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Alfalfa Kang
Off Color Brewing
- From:
- Off Color Brewing
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- American Pale Ale
- ABV:
- 6.2%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.85 | pDev: 8.57%
- Reviews:
- 10
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Mar 04, 2018
- Added:
- Apr 02, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 4
Brewed in collaboration with Wiseacre. American Pale Ale brewed with alfalfa hay and alfalfa honey.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by badmotorgrunge:
Rated by badmotorgrunge from Illinois
3.77/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Aug 08, 2016
3.77/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Aug 08, 2016
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York
3.76/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.76/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottle shared by MT, thanks dude.
This pours a light amber color, with a big head, and lots of sticky lacing.
I can't exactly say I know what alfalfa tastes or smells like, but I don't get anything on the nose that would immediately suggest it. I do get pine and lots of grassiness, and very little fruity hop character, maybe a slight bit of grapefruit rind.
There's a nice bready malt backbone to this one, with a lightly floral, moderately bitter grassy hop character. This is definitely pleasant, but I wish the offbeat ingredient additions contributed more here.
This is medium bodied, very crisp and drinkable, with a normal level of carbonation.
This is another good beer from Off Color, but it's not one of their best. It feels just like a normal pale, and not the cool and unique beer it could have been.
Aug 15, 2016This pours a light amber color, with a big head, and lots of sticky lacing.
I can't exactly say I know what alfalfa tastes or smells like, but I don't get anything on the nose that would immediately suggest it. I do get pine and lots of grassiness, and very little fruity hop character, maybe a slight bit of grapefruit rind.
There's a nice bready malt backbone to this one, with a lightly floral, moderately bitter grassy hop character. This is definitely pleasant, but I wish the offbeat ingredient additions contributed more here.
This is medium bodied, very crisp and drinkable, with a normal level of carbonation.
This is another good beer from Off Color, but it's not one of their best. It feels just like a normal pale, and not the cool and unique beer it could have been.
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
3.88/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.88/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
nice play on words here with the name, nice pale ale, but with such unique ingredients like hay and honey from alfalfa, i wanted it to be a more distinctive and unique beer than it is, but that said its delicious pale ale, and i cant be too critical. they may have went a little too dark on the malts, there is a light amber shade to this, and some slightly caramelized grain sweetness in here, minor still. but its unneeded with the honey. the honey can be smelled and tasted, but maybe not as distinctly as i thought alfalfa honey would be, this could be any old honey as far as the taste is concerned. the hops are great, grassy and pungent at the same time, high in flavor and bitterness, and rising well above that subtle malt sweetness. quite herbal and earthy, this must be the hay and the hops together, summery, meadowy, alive, very cool. the bitterness is a lot for a straight pale, pushing ipa parameters i reckon, but appropriate and not out of balance. carbonation is real high here, and i think thats important. it keeps this earthy herbal green tea bitter alfalfa hop malty weird brew moving, and it needs that. an interesting take on the style, not quite as robust a use of these neat ingredients as i had hoped for, but a fun beer for sure, and a very well made one. nice to get to try a few of the more hard to find off color releases lately! i really love what these guys are up to!
Jun 30, 2016Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio
3.32/5 rDev -13.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.32/5 rDev -13.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Massive, actively rebuilding, dense beige foam head over a copper body and a tornado of bubbles.
Very floral orange potpourri of aromas, with some backing caramel and biscuit. Acidic lemon follows up, then a touch of honey.
Taste is a bittersweet, herbal graham cracker, with a touch of pine, and caramel and fresh honey.
Alfalfa Kang has a great name, but a strange spiciness, I suppose from the alfalfa. It also leaves an acidic burn on the tongue--it felt a little raw afterward even though this attribute wasn't noticeable throughout most of the drinking.
Jun 25, 2016Very floral orange potpourri of aromas, with some backing caramel and biscuit. Acidic lemon follows up, then a touch of honey.
Taste is a bittersweet, herbal graham cracker, with a touch of pine, and caramel and fresh honey.
Alfalfa Kang has a great name, but a strange spiciness, I suppose from the alfalfa. It also leaves an acidic burn on the tongue--it felt a little raw afterward even though this attribute wasn't noticeable throughout most of the drinking.
Reviewed by HOP_KING from Illinois
4.42/5 rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Overall, delicious..can't wait to drink another tomorrow as it was just tapped at my local hole. Great color. Great taste even after a few other similar beers. Great name too as alpha king itself is my favorite go to beer.
Only good things to say about this beer. An exceptional collaboration.
Jun 22, 2016Only good things to say about this beer. An exceptional collaboration.
Reviewed by DeFaz from Ohio
3.55/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.55/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Nice mouthfeel as expected from a beer constructed in part by 3 Floyds, but the appearance, smell, and taste are all around average. There's a slight herbal note, but this won't be particularly memorable.
Jun 18, 2016Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois
4.33/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.33/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Here is my story-line on this ale. Correct me if I am wrong.
A third generation upstart in the center of third generation brewing finds another brewer in another (almost Midwest) city to poke fun at what many (but not me) consider to the premier second generation midwestern brewer (Three Floyds.)
This third generation collaboration sort of sticks it to second generation by making a great APA at only 34 IBUs and proves, what I have thought all along, that the second generation whored themselves to hops.
This brew has particularly nice lacing. It smells like a cross between an APA and something I really want to drink. Its taste proves that my nose is correct. In fact, it was so correct that I drank the whole bomber (a rare occurrence, given my age.)
Problem: they will discontinue this for whatever reasons. So seek it out .... NOW!
Jun 15, 2016A third generation upstart in the center of third generation brewing finds another brewer in another (almost Midwest) city to poke fun at what many (but not me) consider to the premier second generation midwestern brewer (Three Floyds.)
This third generation collaboration sort of sticks it to second generation by making a great APA at only 34 IBUs and proves, what I have thought all along, that the second generation whored themselves to hops.
This brew has particularly nice lacing. It smells like a cross between an APA and something I really want to drink. Its taste proves that my nose is correct. In fact, it was so correct that I drank the whole bomber (a rare occurrence, given my age.)
Problem: they will discontinue this for whatever reasons. So seek it out .... NOW!
Reviewed by FBarber from Illinois
3.63/5 rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.63/5 rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours an orangish amber color with a think off-white head. Head did not stick around although there was some lacing. kind of dark for a pale ale - closer in color to a amber lager (just in reference to the coloring).
Aroma had notes of hay, straw, rich caramel malts and some mild floral hop notes. The hops are quite subdued for a pale ale and the malt is more forward. Also definitely getting some alfalfa aromas - I know what alfalfa smells like, used to feed it to the rabbits in 4H many moons ago ...
Taste follows the nose with notes of caramel malts, hay, straw, slight honey sweetness, with undertones of herbal hops. Not much bitterness here from the hops as they again take a back seat to the malts and alfalfa. Its unique but it works. The flavor is actually rather pleasant albeit herbal and wheaty.
Feel is pretty unremarkable. Medium carbonation, slight sweetness, but it doesn't coat the mouth too much. Would have liked a drier finish, but not a huge deal.
Overall a really interesting beer. I enjoyed trying it, but its not one I'd seek out a second time.
Jun 09, 2016Aroma had notes of hay, straw, rich caramel malts and some mild floral hop notes. The hops are quite subdued for a pale ale and the malt is more forward. Also definitely getting some alfalfa aromas - I know what alfalfa smells like, used to feed it to the rabbits in 4H many moons ago ...
Taste follows the nose with notes of caramel malts, hay, straw, slight honey sweetness, with undertones of herbal hops. Not much bitterness here from the hops as they again take a back seat to the malts and alfalfa. Its unique but it works. The flavor is actually rather pleasant albeit herbal and wheaty.
Feel is pretty unremarkable. Medium carbonation, slight sweetness, but it doesn't coat the mouth too much. Would have liked a drier finish, but not a huge deal.
Overall a really interesting beer. I enjoyed trying it, but its not one I'd seek out a second time.
Alfalfa Kang from Off Color Brewing
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
48 ratings
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