Piwo Pilsner (Fresh Hop Simcoe)
Threshold Brewing and Blending

my first fresh hop beer of the year, i hope this is a real big season for me drinking these, look forward to it all year. this is fine, but its not quite what i was expecting it to be, its mild, even on the hop side, and while i like the concept of a fresh hop lager like this, i think the dosage is a little light, im not sure how hard the base beer really wails, and it was somewhat underwhelming overall, despite being tasty and still obviously done with fresh hops. brassy colored beer thats not quite clear from the tap, short but creamy frothy half inch of white head, fine carbonation throughout. the aroma here is as yeast forward as it is hoppy to me, wet dough, minerals, and a bready lager aspect, very european. the hops are herbal, almost culinary in here, lime leaf, lemongrass, actual grass, subtle without much bitterness, less of the pithy citrus and woodsy character we usually see from simcoe, may still be some polish or noble hops in here too, balanced but definitely mild overall, a touch sweet from the malt. the flavor is similarly understated, good but i want more of whats here. i like the malt aspect, earthy and cereal forward and way drier than it smells, light honey, pils-esque but distinctive. the lager yeast is pretty forward in the mix too, contributing almost as much as the hops, a little raw and not appearing as fresh as i would have expected in a beer like this, but its effective and drying and also somewhat unique in this. the hops dont pop to me as simcoe specifically, and not just because the dosage seems low, there seem like other hops in here too, and the freshness of the simcoe is nice but too far back, green grape and green apple verdant character, lightly weedy, but then pretty much gone on the swallow without really very much bitterness at all. taken as a hoppy lager with european character its quite nice, taken as a wet hop beer it leaves a bit to be desired. either way, im stoked the season is here, lets go!

Can from Uptown Market.

A mildly hazy light orange with a dense white head with good retention and lacing. The nose has a wonderful Simcoe character, soft, spicy, bright, with real gooseberry character present. The malt is rustic and deep, rich and lovely. The palate opens with a bright Simcoe character, with gooseberry, unripe green grapes and a touch of spice that I'm almost tempted to say has to be from an old world hop varietal. The FH character is confidently expressed and integrated into the palate. The malt depth is nice, rustic, mildly grainy, almost floral. Drying on the finish with nice FH Simcoe notes.