Full Moon IPA
Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had this one on tap today at the brewpub. Labelled an American Strong Pale Ale on the flier. I guess and American IPA is close enough. Came out a slightly hazy dark gold with a creamy white head on top. Excellent lace rings all over the glass with each sip. The nose is very citrusy and full of resiny hops. Pretty one dimensional though.

Good crisp body, mellow finish. Hops come out in full force on the tongue. Pretty crisp, but not palate-scorching. Mild citrus noted. Faint breadiness. Could use some sweet balance, but all in all, a pretty good beer. I'd gladly have it again.

Reviewed from notes. On tap at the brewpub.

Pours an orange color with a bit of an off white head and a fairly decent amount of lacing. The nose brings some herbal and pine hops along with a bit of caramel malt. The taste isn't too hoppy and the malt takes over a bit. Body is light to medium with pretty good carbonation levels. Goes down smoothly.

They were calling this Full Moon Pale Ale on my last visit. Don't know if they changed the recipe or just the label.

Slight red to copper in the glass. One-finger head and lightly carbonated.

Subtle dry-hop nose. Not too much coming through here.

Nice velvety mouthfeel. Very nice hop and malt balance with a near perfect PA finish.

One of their best and a very good session sitter.

Full Moon IPA, on tap at Natty Greene's on 01/03/09, served in a traditional American pint glass.

Appearance: An unfiltered, hazy yellow amber, with a relatively-fast fading white head that leaves great sheets of sticky lacing opposite the sip-side and less-impressive fingers and blobs on the sip side.

Aroma: Bready, roasted malts and a fair amount of leafy hoppyness. Faint, but not necessarily unpleasant. Just could use a little more complexity and a little more pungency.

Taste: A solid Amarillo/Cascade tasting IPA - not my favorite combo, but not bad - and a solid, biscuity backbone, moderately roasted with a mild to mild-plus amount of bitterness. About equal amounts of leafy, vegetal hops and orange/lemon zest citrusy, lightly tart hops. Solid.

Mouthfeel: Effervescence leaves a nice prickle, cutting through the medium bodied. Crisp and light while still being thick and "slow" - that is, it's balanced. Fairly even, though a little rocky in places.

Drinkability: A solid seasonable IPA, sessionable at 5.6%. I wouldn't go out of my way for it - the hop combo here isn't why I love IPAs - though it's definitely worth getting (perhaps a few of) if you're looking for a good drink in Greensboro.

Had this last Thurs. night at the brewpub,came to the table a slight hazed peach-like color with a tight formed sticky 1/2 finger white head that held good lasting power.Sweeter than expected in the nosesome caramel and alcohol dipped fruit mixed with piney hop.The hops are more pronounced on the palate giving a citric and resiny pine element over top of caramel malt wich gives the flavor body but lets the hop profile steal the show,according to my buddies this is Natty's best offering in awhile.

Picked up a growler from the pub on my way home to WV from Raleigh, NC. Split with trep & friends at a party in Huntington, WV.

Pours an attractive pale orange color, quite clear and (thankfully) still has a bit of carbonation rising up to supply a well-retained light tan head. Good lacing & retention. The aroma is the highlight here: big-time foresty/piney hops, fresh as can be, with a slight balance of toasted caramel malts. Mouth-watering, to say the least.

The flavor is more of the same: hops. Notes of sweet, juicy citrus with a touch of pine and some floral notes too. Mouthfeel is pretty standard for an IPA. Body is a bit thin, but not so much as to distract from the brew. Drinkability is good. It's cheap (only $12.50 for a growler!), and with a low ABV I put away quite a bit of the growler by myself.

Pours a toasted-golden/pale-orange color with a big thick head that thins quickly but sticks around for the duration.

Aroma is sweet...reminds of powdered sugar and glazed doughnuts. Not appealing nor appalling. Make me think "adjunct", as in cane sugar. Hmm.

Sweetness remains in the flavor, tempered by up-front but gentle hops. Hoppiness becomes firmer and more impressive as it warms. Brown sugar, ginger and caramel appear in the finish. Has a nice unfiltered feel, but not raw-seeming either. Like a nicely successful homebrew batch. Mouthfeel is smooth, buttery, on the light side. Good balance between slickness and carbonation.

After a few, the hops really start taking hold. It's okay, something I'd call a "candy-like" IPA, certainly worth a shot. Worthy of being bottled. Incidentally, congrats to Natty Greene's for making the jump to bottling in late '07!

Big aggressive and complex hop aroma. Bitterness, and wood/pine smells prevail. Not a lot of malt in the aroma, but the varied bouquet of hops makes that a non-issue.

Initial sweet, citrusy taste which you don't get in the aroma. Again, very complex hops running the gamut from citrus to pine and back-of-the-throat bitter. A very sweet malt taste is the wave this hop surfboard is riding.

This is the weakest are. The mouthfeel is a little thin. After being growlered the carbonation is mellow, like I like. I had it on tap last night and it was of course more carbonated, so if you like your IPAs warm, smooth, and almost cask-like, growler it and let a pint warm up on the counter at home.

Very good beer. I like the fact that it has the huge huge hop flavor but a lower (5.6) ABV of a regular pale ale. That fact makes it very easy to enjoy a few pints with dinner. (Which I did).