Single Hop - Phoenix
Arbor Ales

Slightly tarnished gold with a fine, thin white head. Aroma is rather weedy with a faint yet distinct overtone of bean sprouts – not sure if that's a defect or a typical characteristic of the Phoenix hop, which I don't know well, but either way it isn't tremendously pleasant. There's also a touch of lime and coconut here, calling to mind one of my favorite hops, Sorachi Ace. The flavor is well balanced and clean, but at odds with itself. This has the characteristics of a refreshing golden ale (light, refreshing, low malt depth, nice hop bite) and those of a stronger bitter (woodiness, earthiness, peppery spice). To me, they don't gel. I want either more richness from the malts or else a fruitier yeast/hop profile to smooth out this beer's rough edges.

Not a bad beer, but perhaps this hop is best suited to other styles, or better in tandem with other varieties. An interesting experiment if not quite a delicious one.