Hop Tones
Fifth Hammer Brewing

Sipping this one straight from the can in Washington Square Park.

Smell is fruity. Sweet mango and pineapple with a hint of dank pine in the background.

Taste is sweet at first but then there is some bitterness mixed in too. Pretty nicely balanced. Pineapple seems to be the principle fruit flavor that I can pick out. There are definitely some nice piney notes in the finish.

Feel is not super heavy or creamy but it is maybe a bit sticky-sweet. I could use more carbonation but it says it was canned almost 6 months ago so I guess this can is maybe not the freshest.

Pretty good NEIPA. I haven’t tried a lot from Fifth Hammer but I don’t think they’re known for their IPAs. This is good enough that I’d try their other IPAs though.

16oz can from Half Time. Thick, murky pour, mustard colored, skimpy head, rings of lacing. Light fruity aroma makes way for a zesty, citrusy flavor, some tropical as well. Chewy body, full in the mouth, light on the palate.

Crowler from Westmere Beverage in Albany, NY.

This one pours a clear dark orange color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells watery, with too much maltiness for the style, and the juice at the bottom of a fruit cup - kind of just candy sweet hop juice.

This is surprisingly weak - this is a brewery I've liked so far. It's just too sweet and too malty, and doesn't feel well constructed to me. It's not an enjoyable beer to drink, unfortunately.

This is light bodied, watery, with no real bitterness on the finish - just watery sweetness.

This is definitely a swing and a miss. Whatever they were going for here - they missed it.

From the can it pours a hazy yellow color. A large frothy head retains well. It yields lots of sticky suds of lacing.

The nose is very fruity with notes of citrus and tropical fruit. Aromas of grapefruit, orange, lime, pineapple, mango and berries. There are also aromas of pine.

Opens very fruity and sweet, but with a dryness in the finish. Big burst of juicy fruit flavors include, grapefruit, lime, pineapple and berries. Predominantly juicy with a frothy mouthfeel, there is, nevertheless, a developing herbal spice that is piney, peppery, grassy, and increasingly resiny bitterness in the finish. The balance also comes from the crisp cracker malt profile. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

A tasty and well crafted NEIPA, juicy but balanced with some nice spices. Fifth Hammer is really good at this style.