HDHC Fort Point Pale Ale
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

 

Fort Point's a classic it's one of my favorite beers from Trillium so I was eager to give this a go when Other Half dropped this about a month and a half ago. Someone was nice enough to get me a can of this and it was worth it as it combined the best aspects of both breweries. If you like your Pale Ales to resembled a New England IPA, then you've met your match here!

Such a cloudy, melon hue to this with a nice, full head to this that settled perfectly and took it's time to dissipate. Most of the lacing lingered around the middle of my pint glass, without any visible rings remaining. Loads of melon and jack fruit in the taste along with some tangy grapefruit as the taste burst forth with all of those. Slick, juicy, and easy on the palate, it was hard to pick out the malt although there was plenty of body to this beer. Tangy citrus, ripe peach, and dank fruit cocktail rounded out the taste as this had a heavy taste for something so slick, as the aftertaste was a deep forest with hints of stone fruit and Columbus hops.

Not a lot of booze in this and the carbonation was even less, as it allowed the flavor to shine and linger. A bit of burn stuck around in the aftertaste as there wasn't any sediment at the bottom of the liquid. While not a huge improvement over the original, this was just as enjoyable and on par with Other Half's typical fare. It was fun to have a beer like this from them as I haven't had much from Trillium lately. Dated 6/12 on the bottom with "BROOKLYN HDHC FORT" written underneath it, this hazy and smooth offering was like the original, with an Other Half take!

 

 

 

 

L - took me far too long to realize this was not a Trillium beer. But we'll get into that. Pour is a cloudy, lemon meringue milkiness. Almost white. Looks jam-packed with hops. Floofy head that dissipates at a moderate pace, taking the lacing with it.

S - bright, fresh cantaloupe and honeydew melon. Ripe enough, but not too ripe. Whiffs of white grape juice and boatloads of mango. Clementines, oranges, and all sorts of juiciness.

T - super bright and fruity. Bubblegum, jackfruit, melon, and grape candy. It tastes almost icy in its freshness, which helps to take away some of the cloy and saturation so we can focus on that straight juice without any of the sickly sweetness. Mango fruit salad, complete with blackberries and walnuts. Finish is a little tangy in the corners of my cheeks, but mostly neutral which leaves you craving a second sip. And a third. And a fourth...

F - feels like fluff. Light, creamy fluff. Extremely compact and silky, but not overly full or hefty. Complements this beer wonderfully. Bear with me here as I try to describe this experience, but it is a joy to take a sip, give it a swish, let the liquid pool behind your lips, then slowly part your lips as it seeps out and forms a slick, foamy coating that really accentuates the velvet-in-a-can we've got here.

O - I had no idea they're doing this switcharoo thing so you can imagine my surprise when I took a sip. I thought it might've been a collab, but nope, this is straight Other Half. Honestly I can't even pick out anything Fort Point or even Trillium-related. I'm not complaining though, it's downright delicious with that perfect jackfruity flavor profile. This is bright and buoyant, whereas Trillium Fort Point is more mature and elegant.

**
07/05/20

Side by side with DDH Fort Point.

LOOK: hazy muted yellow, similar to DDH with a more impressive head and better creamy retention.

AROMA: funky, chemical. Pineapple and tropical fruit cone through later accompanied by mold and hay. The aroma has a weird effect; almost suffocating; Sticks its nose in (pun intended) while trying to asses other attributes.

TASTE: tropical fruit, chemical, strong moldy hay.

FEEL: medium body, weak carbonation.

Disappointing. DDH version is much much better.
**

 

Freshie Can from jeffreed61. Exactly 2wks old.
L: classic trillium. Light orange julius appearance. White fairly dense head.
S: Tropical fruit/stonefruit.
T: Stonefruit. Resiny bitterness. Maybe grapefruit. Significant dry hop bite but no burn.
F: Slightly juicy with crisp hop bite.
Overall: I think this had the perfect age on it. Well done. Pushing the limits of a hazy pale ale to the max.