H Is For Hops
Evil Twin Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

Poured a golden-orange body with minimal head and lace patches down the glass. The aroma is hoppy with floral and citric notes along with a lemon juice-like sharpness. Hoppy, zesty, sour-like lemon floral hops with hints of grapefruit and tropical fruit sweetness and a crisp, somewhat salty finish.

 

 

Boy, is my face red! I spent most of last week running through Evil Twin's Sue Grafton series of beers. ICYMI, she was the author of the Kinsey Milhone series of mystery novels in which each title beCAN with a successive letter of the alphabet. I was not a big fan of her series, but I like these much more. Sadly, I don't think that I bought either A, B or C when they were released, but I plan to stay current from now on. I was becoming anxious that I might have missed this one when lo & behold, I found it in my backlog while prepping for the upcoming New Beer Sunday! I had bought it at the Universal Package Store in NLON, CT during a recent Navy reunion. Viva The CANQuest (tm)! This absolutely marks my last one for the time being, unless A Is For Apricot and/or B Is For Blueberry turn up or the I entry is released.

From the CAN: "Let's face it - we all like to put labels on things. It just makes us feel more comfortable. What assumptions have people made about you based on your race, religion, gender, the way you dress, or even the beer you drink? We did in fact label this beer for your convenience. It his a fresh tartness, a twist of salt and a balanced fruitiness of fresh hops - apparently a complete reflection of your personality. We hope you like what this label says about you?"

My CANputer is acting wonky. I'm going to save this & return ASAP!

It turned out to be a pending system update & such was my aging computer's way of alerting me. 8=( Well, alles gutes now & so I shall proceed as though there had been no break in the action.

This has been quite the series, to date! With this one, I am as up-to-date as Kansas City (an allusion to the musical "Oklahoma") & having gained a modicum of exbeerience since "D Is For Dewberry", I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a quick, steady, C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. It reacted like so many of its predecessors, quickly foaming up to form just under two fingers of fizzy, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with limited retention before falling back & away to wisps. Color was a cloudy Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5). Nose had an interesting twist in that not only was the saltiness quite prevalent, but it also had a grapefruit citrusiness!

It is the saltiness of the style that always takes me back to my U.S. Navy career & my time underway. We did not do it often enough on my first ship, which is why I requested a swap of orders to my second ship. Aboard the USS Crommelin (FFG-37), we were underway a good bit & I really came into my own as a sailor. I became a boxer & a fighter, a damage CANtrol locker leader & a helicopter crash & rescue team leader. The latter meant that I spent a LOT of time on the flight deck, the fantail or the helo hanger & while food was not supposed to leave the mess decks, they turned a blind eye to those of us who wanted to eat chow on station, al fresco, as it were. I was big on FF&V (fresh fruit & vegetables), eschewing red meat for the most part. As such, I got more than my fair share of FF&V to eat & besides tropical fruit, I loved grapefruit, sometimes taking two (2) whole ones up topside & leisurely eating them in the salt air. Heaven.

Grapefruit & salt! Now, we're talkin'. Great nose! Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, a little bigger than usual. The taste was the dictionary definition of "tart" - really puckering from the time that it hit my lips until well past the swallow. 8=* Phew! I still prefer this tartness to sour, which catches me in the hinges of my jaw & makes my ears Pop! There was a little of that going on, also, but in the main, it was simply tart & salty. Phew. Finish was super-dry & clearly not meant for the uninitiated. My eyes also felt dry. Man, this one was sucking the air out of the room & yet, it didn't suck! Quite a find on my road trip.

Note to self read before you buy and try, unless you want a surprise. Hops in my mind equates to hoppy beer. Wasn't expecting a gose, but this is a great beer.

 

Very hazy pineapple juice yellow with a substantial foamy white head that retains well, finally subsiding to just a light skim but produces some nice lacing. The aroma is tropical fruit, with an overtone of pine resin and fresh hay. The taste is complex, lots of tropical fruit - grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, passion fruit, etc., hints of apple pear and white grapes, saltine crackers, grass, and pine. The finish is very dry with grapefruit, pine and salt lingering. The body is medium light, smooth. Overall a very complex, flavorful and refreshing brew.

16 ounce can into tulip glass; no can datng, but was just released. Pours very hazy medium golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/zest, red/green apple, white grape/wine, sea salt, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, pine, musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/acidic yeast, citrus/tropical hops, sea salt, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with big strength. Taste of huge tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/zest, red/green apple, white grape/wine, sea salt, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, pine, musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate lactic tart/sourness; and light pine, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/zest, red/green apple, white grape/wine, sea salt, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, light pepper/funk/vinegar, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/acidic yeast, citrus/tropical hops, sea salt, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/sourness balance, and no puckering flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/sourness and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/acidic, fairly crisp, and lightly saline/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is a fantastic dry hopped gose! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/acidic yeast, citrus/tropical hops, sea salt, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp/refreshing to drink, with the mellowly acidic/drying finish; not overly lactic or salty. Tastes like a lot of Galaxy/Mosaic. Amazing balance of juicy/vibrant hops and Lacto complexity, with slight dankness; with a great pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. Mild residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing spot style example as expected. Best of the letter sour series so far.