Hyde Park Handshake
Mother Earth Brew Co.

new to me, on tap at 13th street pub, not sure if its proprietary just for them or what, but its basic blonde ale, a little honey and nutty character to the center of the grain profile, but real basic beer overall, perhaps a little much to be superbly refreshing and patio poundable, but its close, and i think the technical quality stands out, im sure this does well for them here. gorgeous clarity and sparkle to this, and the head holds nicely, steady and pure white, the visual is spot on. the nose shows a little toast, a little floral thing, and just a bit of sweetness, hops seem minimal to say the least, and there is nothing really from the yeast either, super simple. the flavor has slight richness, mostly up front, and some nice mineral character pushing it toward a drier back end, pepped up by wonderful carbonation. maybe better in a food context than it is on its own, and to me it seems like anything salty or spicy would work for this, chicken wings or the something. mother earth hasnt had a lot of new stuff outside the project x series of late, so i was happy to see this one when i was in for mothers day dinner. drinkable and not quite boring blonde ale that seems like a good add to their lineup and a layup in this neighborhood...

This was really good, wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. Tasted like a traditional golden ale or blonde ale, sweet malt presence, balanced flavors, nice light to medium body, crushable.