Rattlesnake Gulch
Hot House Brewing

my first from these guys, first i am even hearing of them, cool how craft brewing has blown up in central new york, and cool that they use local ingredients, but the beer itself here left a bit to be desired. its sort of simple and old school, some definite richness and terroir to the light copper malt base, but also not totally clean on the ferment, a little more residual sugar than i need, and something slightly metallic distracting from the hoppy finish, seems fresh and balanced, but its still on the wrong side of amateur to me overall. i like how clear this is, even if its head had dissipated byt the time it gets to our table (weak service at the bar i had this at), i like the citrus bitterness to the hop profile, lightly oily, some pine, intense orange peel and pith, a toasted backbone, and a sturdy medium body. the yeast smells and tastes a touch stressed, and this could be drier overall, it also needs more carbonation, but there are things to like as well, and i cant be too harsh, always fun to try random small town ipa when on the road, and while this one wont stand out in my memory, it was a fun pint while catching up with friends and family. simple beer, perhaps a little behind the times already, and needing a bit more attention to detail, but not bad. maybe get to check this place out next time i am out this way...