickening up into a ring around the edge where the glass and brew meet. Great lacing, with solid sheeting, breaking down into thick webbing and a few small spots

Smell - Fruity aroma of citrus, tropical character, berry, lesser pine and some underlying bready sweetness.

Taste - Follows the nose. Orange and berry fruitiness upfront, then some bittering notes of grapefruit and pine roll through. Underlying bready sweetness throughout. Finish adds a bit of dank funk, while the aftertaste lingers with the citrus and berry just above the more bitter qualities.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with fair carbonation. Slick, easy drinker before a lightly dry finish.

Overall - Nice. Pretty sure it's a single hop brew, but can't be positive. Regardless, it's a solid, tasty brew that goes down easy.