Hop Trial Barbe Rouge
Schlafly Beer - The Tap Room

 

 

Pours a slight hazy dark golden color with a two finger rocky white head. Aroma is herbal, floral, and brightly fruity. Taste is herbal and floral, with a definite cherry backbone and a hint of fresh strawberry and mint. Mouthfeel is light and effervescent. Overall, this is a very interesting beer that showcases the French hop barbe rouge, and it's very unique character.

 

a really cool beer, and the one in the box i was most excited to try given how little i know about french hops. i had never even heard of this varietal before this beer! i was so lucky to have a new friend send me out this box, a totally awesome act of kindness, and i have been really enjoying these beers! this is a crazy hop, somewhat subtle compared to say the chinook version, but even compared to any northwestern hops, the bitterness here seems super low, and the flavors and aromas in this hop are super unique, even if its all really pretty tame. definite fresh ripe strawberry, sweet and tart in the essential oils it seems, fresh berries too, and a really summery floral note. i dont know any other hops like this at all. it definitely smells better than it tastes though, or at least these features of the hops are more obvious in the aroma. even this somewhat delicate grain base overpowers or overbalances the sexiest aspects of these hops, and this is mildly malty at best, but i can still taste it. i could see these hops being unreal in a pils type lager or kolsch or cream ale, really make a beer like that unique. some saaz type grassiness too, i love the potential of these hops, even if this pale ale specifically might not be the best beer to highlight its full character. ill definitely keep my eye out for these hops from now on! i love what i learned from this box of beer, a great idea for a twelve pack!

Look: slight hazy golden with a large white head. Yeast clumps and big floaties make this one pretty unattractive though.

Smell: a little fruity, floral, a bit of pine

Taste: big on the floral and fruity (cherry and a bit of strawberry)

Feel: soft and light but not quite as much so as an NEIPA

Overall: floral, fruity, lighter bodied, semisweet beer, not bad but not great

 

 

Gold colored with a fingernail of eggshell white covering most of the top. The aroma is of fruit with notes of strawberries and pineapple. I'm tasting that strawberries, cherries, and then I get a bit of pine at the back of the palate. The light malt shines after completing the swallow. The mouth is light, crisp, and smooth.

Poured out a clear, golden yellow color with nice pillowy head of foam. It smelled fruity - strawberry and cherry. Nice sweet caramel flavor with sweet fruity hops and a pungent bitterness.

 

This brew is utterly golden, with just a bit of haze. The head is white and tall...firm and stable. The aroma is soft and bread with a back ground of dark berries. The fruit comes out more in the taste....blackberry, red raspberry, and cherry. Wow. Wonderful flavor complexity. The beer is balanced...not really sweet. Flavorful finish and very enjoyable.

This tastes like a mixture of berry's fell into an IPA. I can't quite put my finger on what berries those are, but there is a medley of flavors happening here. It is pretty good.

Would Drink Again: Yes
Would Purchase Again: Yes