South African Pale Ale
Upslope Brewing Company - Lee Hill

on tap at their flatiron park location yesterday, a clean but robust pale ale, crystal clear golden, short white head on top, nice lace and high carbonation, assuming from the name its hopped up with some of the mysterious, sought after, and unique hops from south africa. because of my expectations for something distinct and different, i was a little let down by this, its not as obviously dry hoppy as i wanted it to be, and it seems more bitter and generic hoppy than i thought it might be, some subtle melon and sweet grassy notes to it, but im not getting anything radical in nose or taste from the hops. that said, its a balanced and drinkable brew, with maximum freshness on display and a curious finish where the hops linger in a neat fruity way with the bitterness. more of the hops, or maybe less of them earlier on in the brewing process might make this a more memorable showcase of these hops, but its hard to be too critical of the beer overall, a well made and nuanced american pale. i hope to see more of these hops in some other beers before too long...