Sudachi Ace
Fort George Brewery + Public House

fort george continues to impress, although this one is quite a bit more mild than i was anticipating, subtle in every way, but also really light, almost freakishly light, and easy drinking, the fruit is mellow, but this is refreshing and summery anyway. i thought with the name it had to have sorachi ace hops in it, which is a favorite, but i had to look it up to learn its amarachi hops in here, which is a sorachi ace and amarillo hybrid of some kind, cool, never heard of that, but nobody would describe this beer is hoppy, everything is a nuance, fruit and hops alike, and thats okay. blonde and clear and unassuming, with a relatively quick fading near inch of white head from the tap, lots of sparkling carbonation the whole time though. aroma here is somewhat limey, herbal and leafy, soft and with hints of lemongrass and lime leaf and verbena, not outright tart like i thought it would be from the fruit, but there is a little mouthwatering thing going on, pils malt comes through too, a non neutral grain base for sure, and i like that in here, verdant and fresh and clean, but still also appreciably a lager. the flavor is tight and clean, light bitterness early, a rindy pithy citrus thing, but again not as tart as i expected. it might not quite be obvious that there is rice in this, but it sure is light on the grain side, a little crackery pils and rocky minerality is all, leaves space for the limey zesty fruit and the delicate hops, all bone dry and totally gone on the swallow. i dont want to call this under flavored or underwhelming because the quality is excellent and its still subtly unique, but i think i was expecting a bit more of a flavor bomb here, and its easiness and minimal nature came as a surprise, but the quality is epic as always from these guys, and i think the combination of ingredients is intentional and compatible and smart. could drink this one all summer long...

16-ounce can purchased at John's Marketplace in Beaverton, OR. Date stamp reads "KONNICHIWA 03/17/25". Poured into an aluminum version of a red Solo cup for patio drinking.

Look:
Pale yellow and perfectly clear, with a healthy head of snowy white foam that leaves very attractive lacing.

Smell:
A clean, dry lager character perfumed with bitter citrus undertones. Slight hit of sulfur.

Taste:
Dry lager malt enhanced by a bitter, lime-like citrus note. The malt shows a light toasted rice note in the middle which lasts to the end. The tangy citrus bitterness also lasts to the end, picking up a lip-smacking Amarillo hop orange peel note along the way. The lime peel bitterness is actually a bit much for such a light beer, and is a little exhausting by the last sip.

Feel:
Light-bodied with surprisingly soft carbonation. Slight citrus burn lingers towards the bottom of the glass.

Overall:
Crisp, light, and quenching with an impressive and ultimately punishing bitterness. Tangy from start to finish. The afternoon's high temperature is a good 20 or 30 degrees too cool for me to fully appreciate this beer's charms, and the citrus leaves a bit of a burn, but I'm still glad I tried it.

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a light to medium golden amber with a one finger white head with great retention and slippery solid lacing. Aroma of lager malt, sudachi citrus (smelled like yuzu to me) and a little pepper. Flavor is lager malt, sudachi and lemon, graham cracker, black pepper and aromatic wood with moderate bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I've enjoyed yuzu ales before, so I was intrigued by this one, and honestly, I would have guessed yuzu in this one too; I guess they are similar citrus fruits used for flavoring rather than eating. The hop bill has some nice spicy (mostly pepper) and exotic woody notes. It's flavorful, nicely citrus and has some fainter, unfamiliar aromatic forest notes. The malt has some light biscuit notes. It tastes to me like light lager hopped like a pale ale . Enjoyable.