Check To The Head
Dark Horse Brewing Company

 

 

 

Pours a hazy blonde with a minimal head that disappears quickly. No discernable aroma. Taste is very summer-like; light with a citrus finish. Mouth feel is creamy. A clean cream ale ready for summer grass cutting.

 

12 oz can from superspak
poured into Goose Island Nonic Pint

Hazy blonde with a 2 finger head of off-white fluff

Aromas are of hay, straw, dry grass, and orange rind with slight funk and sesame bun.

Flavor is hay, lemon rind, vanilla wafer, orange rind, faint dried apricots, and stale dry grass.

Feel is creamy and medium bodied, with a sharp carbonation, and a starchy chalky finish.

Overall nothing mind blowing but it's a clean cream ale with no off-flavors. Refreshing. Enjoy on a hot day.

12 ounce can into pint glass; no can dating, but was just released. Pours lightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, honeydew melon, red apple, citrus peel/rind, wood, light peppercorn/pine, cracker, corn, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/earthy hops, pale malt/maize, and light-moderate fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, honeydew melon, red apple, citrus peel/rind, wood, light peppercorn, pine, cracker, corn, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, honeydew melon, red apple, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, cracker, corn, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, pale malt/maize, and light-moderate fruity yeast flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no astringent hop flavors after the finish. Very clean on lager flavors, not overly yeasty. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is an excellent hoppy cream ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, pale malt/maize, and light-moderate fruity yeast flavors; very smooth, crisp, and refreshing to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish, not aggressive. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Feels like Centennial, Columbus, Amarillo. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hop complexity; with a great clean pale malt/maize backbone, and restrained fruity yeast notes. A very enjoyable offering. Very impressive, still stays true to style, not overly hoppy/bitter.