Foliage
New Trail Brewing Company

 

 

It's a nice easy pour to empty a pint can into a clear glass Imperial pint mug. The head, even at room temperature, is very reasonable. It's white, modest and enduring. Later learned, there's no glass lacing. The brew itself is a dull and opaque apricot-amber, perhaps a shade lighter. There's mostly a grainy smell to be had, something like uncooked oatmeal. By taste, there's no doubt this is an oat infused hazy. There's the positives, like the smooth and supple body and for those that like the softer side of hop, a total lack of a bitter bite. But oats can muddle the specifics in the taste of an IPA and that’s what happens here. This isn't one of this outstanding brewery's best. Not only is it cloudy to look at, it's cloudy to taste. Not horrible at all, it's just bland and a little too oaty. Maybe a little earthiness within the hop finish mitigates some of its shortcomings, but New Trail has done better many other times.

Pours a hazy yellow leaning towards orange with a white head that leaves lace down the side.

Floral, citrus, latic, and some fruited grain in the nose.

Taste follows nose, bitter and sweet, sour and tangy.

 

 

Poured into a straight/slight tulip pint glass: color is murky straw gold, head is off white and presents 1/4 inch thick, then dissipates to thin solid top, no lacing.

Smell is subtle, underdone with notes of mixed berry, lime, oat, wheat, light malt.

Taste is thin for what it is - very subtle, light notes of berry, lime, peach, oat, wheat, hint of malt; a little flat and underwhelming.

Mouthfeel is light carbonation, moderate sweetness, low bitterness.

Overall this is a flat, muddled hazy IPA that needs more aroma, flavor or bitterness but not necessarily all three.

New Trail Brewing Co. "Foliage"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating
$4.25 @ Wegmans, Collegeville, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: So what is this? It's a Hazy IPA at 7.1% ABV with oats, honey, and Amarillo, Simcoe, and Motueka hops. Interesting. It's poured a very hazy golden body beneath two finger's width of white foam. The head is steadily settling down, which is OK because I need that room to get the rest of the beer into the glass. In the nose I'm finding some orange, lime, and berries. It's not the brightest of aromas but it's also not labeled as dry hopped either. The taste offers the same blend of orange, lime, and berry. There's some apple there as well but that doesn't change it much. The malt is basic, distintly oat-like, and rather boring and hollow in my opinion. The honey is clear, and it does have some sweetness to it. That works well with the berry-like flavor, and now I'm getting peach as well. It's a little weird, I have to say, and I experienced the same thing in their Gear Head Pale Ale earlier today. It's moderately bitter, less bitter I think than the Gear Head, and yet it still finishes mainly dry with some citrus and honey fading as resinous pine rises. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp-then-smooth with a moderate, fine-bubbled carbonation. Overall I like it but it takes a little bit of getting used to. I'll give it points for originality but it seems a little lacking in terms of malt character. The honey is nice though, and although the hops aren't that strong they work. I also think it fits the fall season really well, which is nice and I give them credit for that. I almost forgot, the head held up well and left some very nice lacing about the glass.
Review #8,303