City Park
Mike Hess Brewing - Miramar

March 11th, 2015 - Hess' City Park is a burly, big boy (or girl) beer. In a darker room it looks a shade lighter than a porter, but if I shine a light on it as if I were interrogating it, I see angry red and crimson hues, simmering beneath a cinnamon brown and flocculent head. The aroma is strong but principally alcoholic with some caramel notes. But oddly, the flavor is strong and mild at the same time. A booziness carries some strength, true, but the caramel and toffee notes do a great deal to restrain the sharpness of the alcohol. At times the caramel flavors become harsh, as if burnt, but these burnt notes never become unappetizing. It's robust to be sure, but like a beast wrestling with itself for control over its feral instincts, the City Park is both tempered and tempestuous.