In The Garage
Alvarado Street Brewery

 

 

Crushed this after the Slayer show at Thanksgiving 2019.

Pours yellow turkey gravy like appearance, hefty viscosity, pretty ugly looking beer frankly, 1/3" white head. Real nice nose on it, the Nelson and Mosaic hops do their thing, I think Mosaic was prolly used in greater quantity as normally when they are equal, I find Nelson to dominate. But you know the deal, lots of danky humid weed and tropical fruit notes. They pumped up the hybrid yeast but I didn't really get anything here beyond your typical neutral ale yeast. Shrugs shoulders.

Taste was nice as well, good tropical flavors still pouring in, it really pushes the hops and keeps just about anything else from running interference on the hop flavors. Low bitterness. There is so much flaked oat/wheat trub, it actually doesn't have the mouth feel I would hope for. This is definitely a 'hazy' pale ale. Most important qualities are smell and taste though, and this excelled at both, but I dunno $5 for a can of pale ale is more than most bars charge in my neck of the woods.

 

 

 

 

 

Canned 01/24/19. "I Feel Safe" is stamped on the bottom. I guess I can relate, one does typically feel safe In the Garage. Okay, enough silly play, let's get down to business.
L: The beer is a pale yellow in color. Looks milky and very hazy. From the get-go, I knew this would form a chimney of head given the rapid formation of loosely packed bubbles. The head was fluffy and not densely packed, with large bubbles evident. It retained rather nicely and settled with a nice foamy rings around the glass. And OH! the lacing. It is abundant. Spotty sudsy white lacing clings to the glass.
S: Nice aroma. Melon, citrus, black pepper and prominent dankness. As people are commenting below, this beer lets you know that nelson is involved, and I am diggin' that.
T: Freaking epic for a beer of this stature. Melon, stonefruit, bubble gum, and citurs are all dominant. It's bright and tropical tasting as well. The juice presence is unmatched in other pale ales in this style. The dank and hoppy presence of the Nelson hops aren't left out though, which seems to cut through the fruit flavor and balance out the scenario. Aftertaste is a pleasant concoction of hops and fruit flavor.
F: For a 5.3% beer, this is fantastic. Medium in body and light to medium in weight. The perfect touch of carbonation giving a lift and fizzle to the beer without cutting back the soft feel.
O: As I said before, for New England-styled pale ales, this beer reigns supreme. The flavor and feel are outlandish. The showcase of Nelson hops is spot on and doesn't influence the juice integrity. This is something I would have purchased in 4-packs if given the opportunity. The abv makes this very appropriate if you're wanting to chill and partake while still being productive, as I am currently displaying. This is a win-win. I am very grateful to have tried. Cheers!

 

Canned 1/24/19, consumed 2/8/19

Pours hazy yellow straw color with a full, thick head, good retention, and left a ton of thick bands of lacing.

Nice Nelson aroma, pretty much just what I was hoping for. Great degree of strength for a pale ale. Taste follows, this is all about Nelson, some subtle tropical fruit notes to complement.

Feel is smooth, light and a little thin, good carbonation and very low bitterness.

Overall, this is a great pale ale if you like Nelson. Normally not thrilled to dole out hazy IPA prices for a pale ale regardless if it's clear or hazy, but this delivered all the way.

 

 

Look: Straw yellow murky body, strong head formation on a mediumly aggressive pour, excellent head retention, ample lacing.
Smell: The nose on this beer is that typical Nelson dank. If you like the Nelson hop, you will love the aroma here. Medium smell intensity.
Taste: Very clean and nicely showcased Nelson. There's some amount of the floral-tropical overtones as well. (I love Mosaic cryo hopping). None of the yeasty taste at all, thankfully. Just a touch of hop burn on the back end.
Feel: Light-bodied, with a good New-England texture, medium carbonation.
Overall: Is there a difference today between the new-age hoppy pale ales and session IPA's. Certainly doesn't seem so. Overall this one's a winner though. For what this beer is, it excels in every category.