Lil Bitter Session IPA
508 Gastrobrewery

From 10/06/12 notes.

a - Pours a hazy golden color with one inch of white head and low carbonation evident.

s - Smells of citrus hops, light tropical fruits, floral notes, and grapefruit. Nice nose, though a little bit weak.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, grapefruit, lemon, tropical fruits, fruity malts, floral hops, and earthy malts. Stronger than the nose and more fruit and hops; a step up in my opinion.

m - Light body and very low carbonation; almost nonexistant. A little more carbonation and it would be great. Pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a pretty good IPA; always nice to see a low ABV IPA. They brought a sour dark ale to Brooklyn Pour that was pretty good too; this was a nice, easy drinking IPA with a lot of citrus to it. Would have it again and looking forward to trying their other beers.

Lil' Bitter Session IPA, on tap at 508 of course!

Appearance: Served in a Stella-like chalice, two fingers of head, soon down to one and thick lacing. Hazy-opaque-fresh look, that "straight from the farm" feel that Hill Farmstead has got. Beautiful!

Smell: So rich! Grapefruit, pickled pineapple, lime, fresh juices. Orange peel, hint of smoke at the end. Pine needle, soap. Forest fire. Lemon curd and watermelon rind.

Taste: All hops, pine, resin, soap, cleaning product. Oily backbone and firm malts. The hops are outrageous! Spicy and bitter, in your face. Clover, honey.

Mouthfeel: Hoppy, soapy, spicy. Bitter! A big body for a 4.4% brew. Full flavor and carbonation as well. Dry finish.

Overall: Truly exceptional indeed. Super drinkable, low alcohol, outrageous flavor. Refreshing! Love the fresh-lemon taste and feel, like a lemonade in this late summer. Serious stuff here, folks!

On tap at 508. Another low alcohol, beautifully hoppy session strength IPA of the type that is thankfully beginning to pop up quite a bit these days. This one is very nicely done indeed and was likely my favorite draught offering at 508 so far. Pours a cloudy gold color with an excellent fluffy white head that has great retention and creamy lacing. Quite a lovely appearance.

Vivid hoppy nose; citrus, floral and pine notes leap from the glass; just a hint of sweet malt beneath. All the hop details emerge clearly; a joy to inhale. Flavor is also quite nice; perhaps not as intense as the aroma, but still fresh and hoppy and full of complexity. A moderate malt backbone plays second fiddle to floral, citrus, pine, spice notes. Lingering bitterness in the aftertaste, drying finish. A vague saltiness detected is perhaps the lone distracting element here. The body is moderately light, carbonation while ample is quite smooth, the feel is creamy. Extremely drinkable to be sure. The dryness and touch of salt has you going back for more quickly. Very nicely done, wish I had taken a growler of this home with me.