7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Multiple draught pints on 4/28 and 4/26/06 at SHPH
Full white head sits placidly atop a deep bronze-golden body, medium-high to high clarity, with plenty of bubbles rising. Lacing is low to moderate.
Very pungent and sharp hops shoot right up the nose. A combination of dry herbs, zesty lemongrass and dry tangerine fruitiness. Almost spicy, you might say, and really opens up the nostrils, allowing the light pale malts to drift lazily in to the mix, adding minimal sweetness, light graininess and a touch of sourdough even. Low yeast apparency, though still quite fresh and noticeable (light nuttiness), with a growing warm honey sweetness that never interrupts the hops, but still provides enough balance. Overall, it’s much on the dry side.
Doughy, almost chewy and minimally sweet pale malts provide mostly texture upon sipping, while the hops are decidedly less bitter and striking in flavor than they are in aroma, yet no loss of flavor, as lemons, curacao oranges, strong grass and herbs all play about as the zesty carbonation tingles and sets the palate alive with dry hop flavor and a rather crisp finish. Fortunately, some malt sweetness emerges, again, mostly pale malt sugars producing a bit of honey and dough. Medium to medium-light body and could use some malt depth to cut the rather monotonous simple sugar/honey note, but the hops are elegant and bold, without being overdone.