Honey Ritual Pale Ale
Start Line Brewing Company

 

I really enjoy this beer. It's one of the their older recipes I think. It's probably the first beer that I had from them at the brewery a couple years ago so maybe sentimental connotations effect my opinion. All in all a very good beer. I wish the ABV were a little lower for my taste but I like the honey flavor. I think you need at least 20% honey in your total recipe to taste it. That usually means extra ABV. Good stuff.

 

A medium-light pour from a 16-oz. can reveals a finger of off-white creamy/soapy froth with some large bubbles and sliding arches of lace. The color is a mix of peach and straw.

Spicy citrus hops greet the nose with dried grain and grass and some toasted malt, not smelling honey. There is a slight silage funk and a malty sweetness in the background.

Neutral and averagely bitter at first, the taste has unsweetened citrus fruit as honey arrives and blends with lightly toasted wheat malt. The finish is fast and clean and almost fully dry, bitterness reaches above average. The aftertaste is short and mild with a faint astringency.

Medium-light body, built up by abundant carbonation. Smooth and almost session-able, thanks to the well hidden alcohol. Nice balance of pale and wheat malts.
Illegible date on can purchased from the brewery.

On draft at met back bay Boston

Poured into a pint glass

Golden yellow clear liquid, one finger white foam cap

Aroma is sweet, honey

Taste is mildly sweet honey over malt

Good sudsing

Good beer

Nice, smooth ale, with a little less punch than hop load citra.

 

 

 

I had never heard of this new brewery but was fortunate to receive a can of this Pale Ale in a trade. The impact of the honey makes this an unusually tasty version of a Pale Ale - somewhat unique as I can't recall having tasted a similar combination of citrusy hops moderated by the sweetness of the honey. I'm very impressed by the brewery and this product and hope to find it available on my next trip to MA.

 

 

 

At brewery. Nice family crowd on Saturday afternoon. Very friendly staff , I think the owner/brewer was pouring and he was interested in feedback and made everyone feel welcome. Nice pour, fluffy head and great lacing all the way down the glass. Smell, honey and flowery hops. Nice taste of the honey, seems complex as honey has multifaceted layers, added raw? (JLindros knows his beer and I will defer to his notes) nice flavors throughout. Dry finish , very enjoyable. Other offerings looked good and vibe from crowd was positive with what they had. Only had time for one but will certainly be back. Very new local brewery and I wish them well.

Crowler filled today

Pours a big foamy creamy 1+ finger head that fades at a med pace, bubbly lacing, murky hazy honey orange color

Nose nice honey, a raw honey and fermented mead like, then gristy like raw malt, little toasted malt, into cascade fresh hops, little floral grassy but citrus and fruit as well, faint tropical almost pineapple, little tangerine, and even a touch herbal

Taste brings more of the aromas, raw honey and fermented mead, little earthiness with that, into mild raw toasted malts again, little sweetness but more dry honey flavor and caramelized honey, that honey that cooks at the bottom of the kettle, into hops, little earthy and herbal grassy, fair cascade hop flavor, then mild citrus, a touch grapefruity and orange zest, then generic stone fruit like later. Finish is a little sticky but dry, touch of booze, more cooked honey, hops get a fair bitterness, touch spicy but herbal.

Mouth is med bod, decent carb, little thicker creamy like note

Overall not bad, pretty enjoyable, cooked honey, raw honey, good blend of malts to go with it, still plays well with the hops mostly, the finish gets a little spicy herbal and earthy that is a little mouth smacking, but otherwise nice.