Happily Peared
South 40 Brewing Company

Found this recently at Joe Canal's in Woodbridge as I never had anything from South 40 before, nor had I ever heard of them. This was not a bad first impression from them as I liked the play on words in it's name since there was a quite a strong hint of pear in this beer, along with a nice balance and relative easy of enjoyment from start to finish!

Not the best of pours to this as the head was massively excessive and filled up an overwhelming majority of my pint glass before I poured most of the liquid out of the can. The beer itself was a muted liquid gold with a few bits of dark sediment floating in it, without it being too excessive. Pear, cracker, and biscuit were the nose as the taste was a bit cloying like bread and floral in tone with plenty of body from the Pilsner Malt, oats, and wheat that rounded out the mouthfeel. This reminded me of a Belgian IPA because of the pear flavor and moderate funk, as the carbonation was lively and the booze understated - although I certainly felt the warmth before I finished this can off.

This could have had a bit less heft to it as the slight dankness from the Motueka and Mosaic were a bit exotic and outdoorsy once the pear and funk subsided a bit. Dated 10/28 on the bottom of the can with "Our First Can!!" written above that, this held up well over the last four months although it was a bit one-dimensional in taste, as there were hints of exotic tropical fruit and lime tang that gave this the depth that it desperately needed. Not a bad first impression from South 40 as the label was perfect for this beer, and listed the ingredients nicely. Still glad to get my hands on another offering from a brewery here in the Garden State!