Fresh Hop
Sidetrack Brewing Company

Enjoyed at the Sidetrack taproom in downtown Albuquerque.

The beer is yellow-gold and clear, capped with creamy foam that leaves webs of lacing behind. At first the nose is timid, almost non-existent. After a bit of digging I get a whiff of sweetened oat cereal, and potato skin, and maybe some grapes and melon. The nose intensifies as I reach the middle of the pint, with sweet malt and a white wine-like character coming to the front. The flavor leads with a little malty sweetness, some green grapes, ripe honeydew melon, a drop of honey, and an apple fritter with almost no apple. It's a couple notches sweeter than I like. The middle is floral and a little woody. Not much bitterness in the finish, which is still quite sweet and has an odd, musty, overcooked vegetable note. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation and a bit of heat that feels more like hop burn than alcohol. Overall, I'm having difficulty recognizing much fresh hop aroma, and I don't care for the sweetness and muddled fruit/vegetable flavors.