The Seeker
Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

Pours a very hazy light straw color with a finger of white head. The nose has grapefruit notes. The flavor starts with a subtle wave of melon that quickly yields to a lingering dry grainy bitterness.

Poured into a narrow pint glass: color is straw gold, slight haze, not dense, head presents 1+ inch thick with fine and small bubbles, head is off white, thinning to a solid top with some lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is subtle hop and malt interplaying - hops are soft fruit/melon and malt is light biscuit/cracker/nuttiness with a hint of grape.

Taste is similarly subtle hops and malt but very nice and a different than then last 25+ IPAs I've had. Hops are melon and light fruit, maybe some herbal note, malt is biscuit/cracker/light nuttiness, all more emphatic than the aroma. Letting this warm really lets the malt show.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, light sweetness, then drying and crisp bitterness.

Overall a very pleasant tasting and balanced IPA with nuanced hop and malt notes.

 

So close! I had just finished my run-through of a Pizza Boy brewery horizontal in support of The CANQuest (tm) when I made a couple of beer runs while checking up on my mother's house on the other side of the city. I was at Rieker Bottle Works when I spotted this one & one CANother on the shelf & decided to extend the horizontal just a bit further. Now, I am done, at least for the time being. 18/18.

From the CAN: "The Seeker India Pale Ale"; "Proudly Brewed In Pennsylvania"; "Pizza. Beer. Happy."; "Please Enjoy Fresh, Preferably With Pizza. Do Not Age."

I Crack!ed open the vent on this last CAN of theirs & beCAN a slow, gentle C=Line Glug into the awaiting glass. The two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head were nothing less than impressive, both in appearance & retention. Color was Yellow-Gold with NE-quality clarity, prompting an impromptu visit from The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Mammon & Midas, all anxious for a sip. Nose was light & fruity, slightly vinous, all reminiscent of a white wine. Hmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was full-on melon, like Huell Melon and/or Nelson Sauvin hops had been used! Mmm.

I was reminded of a long-ago 4th of July when Pops & I were inspired to really try our hand(s) at something new. We beCAN with a very large watermelon, upon which we drew a sawtooth design & cut out, forming a picnic-like basket with a handle. We then scooped out all of the innards & de-seeded them as we went. Next, we balled a CANtaloupe & a honeydew melon, filling the hollowed watermelon as we went. We augmented the fruit with blueberries, raspberries & strawberries + the watermelon. It was the Summeriest dessert ever & a huge hit! I wanted to recreate it in 2001 for the 4th of July, but his stamina was waning towards his eventual end. 8=(

Ah, enough reminiscing. To say that this was evocative of melon would be a serious understatement! Man, I remember being truly impressed when some chick put me onto a white wine that tasted like this. Until then, I had only been exposed to dry & oaky reds, but that white on a hot Summer night was eye-opening, just as this beer was. Semi-dry, fruity, with a pleasant kick. This would be the sort of beer with some soft, mild cheese; crackers; assorted fruits; a cooler & a stroll along the beachhead to lead to some serious lovemaking. I CAN only speak from exbeerience. YMMV.