Hop Salad
Forked River Brewing Company
- From:
- Forked River Brewing Company
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- American Pale Ale
- ABV:
- 4.8%
- Score:
- +4 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.61 | pDev: 10.25%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Oct 23, 2016
- Added:
- Aug 28, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
NO SCORE
-
-
A quaffable pale ale with all the flavour and aroma of your favourite hops. Bitterness is assertive without overpowering this fine beverage. Give'r a try!
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.89/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.89/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
500 mL bottle from the brewery; served well-chilled. So have we reached "Peak Session Ale" yet? Because I'm just about ready to go out on a limb and say that - yes. Yes we have. Most definitely.
This pale ale pours foggy, pale orange-amber in hue; I was a bit rough when dumping it into the glass, producing just over one finger of creamy, off white-coloured head that displayed good retention. It takes the better part of five minutes to dissipate, leaving behind a bubbly film on the surface, a thin collar of foam, and a decent swath of lace. Fruity and fresh on the nose; I can pick out notes of juicy peach and apricot, lemon zest and passion fruit, as well as a slight hint of grainy pale malt sweetness. Vaguely piney/resiny too, but the tropical fruit vibes come through with more intensity.
The flavour profile is easy to like, that's for sure. The malt backing is a bit meek, offering up some bready, doughy-sweet flavours that are immediately (and rather trivially) overcome by the ensuing hop-valanche. More fruity apricot is featured mid-sip, in addition to some citrusy grapefruit and lemon pith astringency that segues into a more earthy, herbal, resiny bitterness in preparation for the anticlimactic finale. Definitely light-bodied, with average carbonation levels for the style, producing a moderately lively mouthfeel. Crisp, refreshing, and extraordinarily drinkable.
Final Grade: 3.89, a B+. It would seem that 2015's fad du jour (at least in Ontario) is undoubtedly the ISA or "session pale ale". Forked River's Hop Salad is a pretty well-made example of this pseudo-style - one that I am struggling to find flaws with. The fact is, I like this one substantially more than their two mainline IPA offerings (Queen's Ranger and Lord Simcoe's Revenge). Sure; the body could use a bit more substance, and the hop flavours are not particularly novel or exciting, but it's still a highly enjoyable pale ale. A perfectly suitable companion for any and all summer activities involving hot weather and barbecues, fire pits, patios, etc.
Jul 28, 2015This pale ale pours foggy, pale orange-amber in hue; I was a bit rough when dumping it into the glass, producing just over one finger of creamy, off white-coloured head that displayed good retention. It takes the better part of five minutes to dissipate, leaving behind a bubbly film on the surface, a thin collar of foam, and a decent swath of lace. Fruity and fresh on the nose; I can pick out notes of juicy peach and apricot, lemon zest and passion fruit, as well as a slight hint of grainy pale malt sweetness. Vaguely piney/resiny too, but the tropical fruit vibes come through with more intensity.
The flavour profile is easy to like, that's for sure. The malt backing is a bit meek, offering up some bready, doughy-sweet flavours that are immediately (and rather trivially) overcome by the ensuing hop-valanche. More fruity apricot is featured mid-sip, in addition to some citrusy grapefruit and lemon pith astringency that segues into a more earthy, herbal, resiny bitterness in preparation for the anticlimactic finale. Definitely light-bodied, with average carbonation levels for the style, producing a moderately lively mouthfeel. Crisp, refreshing, and extraordinarily drinkable.
Final Grade: 3.89, a B+. It would seem that 2015's fad du jour (at least in Ontario) is undoubtedly the ISA or "session pale ale". Forked River's Hop Salad is a pretty well-made example of this pseudo-style - one that I am struggling to find flaws with. The fact is, I like this one substantially more than their two mainline IPA offerings (Queen's Ranger and Lord Simcoe's Revenge). Sure; the body could use a bit more substance, and the hop flavours are not particularly novel or exciting, but it's still a highly enjoyable pale ale. A perfectly suitable companion for any and all summer activities involving hot weather and barbecues, fire pits, patios, etc.
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)
4.11/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
4.11/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle from the brewery. Served in a mini-pint glass at the cottage.
A - Big white foam settles to a thin collar, wisps, and minimal lacework. Hazed golden body.
S - Tropical fruit melange over top of an icing sugar and slightly caramelized malt backdrop. Somewhat simple, but pretty effective.
T - A similar mix of tropical and citrus fruit hop flavor, doughy malts, and mild bitterness in the finish.
M - Medium-light body that is a bit limp, but not excessively so for 4.8%. Carbonation is soft and could actually use a bit more spritz to it. Light residual oily hops, but otherwise pretty clean in the finish.
D - Crushable 'session IPA'. The body is a bit undersized, but otherwise it's quite enjoyable. Again, wish this was their year-round rather than their current choices, as I'd buy it pretty often.
Nov 11, 2014A - Big white foam settles to a thin collar, wisps, and minimal lacework. Hazed golden body.
S - Tropical fruit melange over top of an icing sugar and slightly caramelized malt backdrop. Somewhat simple, but pretty effective.
T - A similar mix of tropical and citrus fruit hop flavor, doughy malts, and mild bitterness in the finish.
M - Medium-light body that is a bit limp, but not excessively so for 4.8%. Carbonation is soft and could actually use a bit more spritz to it. Light residual oily hops, but otherwise pretty clean in the finish.
D - Crushable 'session IPA'. The body is a bit undersized, but otherwise it's quite enjoyable. Again, wish this was their year-round rather than their current choices, as I'd buy it pretty often.
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