Republic Pale Ale
YellowBelly Brewery & Public House

 

Republic Pale Ale pours a perfectly vividly clear topaz hue (fitting that a fall seasonal have the colour of November's birthstone). This thing puts on quite a dazzling show when held into the light. Not so surprising for a swing-top bottle, the head fades in short time.

The nose doesn’t have the typical hoppiness I've come to like and expect from dry-hopped offerings. No citrus or resins, not even grass clippings, just a very dank, not so favourable herbal smell that makes me think of an Indian cold remedy. It's very weedy.

For a beer meant to showcase hops this sure has a lot of malt! Ample use of Munich malt provides a hearty, almost cookie dough-like taste. A butterscotch-type flavour (diacetyl?) almost creeps up but that bitter, leafy greenness sweeps in too quickly. It drinks like an ESB.

The palate is subjected to lots of weedy, grassy texture - just as the aroma promised. But it also pairs the bitter greens with enough sweet, fruity esters to mask the bitterness in a tasteful 'pear and arugula salad' kind of profile. With neither much acidity or intensity, this ale should suit beer drinkers at all levels (though hopheads will be a little disappointed).

Yellowbelly is a great brewery that is constantly offering great new things, but I've got to believe that there’s a better way of showcasing Newfoundland hops than this. (It also seems odd to use New Zealand hops from the other side of the world in the same recipe.) Regardless, any beer using fresh-picked local hops should have a little more 'pop' than this; the nails on these alpha acids were a little too dull to scratch my lupulin itch.