Party Tricks
Urban Family Brewing Co.

possibly my favorite of all the excellent hoppy beers we had in here in a recent session. its done with african queen hops, among others, which i have read and heard about more than i have ever really tasted, so i was stoked on this. its also got cryo simcoe, ella, and el dorado in it, and its extremely distinct from the other ones they are making here, somewhat less dense feeling and hefty in the belly, even though its a little stronger, and just seems like the most refined of the ones we had, also i think the most unique. the hop combination is gorgeous, but i do think the african queen is detectable in here on its own, strong raw honey nose to it, resinous weed oil, slight floral spiciness and concentrated herbs, like a matcha tea or something, but polleny and bright, and its like that in the aroma and the flavor. i still get ripe melon from the el dorado, some pine pitch from the simcoe, and an overall citrus complexion, but what the african queen contributes is undeniable here. the texture is as cool as the flavor, like sappy and sticky for a second and then clean, west coast oily without the usually accompanying bitterness there, and dry on the finish. simple cereal grain base seems right, stays out of the way of the unique hops but supports the flavor well, and this remains balanced, not over hopped or bitey at all. gorgeous beer, intensely flavored from these hops, but different from anything i can remember, and it kept getting better as we let it sit there and warm up. lovely stuff, very honey-esque to me!