Stud Wall
Fogtown Brewing Company

A: hazy; bronze in color; 1 finger finely pored light tan head that receded to a wispy cap with a thick collar; nice rings of lace;

S: sweet malt for a moment, then spruce;

T: nicely balanced between sweet malt and spruce through the middle; the balance tips sweet at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: interesting; the finish was a bit too sweet for my taste;

Poured from a can into a tulip glass. Medium amber color with off-white head and lacing that lingers. Sweet malts, caramel on the nose. A hint of pine. Strong flavors of sweet malt to start, followed by mild bitterness from the hops and some subtle hints of spruce on the finish. More of an amber than a pale ale, but still really pleasant and drinkable. I’m a huge fan of Acadia National Park, so when I heard this beer was brewed with spruce tips from MDI, I was super psyched and expected more of a west coast style IPA with really strong spruce/pine flavors. I think they could have been even more generous with the addition of spruce tips because the flavors were very subtle and maybe even overpowered by the malt... but I’m guessing some people might be turned off by stronger spruce flavors, too, so I appreciate it’s a difficult balance. A really enjoyable beer and very drinkable, but based on my personal tastes, I think going a little heavier on the hops and spruce would have made this one even better.