Admiral's Lil Ella
Riverwalk Brewing

 

A- Can pours into a tulip with a slightly hazy pale yellow body. A thick creamy white head ascends up to about an inch high with good retention. Thick sheets and spots of lace around the glass.

S- Hops lead the way with floral, herbal, citrus and spicy tones off the top. More of a generally hoppy feel with a balance of those characteristics rather than specific fruits coming to mind. Lemon and cereal grains for sure.

T- Again, hops are in the forefront of a generally balanced and somewhat timid Pale Ale; this is not unexpected. Very much floral, herbal and spicy with grassy, slight pine and a bit of lemon citrus blended in. Cereal grains, light sweetness and yeast bread underneath but overall a clean brew.

MF- Puffy and frothy texture to a light overall body. Silky and smooth medium level of carbonation and a very grassy-herbal bitterness in the end.

A floral and spicy hop forward pale ale with a semblance of balance brought on by cereal grains and yeast bread.

Canned 8/10/16

Pours a big fluffy foamy almost 2 finger head that fades semi slowly, nice soapy lacing, super hazy murky cloudy blond color.

nose isn't too strong but fair amount of hops, floral, grassy, a bit fruity, a little citrus and lemony notes, generic fruity.

Taste brings big fruity hops, lemony, lemon zest and fruity pebbles cereal, lime zest even, a little orange and generic citrus, a bit grassy, some floral and a touch spicy as well, fair bitterness, and a touch of grainy cereal malt. Finish is dry and very bitter, mouth nagging bitterness, more citrus peel, zest, lemon lime and a touch of cereal.

Mouth is med bod, decent carb.

Overall well it sure is an extra pale ale, very bitter on the finish, hops are not very aromatic, but fair amount of lemony citrus flavor, malts are just barely poking through, an OK beer overall.

I believe this is my intro to Ella Hops, If not it's at the very least the first time it's been heavily promoted as the selling point of the beer.

Pour is standard, minimalist head with sticky lacing, style appropriate.

Smell is trace peach, mango, nothing remarkable, not a standout aroma.

Taste is a violent force feeding of Floral, floral and more floral. Good bitterness on the back end

Not sticky, syrupy or pungent, a drinkable beer.

Like floral hops? Your prayers have been answered this kicks Saaz's ass and is the king. Enjoyable beer, I tend to prefer citrus hops but I'm a fan of this.

 

Canned on 8/10/16; drank on 8/12/16

 

A stunning pour as it hits the glass, this beer is a full, medium golden in color with a thick, dense, and creamy head. The retention and lacing on the head is phenomenal. The body of the beer is 95% translucent, with just the slightest bit of haze present. On the nose, this one displays a medium hop presence that is full of pine and light citrus notes. The bitterness in the scent is just enough to let you know it is an APA. Taking a drink, the beer washes over the tongue and displays it's mild hop profile first. The hops bitterness in the taste matches the scent almost exactly, with mostly piney flavors up front with a light citrus to orange profile at the back end. Outside of the hops, the taste has just a touch of underlying light grains that balances the overall flavor. The lingering flavor is a light grassy-ness to go along with some fading hops. On the palate this one is perfectly sessionable; not punching too hard with the hops and not displaying any alcohol. Overall, to me, this one is a nearly perfect session beer. The hops are there and satisfying, but not overpowering. The flavor is full, yet the body is fairly light. You could totally drink several of these in a sitting very comfortably. A very well done beer!

 

look; pale hazy golden yellow. 3/4" head that leaves lacing
smell; nice balance of bready malt and citrus/fruity/floral hops. yeasty, especially second pour/bottom of bottle, more subtle than i expected
taste; biscuity, hoppy , the citrus and fruityness are there but not overpowering, nicely balanced, finishes dry and clean
feel; medium light body, crisp, a little dry, medium carbonation, feels a little wheaty in the finish
overall; an excellent hoppy pale ale, a little subtle, won't bowl you over but you can taste the ... complexity is the wrong word, but balanced multiple hops and medium malt and carbonation

About three weeks old according to the bottle date.....

A - Hazy yellow, one finger head, some nice lace retention

S - Grassy, peach notes, some lingering caramel

T - Initial peach flavor is big and then you get a lot of malt on the finish. Hops are pretty mellow on this, easy to put down

M - Medium body and carb. Syrupy on the palate, no bitterness

O - Ella hops are pretty tasty and they shine here. Nice use of them without it being too hoppy. A well done APA