Hqt
21st Amendment Brewery

A most unusual taste profile. This is definitely on the sweet side but you get good malt body. Yeast provides some lemon and citrus character.

 

 

I had this on-tap at Max's. Served in a sample glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear golden with a layer of fluffy white head that fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Mildly malty and a bit sweet. There is a spice that combines with the sweetness and reminds me a bit of bread pudding.

Taste: Sweet and extremely bready. There is a slight tart ness in the finish with some spices. I'm reminded a bit of anise.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth, foamy carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: The flavor was very distinct and odd. I'm not sure that it was completely pleasing, but I didn't hate it. I wouldn't have another.

On tap at Max's.

The beer pours a golden amber color with fairly decent head retention and lacing. Don't get a whole lot on the nose... just some light sweet citrus and honey. Maybe I get some dates as well, but that's probably because that's what I was expecting to smell. The flavor profile is really pretty unimpressive, and frankly puts me in mind of some marco made "craft" beers I've had. There's some light sweetness and honey, with a hint of bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is probably this beer's best feature, as the beer is light to medium bodied with a decent, clean finish.

In a word.... mehhhh.

On-tap at 21st Amendment, in San Francisco.

While the authenticity of the recipe and its brewing method may be suspect, Hqt (pronounced "heket") looks exactly as you'd expect an ancient Egyptian ale to look. A muddied colour and sludgy complexion, with no visible carbonation at all, this appears very much as the history books describe it. All I need now is the giant straw to drink it with.

The aroma is disappointingly pedestrian for such an exotic beer. None of the added ingredients make their presence known, at least not to the olfactory sense, at least not in large part (the dates eventually come through after some warming, but the honey and herbs never). To this point all it has going for it is a fancy ingredients list on paper and ugly look.

I was excited to find a beer brewed with emmer wheat, dates, honey and herbs - how unusual is that? - but was sorrowfully disappointed once actually tasting it. Like the aroma, the added flavours are hardly perceived and you'd likely miss them if you weren't aware of their inclusion (except for the emmer wheat, which is appreciable for its dry graininess).

The beer may not be as unique as billed, but it still is pleasant. The aftertaste has traces of honey sweetness and some date-like fruitiness. It's not bitter at all (a stated 10 IBU) and, because its low carbonation leaves a lingering damp wheat note, it loosely resembles a German hefeweizen that lacks all the zesty, phenolic yeast elements. It's drinkable.

Sadly, the concept of this beer is more intriguing than the actual beer itself. This brewpub has the skills of executing a recipe like this, but they haven't done so with Hqt. Although I've defended it as best I could, the Egyptian sun god's honest truth is that this is simply a plain, uninspiring beer that doesn't offer the gratification or flavour of their ordinary offerings.