15th August 2013
GBBF Day 3. Light haze on this amber beer. Small white head. Getting a Sorachi Ace lemon vibe from this with good marmalade underneath and a touch of floralness. Light dry finish. Drinks well below its abv.

Fucken can @ home picked up at Supermarket Foco. I really enjoy Santa Fe’s offerings so this was fun to see. Pours a murky dull golden appearance with a spidery white head. Spicy black peppery, chewy herbal, lemon, fairly strong bubblegum aroma. Lightly tart, somewhat herbal bitter, slightly dank hoppy, lemon, light guava, mild tropical fruity flavor. Slight plastic note as well. Not particularly hard to drink but not something I’d purchase again.

Cask at GBBF 2013. It pours hazy deep amber with a small white head. The nose is earthy, pine, resinous, caramel, fig, sultana and brown sugar. The taste is wood, earth, leather, juicy, oily, orange, resin, sultana and toffee. Medium-full body, fine carbonation and oily mouth-feel. Smells rather great, but let down by the taste in my opinion. Decent nonetheless.

From cask. Pours hazy orange with a small off white head. Aroma is peachy, mango. Smooth fruity, malty and lingering citrusy. Crisp and fruity hoppy finish.

GBBF 2013 backlog. Thanks to the RateBeer team/Theydon_Bois. CASK.

Colour: red-brown, cloudy.

Aroma: light hops, resin, caramel.

Taste: intense, zesty, caramel, strong bitterness, something like umami-boiled vegetables in the middle.

Cask at gbbf 2013. Ruby red colour with a halo of loose off white head. Aroma is berry hedgerow sweet caramel. Flavour is light tart beery sweet caramel. Mid carbed. Slightly syrupy.

Location: 12 oz can from Central Market, 8/19/13, New Mexico tick #1!

Aroma: The nose is caramel malts and pine/grapefruit hops, with some mild buttery notes
Appearance: A clear amber-orange color with a small white head and some sticky/streaky lace
Flavor: Tastes much the same, light sweet and a mid-plus bitterness, just a hint of "off" flavor
Palate: Medium body, with some stickiness, soft carbonation, good drinkability, and a dry finish
Overall Impression: It is not a bad one at all, but it's just a little off, and in this style, being a little off tends to but you on the lower end. I wanted to go higher as this is a nice, drinkable, canned IPA, with a solid hop profile, but it just feels a touch flawed...

I jumped on this six pack when I saw it because 1.It’s a 5.5% saison, in six packs, for 8.99 2. It’s Santa Fe, which I believe to be quite an underrated brewery - also, props to these guys for releasing an anniversary beer in affordable six packs instead of slapping it in a wax-coated bomber - anyway,to the beer - pours a lightly hazy gold - soapy head that settles to a fairly significant lace - the initial whiff indicated some adjuncts were added (grains of paradise, perhaps some citrus peel/zest), but they are, thankfully, not overdone - some other notes of sweet wheat, melon, light starchiness, a bit of pepper, light flint/mineral - light body - texture is just a wee bit watery -flavor is lightly sweet up front, but a lightly citric acidity and sourness arrives quickly after that, followed by light floral character, herbal notes, citrus rind - finish is lightly peppery, leading to a dry and fairly bitter finish - it’s saison-ish, really - I was hoping to find my new go-to beer for the remainder of the summer, but sadly, I will likely not buy this again - nothing off about it or anything, but it is merely okay, and only marginally a saison.

On draft at 1702 in Tucson AZ. Pours a cola brown with an ecru head. Light hop nose. Nutty flavors with some caramel and grassy notes. Smooth clean finish.

12 ounce can. Pours a deep brown color with a medium beige head. A big coffee nose. The flavor is dry roast, huge milky and roasted coffee, some light vanilla. Big beer overall, light green pepper (coffee) slides in. Good.