Techno Viking
Steady Habit Brewing Company

 

Beautiful dark yellow/straw color. Very thin white head. Full of tyropical/mellon orange aromas and flavors. Somewhat thick mouthfeel. Would benefit from more carbonation. Overall good brew. Would try again after some tweaking.

 

Reviewed from notes taken May 16, 2015. 750ml growler split 3 ways.

Appearance: Opaque, yellowish, good frothy head retention and lacing.

Smell: For me, smells like strawberries and cream / strawberry ice cream, which reminds me (and many of my reviews illustrate this) that I seem to smell strawberry in very weird, idiosyncratic places. Who knows. Smells slightly citrusy and definitely some melon there. Sweet hops.

Taste: Awesome pungent (good way) melon up front, leading to this sweet finish that I find somehow cloyingly sweet and astringently, dishearteningly bitter at once. The beginning is just excellent, showcasing what people probably love about these new German hops. The finish, for me, is just too sweet--and it's coming from these hops.

Mouthfeel: The 3.5 I'm giving is a bit harsh and hard to explain; just as a mouthfeel for any old beer, it's excellent (I love how Steady Habit makes their beers). For *this* beer, I think the IBUs don't balance the sickly-sweetness of the hops, but just clash hard.

That said, carbonation is great, nice dryness, juicy enough (though the sweetness sort of placebo tricks my palate into thinking there's a chalky feel).

Overall: Once I acclimated to that weird clashing finish, I started to enjoy the beer a bit more. Up front it's outstanding. It's also always great to try out something that showcases a new or unusual ingredient. In fact, when I think of it that way, I'm inclined to bump the score up over 4, because honestly it gave me a strong introduction to these hops (I'm not going higher because of that too-bitter element). I don't think this combo is for me, but I'm glad to have been able to try it.

 

 

 

A: poured into a tulip glass at a bottle share. Light tan color with a little haze making a somewhat opaque appearance.
S: Melons! Yes believe it or not the first thing that hits you is a sweet melon (maybe cantaloupe). There is also a faint citrus smell in the background, subtle but still there
T: Light, refreshing, melons, orange peel, little bit of grapefruit, faint hint of german hops
M: Smooth, not too heavy, nice and light. Perfect for a summer brew

Overall: I am glad I got to try this beer. It is very unique for sure. The melon smell and taste are very interested and don't see too many beers with that flavor profile. Definitely should check it out. Cheers!

 

I love this beer, but it looks like I'm in the minority here.

Initial taste is of honeydew melon, which immediately transitions into a very dry/bitter orange peel flavor that fills the whole mouth. Perfect carbonation, perfect everything. One of my favorites.