Fresh Hop Mass Ascension (Centennial)
Ex Novo Brewing

Look:
Medium gold-yellow body that's translucent with hop haze. The bright white head of foam is craggy and fluffy and leaves impressive lacing on this modest plastic hotel room cup.

Smell:
Straight out of a freshly opened can, the nose is buzzing with fresh hop character. It's an impressive mix of watermelon (including the green notes of the rind) and a slightly muted twist of grapefruit peel. There's also a mild catty note along with some distant mango and apricot wafting in. Semi-sweet malt holds its hand up in the background.

Taste:
There's a burst of orange juice and orange peel right out of the gate, followed by some mango and a fresh watermelon note that sings out pure and light. Notes of sticky pine burst out underneath in brassy counterpoint. There's a little bready sweetness through the middle, which provides some rest ahead of a surging bitterness in the finish. The beer ends with pine resin, grapefruit pith, underripe apricot, and fresh "green" Centennial notes of watermelon rind and a hint of cucumber.

Feel:
Medium-bodied with assertive carbonation and a finish that's slightly sticky with a trace of citrus acidity. Or is that hop burn?

Overall:
Fresh hop beers brewed near the hop farms in Oregon and Washington require more planning and legwork than "regular" beers. A beer brewed in New Mexico with fresh Oregon hops adds interstate complications to the brew day. And with every sip of Ex Novo Fresh Hop Mass Ascension, I am deeply grateful that they went to all that extra effort. This is an excellent fresh hop beer, loaded with Centennial flavor.