Why Kick A Moo Cow New Zealand Pale Ale
Arbor Ales

 

 

 

Sampled at THT June tasting. Hazy orange with a white head. Hoppy aroma, grapefruit and some pine. Mild caramel, grapefruit, pine resin. Medium body, light carbonation and a hoppy bitter aftertaste.

 

568ml bottle into an oversized tulip. Paid £2.40 for a single bottle.

Pours a hazy, dark orange-amber coloured body, that when held to the light allows plenty of fine, lively carbonation and some floating sediment to be observed. A thick, foamy, three-finger in height, ivory head reduces slowly to a dense cap, leaving lots of sticky lace on the glass.

Dank aromas of weedy, spicy, herbal, earthy and woody hops dominate the pungent nose. Grapefruit rind bitterness becomes perceptible towards the back end, but the typically fruity notes expected of the New Zealand hops remain absent. Taste roughly follows suit, leading upfront with weedy, spicy, nettle leaves, sticky pine and herbal hop profiles. Mid palate, faintly bready malt sweetness becomes apparent, combining with grapefruit and orange rinds to give a bittersweet marmalade impression, not noted in the aroma. In the mouth a slightly sticky medium body is lifted considerably by lively carbonation, giving a smooth, creamy and faintly chewy feel. Towards the finish, lingering oily citric peels and pith are joined by herbal, musty, stewed leafy hops to finish with a lengthy, abrasive and astringent bitterness.

Overall this is a disappointing beer. To my tastes I found it too musty, vegetal and bitter, as well as lacking in the tropical characters the label promises. In the interest of full disclosure, my bottle was a little close to its best before date, but even so, I can’t say I’d happily part with my own money to pick up a fresher example.

 

 

(Bottle - newsagents on Sandycombe Road)
A hazy, unflitered tropical feast, oozing pineapple, mango and the like. Very thick and luscious, a perfect soft thirst-quencher.

568 ml bottle, Southville Deli, Bristol - Pours cloudy amber with a medium white foamy head. Nice lacing. Smell - light citrusy fruits. Taste - Sweet light fruits, malty back hints with a light crisp bitter finish. Really shows off a number of NZ hops well, light on fruit with distinct malt profile. Worth checking out.

 

 

 

A 500ml bottle with a BB of May 2014, so it's somewhat out of date. I hope it's still alright. Picked up a while back from Trembling Madness in York. Described on the label as an English/American pale ale hybrid stuffed full of NZ hops.

A: Poured into a tulip pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A hazy orange-amber hue with plentiful fine sediment and good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a while before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing.

S: Aroma of bright, fruity hops with hints of white grape, mild melon, citrus and tropical fruits. Underpinned by sweet caramel malt and earthy yeast. Lovely.

T: Tastes of fruity NZ hops followed by a subtle bitter finish. Notes of white grape, grapefruit, peel, citrus, mild melon, tropical fruits, caramel malt, earthy yeast and faint stewed hops. Well-attenuated, followed by a sharp, hoppy bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with pleasant carbonation and decent body. Just a shade too 'yeasty'. Somewhat astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of fruity aromatic hops, stewed leaves and earthy yeast.

O: Nice - a satisfyingly hoppy pale ale. Looks OK, while the aroma is fantastic and the flavour is tasty (if a little too yeasty). Plenty of aromatic fruitiness in evidence. Body is alright. Goes down a treat; worth sampling if you stumble across it.