Fresh Hop Joe
10 Barrel Brewing Co.

ive always like joe pretty well, and i still think these guys make some great beer. i was excited to see this. i got a late start personally on wet hop season this year it felt like, so i have been making up for lost time and drinking all of them i can get my lips on the last few weeks or so. this is solid, still with the light base normal joe has, always been pretty fundamental there, and i think the oily texture of the wet hops shines in this because there isnt a ton of grain weight obscuring it. good clarity, brassy colored, short white head from the tap. killer aroma, lightly spicy for something with fresh hops in it, a little northwestern pine character too, a gin note, and to me a little bitter lemon peel, and an obvious freshness. i dont mind the bitterness in it, a lot of fresh hop beers this year have seemed light in that regard, i know thats the trend right now, but this base beer remains pretty in tact, and i think the bite keeps it away from the pale ale range a lot of these are falling into now. a little honey note, some weedy character, a light mosaic type catty note even though i not sure there is actually mosaic in it, is there? i dont know. there has to be. herbal and floral intensity like dandelion greens or something, just enough toasted grain presence to keep it balanced. i found this vibrant and drinkable overall, a little soft on carbonation but it kind of makes it a pounder. i still like what these guys do for the most part, and i was stoked to find this on draft locally. good stuff.