Get Thai'd
Gun Hill Brewing Company

A: Pours a slightly hazy pale yellow in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass and faint straw yellow + very pale golden yellow colored highlights. The beer has finger tall sudsy foamy white head that reduces to a large patch of slightly mottled thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of floral jasmine rice over the top of light to moderate aromas of cereal grain malts + rice adjuncts with a minimal amount of grainy sweetness. Very light aromas of spicy + floral hops.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of cereal grain malts + rice adjuncts with a minimal amount of grainy sweetness and moderate flavors of jasmine rice floral notes. That is followed by light flavors of spicy + floral hops that impart a light amount of bitterness which lingers for a short amount of time leaving a relatively clean finish,

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly crisp initially with a relatively clean finish.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol. Very enjoyable Japanese rice lager with excellent flavors and aromas from the jasmine rice.

A: The beer is hazy light pale whitish yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of jasmine are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of jasmine along with hints of grassy and citrusy hops. There is an ever so slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is quite light on the palate but unlike other beers in the style it is very flavorful. It has excellent drinkability.

Serving type: only

 

After being homebound for so many weeks following surgery in mid-June, I decided to venture out as planned. I had the Pirates/Mets series at Citi Field circled on the calendar since the schedule was released & I was determined to go up. I have reconnected with an old Navy buddy since he & his wife visited Lancaster County for Christmas last year. He subsequently organized a small reunion + he lives on Lawn Guyland & agreed to meet me for a game despite NOT being a Mets fan. A college classmate is also on LI where she teaches at some alphabet soup college (LaGCC-CUNY) & she & her husband went with me to a game. I CANtacted her upon arrival & found out that she was part of a reading at a bookstore not far from the hostel where I was staying. We met up & after the reading, headed to Astoria Bier & Cheese. I am currently (mostly) on a bier-buying hiatus, but they had some CANs in their cooler that were just too cool to pass up, including this one!

From the CAN: "Make Life a Declaration"; "Join us for the revolution online"; "New York State beer"; "Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC)"; "please drink responsibly"; "CANs: Infinitely Recyclable (sm)".

Man, I was really anxious to get the Crack! & Glug started on this one! The style is a bit of a rarity outside of JaCAN plus the sum & total of it sounded really good! Ever had jasmine-infused rice? Ask for it when you eat at Asian restaurants! Yum. The head foamed up to create just over a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with modest retention. Hey, it's CANother hot, humid Summer's day so I CAN't really fault it. Color was Pale-Straw (SRM = 1 - 2) with NE-quality clarity. Sheesh, even my inCANtinence-driven urine has been darker than this! Nose smelled LOVELY! The jasmine was quite evident and there was a sweetness from the malt that made me think of the little pancakes that come with Mu Shu Pork. Great guns of Navarrone, but this was making me REALLY hungry! I only bought one (1) CAN, but that was because it was the last one in the cooler. I plan to go back up this Winter for a Pens/Rangers game at MSG ("The Garden") & I am going to attempt a foray to The Bronx to visit the brewery. Mouthfeel was thin, but for a Lager & a rice-driven one at that, what would you expect? The taste was a revelation! I have had Happoshu & Japanese Rice Lagers before, but they tend to be rather flavorless & boring. Even AALs have the unwelcome taste of corn where they are just as light, airy & ethereal as they CAN get. Not this one! The jasmine gave it a spicy floweriness that suggested it as a substitute (or booster) for Saaz/Noble hops. This was not a mellow beer, either. I have drank a lot of flower-infused beers that were the equivalent of Celestial Seasoning's SleepyTime Tea, causing me to go on the nod while imbibing them. 8=( Not in this case. I was wide-awake & thinking about what the rest of the day might bring. Looking into my CANstal ball, I see lots of Lagers, including some Pilsners, on today's horizon. First, though, I am going to savor this one for all that it is worth! SO tasty. Finish was clean, crisp, dry, very much of its jasmine adjunct & it would be a perfect acCANpaniment to some Asian cuisine. YMMV.