Half Crown
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company - Midtown Brewery & Biergarten

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the creative beers coming out of UCB. This one is just average. Too much carbonation for my taste, but keep up the good work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

where most session beers intended to be hoppy succeed, this one fails. its bitter fine, but it doesn't have any of that refreshing citrusy hops, or any other interesting hop flavors to hold my attention. this might as well be an English ipa for all I care. golden and a little flat on the pour, without much head at all. smell and taste of a very light grain bill, as well as some bitter west coast varietals. I don't get very much hop flavor or aromatics in this, I wish I did. instead, its all bitterness. all the way through this has an astringent bitterness that clashes a little with the malts, and honestly this is a beer that I wouldn't really want to session on, despite its low abv and relative easy drinkability. like a few others at urban chestnut, this one could stand a lot more carbonation, it just sort of dies on the palate, not a good characteristic for a summer session beer. there is much room for improvement here.

 

Appearance: Arrives with very nice head perched atop the hazy amber liquid; good lacing action on the way down

Smell: Hop forward, with tropical fruit elements

Taste: like in the aroma, the hops arrive first, bringing tropical fruit flavors including grapefruit and pineapple; nothing over the top and plenty of balance from the biscuity malt

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation but a little flabby

Overall: A pretty nice IPA; easy to drink