Watermelon Gose

Check out this Gose 

Trying a brew style that I have not explored in to until tonight. The style of brew is a Gose style. It is a German Style brew. A Gose is an unfiltered wheat made with 50-60% malted wheat which creates a cloudy pale color and has a crisp refreshing taste. Gose style ales have a low bitterness and have a dryness mixed with a spice note that is from coriander. There is also a sharpness or a bite which comes from the addition of Sea Salt into the brew. Most times Gose style brews are paired with flavors that will take the bite off the style, because of the addition of lactic acid into the brew. Gose is an old style German brew that has seen a revival recently. Gose style brew originated in Leipzig, Germany. Gose is similar to Berliner Weiss, so if you are a fan of them, you should enjoy this style that I am trying tonight. I am trying this beer from a beer company I have had on this blog before. This is my third beer by them on this blog. I have tried Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale and their Pumpkinfest. If you know these beers than you know what beer company I am trying tonight. Terrapin Beer Company is the brewery I am having tonight. I am trying their Watermelon Gose, their take on a Gose Style Brew. Terrapin Beer Company was born when two brewers met at a microbrewery. They focused on brews that were not available in the South East. They created their first brew in 2002, called Rye Pale Ale. Terrapin Beer Company can be found in Athens, Georgia.

Terrapin Beer Company Watermelon Gose 

Tonight's brew is Terrapin's Watermelon Gose. The Watermelon Gose has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 4.3%  and an IBU of 7.  From the can "Gose: “Gose-uh” A traditional German style beer brewed with sea salt and coriander Tart and refreshing, our Gose is sure to blow any picnic out of the water…melon".  

Appearance of Watermelon Gose

Let's dive into this brew and figure out what it is all about. Aroma wise this beer has a tart aroma. The tart aroma is similar to the Berliner Weiss, a sour wheat aroma. After picking up the sour aroma, you begin to notice the watermelon aroma, at first I'm not sure if it's real or artificial aroma. But the more and more you notice it you get a brine watermelon aroma, which lends itself to the real watermelon aroma. Almost like you just got finished up cutting your watermelon for your picnic. There is one last note that you do pick up in the aroma and that is the sea salt note, which is almost like you got out the ocean salt water aroma. Appearance wise this is a pale colored ale. The ale has a tint, which looks like it comes from the green of the watermelon rind when you hold it up to the light. For the most part, this brew has a hazy golden appearance to it. There is a decent amount of carbonation coming up from the bottom. In addition, the foam or head of the Gose quickly dissipates and does not leave any lacing around the outside of the glass. 

After the aroma and the appearance, I am ready to see what the taste backbone of this brew has coming for me. First sip, you get the sour taste note from the lactic acid and that gets balanced out with the spice note of the coriander. The more interesting taste note is the sea salt finish I get. I did pick up on the wheat style brew in this beer. It's subtle and not overpowering to the tart taste in the beer. There is a crisp and refreshing feel to this brew. The more sips I take of this ale, I notice the style more and more. There is a dry note that you notice and the sharpness note to it as well, which is from the Sea Salt. To the people that think there might be too much fruit taste in this style or in this beer, I say to you that it is subtle and rather enjoyable. Some summer beers go for a lighter taste and add fruit to appeal to most drinkers, but Watermelon Gose gives you the Gose style and gives you the subtle watermelon note for you to enjoy the Gose Style. This brew has a light body and gives the beer drinker a noticeable carbonation as you drink this beer paired with a prickliness from the tart sour taste notes. If you listen to the aroma of the beer this beer taste is similar to the aroma and gives you some subtle other notes in the beer. In addition, I think the tart or sour taste might come from the addition of lactic acid from lemons and the finishing note tastes like someone added a pinch of sea salt to a watermelon slice. 

Lookout for this Special Release Brew, Watermelon Gose by Terrapin Beer Company

This brew is refreshing and something I will have to investigate more and find out others I might want to explore. The addition of the sea salt is interesting and gives the drinker a sharp note as the brew finishes. The spice of the coriander and the sharpness of the sea salt are great additions to the wheat style ale. The light body of this Gose is something I really enjoyed and gives the drinker crisp refreshing brew. I think that Terrapin did a good job with this style brew and I look forward to trying other brews from Terrapin Beer Company, so far I have not been disappointed.  Make sure you check out what Terrapin Beer Company has brewing and what is out on the shelves near you. To me this Gose brew is perfect for sitting out on the beach or enjoying a picnic/barbecue in your own backyard.  It's not too fruity for someone that is not looking for fruit in their beer, but also caters to the people whom enjoy it in their beers. 

Check out Terrapin Beer Company's Website and their Social Media: 

Terrapin Beer Company

Tweet @TerrapinBeerCo

Terrapin Beer Company Facebook

Instagram @Terrapinbeerco

   

   

Beer Week

Recently Philadelphia area celebrated Philly Beer Week. It's an amazing time and bars and beer gardens all around Philadelphia, PA, host specific breweries and do tap takeovers. A beer drinkers perfect week. There are a variety of breweries that come and take part in Philly Beer Week, sometimes hosting their own event to draw people to sample their brews. Deschutes hosted a Street Pub. Yards hosted a pinewood derby and Goose Island hosted a block party. It's a celebration of beers and perfect for a beer enthusiast like myself. I attend a local event near me, in Doylestown, PA, which was hosted by Gretz Beer Company. This Beer Week event happened on June 9th, 2016. It was a chance to sample some different brews from breweries they distribute for. There was 11 different breweries showcased at 12 different bars. For me this is like being a kid in a candy store. Some of the breweries that were being showcased, I had not sampled brews from them before and this was the perfect night to try and sample them. Each bar in Doylestown had a different brewery there to showcase some brews of theirs. 

During this post I will talk about each bar I went to and which brews I sampled, whilst I was there.  I did sample a few brews, but I was also made sure that I could drive home and enjoy the night. 

First bar, I visited during the event was Station Tap House. Where there was a battle between V States. Star Hill Brewery took on Long Trail Brewing Company to see, which state with the letter V had a better brewery. State of Virginia took on the State of Vermont, I was very interested to see, who came out on top. I had one of the beers from Long Trail before, so I figured I would try the brew from Starr Hill. The brew from Long Trail was Mostly Cloudy, which is a Belgian Witbier. Mostly Cloudy has an ABV or alcohol by volume of 4.7%  and an IBU of 12. The brew I sampled from Starr Hill was The Hook, which is a Grapefruit Session IPA. The Hook has an ABV of 4.9 and an IBU of 39. To me, the session IPA by Starr Hill gave me all the India Pale Ale profile without the high ABV. If someone who really enjoys IPA's, this was a beer that you could drink throughout your day and still be functioning in what you are trying to accomplish. For beer drinkers terms, this beer is crushable. Starr Hill is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and Long Trail is located in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont. 

Starr Hill The Hook Grapefruit Session IPA

Next, I visited 86 West. The brewery at 86 West was Kona Brewing Company. I have had their brews before. Kona Big Wave was one of the brews on tap. As was Castaway IPA. Kona Big Wave has an ABV of 4.4% and an IBU of 21. I think this one has to be one of the favorites of my night. This Golden Ale is delicious and something I enjoy when I get my hands on it. Castaway IPA has an ABV of 60 and an IBU of 50. I have not tried this brew from Kona. Kona Brewing Company is located in Kona, Hawaii 

After 86 West, I visited Penn Taproom. I got to sample a brew from Goose Island that I had never had before. The brews on tap here were Goose Island IPA, Four Star Pils, and Bee Squad. As well as a brew from 10 Barrel Brewing Company. 10 Barrel had their Riding Solo Pale Ale on tap. I did not try the Riding Solo, but I did try the Bee Squad brew from Goose Island. Goose Island is located in Chicago, Illinois and 10 Barrel Brewing is located in Bend, Oregon,  Bee Squad is a Saison from Goose Island has an ABV of 8.2%. This is a brew that was just brewed and is something you should look out for and try for yourself. It had a nice sweet honey taste, but still gave you the spice note in the Saison or Farmhouse ale you are looking for. Bee Squad had a nice dry finish and was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I think this was my favorite of the night. 

Goose Island Bee Squad 

Next was Pags Pub, where Victory was located. Victory had Summer Love and Hop Devil on Tap. There was Prima Pils as well. Jamie the Victory Beer Representative was passing out Victory gear, which was anyone who had Victory got a free beer glass. In the beer glass, the were Victory Summer Love Sun Glasses and a Victory sticker. I am looking forward to making a trip to Victory and sampling a few brews that I have yet to try. Summer Love is a awesome summer pale ale that is light and easy to drink. I think Summer Love is something people look forward to every summer because they know it's a great Summer brew. I will say that I do have Victory Summer Love and Victory Kirsch Gose waiting in my next six pack to sample and do my review on them. 

Second to last of the night was M.O.M.S, which is Maxwell's on Main Street. MOMS had Fat Head's Brewery on tap. I sampled two of their brews. I started with the Sunshine Daydreams, which is a Session Ale has an ABV of  4.9% and an IBU of 60. Next I sampled, Benjamin Danklin, which has an ABV of 7.5 %  and is only brewed for Philly Beer Week. I really enjoyed talking with Geoff and Justin, who were the showing me the brews from Fat Head's and talking about beer with me. I enjoyed talking IPA's with Geoff and  how I should look at IPA's. MOMS also had Zeus Juice and Jack Straw on tap from Fat Head's. Fat Head's is located in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.  

Last place I visited on last thursday was Chambers. Chambers had many different brews on tap, but the main brewery was Troegs. Troegs is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. At this point in the night, I was not sampling, but more showing support for the brewery. I wanted to make sure I was able to drive home. Chambers was the last meetup point for all the beer reps. After a long night of talking about beer and sharing beers, at this point it was to enjoy the night. It was a celebration of having a great night and an end to Philly Beer Week.  

Tap List From Chambers 

End to a great night. 

I think it was a great idea to showcase different brews at different locations all throughout Doylestown. It got people that might not know beer a chance to sample different craft beers, and that is what Philly Beer Week is all about. Thanks Gretz Beer Company for putting together this event and allowing me to tag along. 

    

The Berliner

The Berliner by Round Guys Brewing Company 

Tonight I am trying another Berliner Weiss. To me I think this style of beer screams summer. Seeing as how we are in June and summer is on its way, why not try brews that are going to available. I have tried one beer from the brewing company I am trying from tonight. They are a local brewing company and are thirty minutes away from my door. Round Guys Brewing Company is located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Rounds Guys Brewing Company was thought about in 2008 and became a reality in 2012. In three short years, they have become well known in the region and expanded their distribution to Central Pennsylvania to the Jersey Shore. I have not made it to the Taproom, but I am hoping to make it there soon. I know that if you are in the area, you are able to find their beers in local bottle shops and grocery stores. I always like finding new brews to try from the local breweries around me. Tonight I am trying, The Berliner, it is a Berliner Weiss Style Ale. The Berliner has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 3.7% and an IBU of 1. Compared to last night's brew this is a little stronger in the ABV and is less bitter than the Manayunk Summer Paradise. I think the more I get involved with this style the more I am able to pull out style wise from these beers. 

Glimpse of the can

To quote the can: "A Sour Ale - Try it. Explore it. Enjoy it ..."; "Bur-liner-weiss: n. The ultimate session beer. Brilliant effervescence brings to life the rich lemonade like character. Tart and sour deriving from a by-the-book traditional mash – no boil fermentation. Enjoy straight white from the can. Serves as an excellent base for creativity. Add Raspberry syrup to for a sweet splash of pink. Woodruff syrup for a marshmallowy green. Or simply build your own berliner-mosa. Try it. Explore it. Enjoy it."

Appearance of The Berliner

Appearance wise this beer is confusing me. When I first poured this brew, I almost thought it was a cider because of how clear it was coming out of the can. Then the more I looked at the appearance it looked more like a shandy. Trying to explain the appearance is proving to be more fun than I thought. To me this beer has a white tint to it, almost like a white cranberry juice appearance. Then when you look at it away from the light it looks pale and hazy. In terms of haziness, the carbonation adds to the haziness of this Berliner Weiss. This ale is not as cloudy as most wheat ales, but to me it really reminds me more of a shandy based off it's appearance. The head or foam of the beer was white and quickly dissipated, which is not uncommon with this style. In fact, this style is almost like a poor man's Champagne. You can add syrups and juices to add some sweetness to this style. Aroma is something that I really enjoy when it comes to sours and Berliner Weiss ales. The aroma for this style is something that reminds me of summer. Looking at this aroma, I notice the citrus sour aroma. In terms of which fruit aroma, I cannot pinpoint it right away. You definitely notice the lactic acid sour aroma, which is common for the Berliner Weiss's. To put it normally, when you smell this beer you might think it's bad, if you did not know it was a sour. 

Based off of the aroma and the appearance, I am curious to see what The Berliner entails. I took my first sip of this ale and the first thing I notice is the tart taste. Taste is crisp and tart, almost reminds me of Champagne. The more I drank of this ale, the more I began to pick up on the citrus sour taste. It was almost like this brew started out as a fresh squeezed lemonade. There is a spice note that I picked up as well, but it is an underlying taste note. Mouthfeel is light and crisp, the carbonation of The Berliner aides in the mouthfeel. I added a little of a raspberry tea like a syrup to see what it would taste like. It's almost like a beer-mosa. It adds some sweetness and lessens the bite of the sour or tart note in the beer.  

Kind of a beer-mosa 

Overall, I think this is a good brew. Little more tart than I might like it, but definitely a Berliner Weiss through and through. I also love the name of the brewing company, speaking as a bigger guy myself, I appreciate the name. There is no monkey business with this beer and it is a well rounded brew from Round Guys Brewing Company. This beer actually reminds me of when you make fresh squeezed lemonade and you are trying to get the taste just right, well they got it on the money. I think the fact that you can add syrups or orange juice to make it your way, is ingenious. Because it allows people that are not particularly high on sours to still be able to enjoy them, while still experiencing the Berliner Weiss style.  

Look out for The Berliner by Round Guys Brewing Company 

If you make it to Round Guys Brewing Company make sure you check out their events like :

Taco Tuesday, Sunday Brunch, Thursday Trivia.  

Check out Round Guys Brewing Company on Twitter and their Website: 

Tweet @RoundGuysBrewer

Round Guys Brewing

Summer Paradise

Summer Paradise by Manayunk Brewing Company

If you are around the Philadelphia,PA area, you know right now is Philly Beer Week. Tonight I decided that I would have a local brew, in honor of Philly Beer Week. Manayunk is one of the neighborhoods in Philadelphia. There are a bunch of them and one is even called Brewerytown. I am trying a brew from a brewing company I have tried before. I tried their Belgian Style Session Ale on this blog before and I am a fan of their Yunkin' Pumkin'. Manayunk Brewing Company created their first batch of beer on October 17, 1996. Since then they have brewed over 600 different styles of beer. In 2004, the brewing company expanded adding a stone oven pizza grill and a sushi bar, as well as space for weddings and meetings. Over the past twenty years Manayunk Brewing Company has survived several devastating floods and has grown to become a local destination in the Philly area. The beer I am trying tonight is called Summer Paradise. Summer Paradise is a Berliner-Style Weiss Ale. This ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 3.5% and an IBU of 8. I have had a few Berliner-Weiss brews on this blog, Festina Peche from Dogfish Head Brewery and Tartanium by Grist Brewing Company. I am looking forward to see how this brew compares to the others.

Appearance of Summer Paradise

Appearance for most Berliner Weiss style brews are all the same. There is carbonation in this beer, which is noticeable by the constant bubbles flowing towards the top of the glass. The head or foam of the beer dissipates quickly after I took this picture, because of how quickly it went away it reminded me of a soda that is flat. The foam was a white and the beer appears to have a straw or pale colored haze to it. The ale itself has a pale complexion and has hazy or cloudy look to it. Color wise I would say this brew has a yellow or golden hue to the ale. The appearance gives you a sense that this beer is a wheat ale. Aroma wise this beer is not similar to a wheat ale. There is a tart aroma that I picked up on after taking my first whiff. The more and more I try to pick up on the aroma the more and more I notice a lemon citrus aroma after the tart crisp aroma. 

Summer Brews are in full swing

I have been developing a taste for the sour brew or Berliner Weiss styles and I am excited to try Summer Paradise. Now it is time to see what Summer Paradise has in store for me. First thing I noticed was the tart sour taste to Summer Paradise. The tart sour taste piggybacked off of the aroma and leaves me thinking like I just sucked on a Lemonhead. I enjoyed them when I was younger and I really enjoy the tart taste of this ale. After I got past the tart taste, I notice that the brew had a crisp mouthfeel and did not leave a lingering note one the palate. I began noticing a slight spice note as I drank more of this ale, but it blended in well with the tart note that it was hard to pick up on. I enjoy this brew as I sat outside on a hot summer day. It is not heavy and not to high in alcohol content. The low ABV allows this beer to become a crush-able brew and something you could drink all day. 

If you are looking for refreshing brews and something that is not high in alcohol by volume, this is an ale style you should check out. Summer Paradise is a refreshing brew and is crisp to drink. It makes me want to just sit back and relax on the beach or actually enjoy mowing my lawn. To me this style ale takes the bite out of the heat and gives the beer drinker a refreshing finish. I really enjoyed Summer Paradise and I have to explore more brews like this ale. Great start to Philly Beer Week with this choice of brew, especially because of the weather we have been having in the area. 

Summer is upon us!

Check out Manayunk Brewing Company on Twitter and their Website, as well check out Philly Beer Week: 

Philly Beer Week 

Tweet @ManayunkBrew

https://www.manayunkbrewery.com/ 

Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Lagunitas Brewing Company  Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale 

Tonight I am tying a brew from a brewery, I have had before on this blog. I have had a few brews from this brewery. I think by far this one tonight, might be one of my favorites from this brewery. Lagunitas Brewing Company is located in Petaluma, California or Chicago, Illinois. I think that some breweries that are growing to bigger breweries, are looking for additional places to grow their market. Adding other breweries to your stable is an important thing because it allows you to have multiple places to brew your beer at the same time or to make specific beers at specific locations. Lagunitas recently was in the news for a growth in size because of an investment of fifty percent stake by Heineken. This allows Lagunitas to reach further markets and to stretch their reach around the world, with Heineken's distribution. The beer I am trying tonight is Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale. Little Sumpin' is an American Pale Wheat Ale, this style is an according to Beer Advocate is an Americanized version of a Hefe-Weizen. A Hefe-Weizen is a German-Style Wheat Ale. To think of combining two styles is what some breweries do. To me this makes sense because you are trying to appeal to two different style beer drinkers. Trying to capture the wheat beer drinkers, while also appealing to the hop or bitter beer enthusiasts.  Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7.5% and an IBU of 65. 

Appearance of Little Sumpin' Sumpin' 

Taking a look at this ale I start to think about the combination of the two styles. This ale has a cloudy appearance to it, but is also light in color like a pale ale should be. There is a cloudy straw appearance to this brew. The head or foam of this beer lingers around like a wheat ale would. While also leaving some lacing around the outside of the glass, like a pale ale would. So far, so good in trying to incorporate the two styles of brews into this ale. The aroma is a different story. I take my first sniff or whiff of the ale and all I pick up on this the hop aroma. After taking a few more whiffs, I began picking up on the typical wheat aromas. I noticed a citrus note as well as an apricot note in the aroma. Lastly I picked up on a spiced aroma as the final note in the aroma. 

Taste is where I am eager to see the combination of the two styles play out. I took my first sip on this ale to see if the two styles blended. First thing I noticed after my first sip was the bitter hop note in the beer. The more and more I began to drink of this beer the more I notice the hop presence in the beer. The taste is where the two styles deviate. The beer is a medium body and leaves a trace of the beer on the back on your tongue. For a beer that is seven and half percent alcohol by volume, it does not drink like one. In fact, it drinks like a wheat beer in that sense. Another wheat beer aspect to this beer is the mouthfeel of the beer. The mouthfeel of this beer is similar to a wheat beer, medium thickness, but finishes not too heavy.  

Check out Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale by Lagunitas Brewing Company

Overall, I think through the appearance and the aroma this beer is more of a perfect blend of Hefe-Weizen and Pale Ale. But when it came to taste it leans more on the Pale Ale side of things. I think that blending these two styles can be very difficult and I appreciate the combinations of the two styles.  Looking at this beer, I think it appeals more to a hop or pale ale fan, but it does leave the wheat ale fan intrigued. It has it's Little Sumpin' Sumpin' for all beer enthusiasts. Gives you a little of this, a little of that and appeases the masses. 

Check out Lagunitas Brewing Company on Twitter and their Website: 

Tweet @Lagunitasbeer

https://lagunitas.com/

Shiner Birthday Beer 107 Hoppy Pilsner

Shiner Birthday Beer 107 Hoppy Pilsner 

Tonight I am trying a beer from a brewery, I have not tried before. I have heard of this brewery before and I know they are very popular in Texas. This brewery has been around since 1909, and is located in Shiner, Texas. Originally the settlers that moved to Shiner, Texas, thought they were going to strike gold. Instead they found water, which they discovered that water made some tasty beer. The brewery was founded by Kosmos Spoetzl, who was born in Bavaria and brought his passion around the world through Egypt then Texas. To this day, they pay homage and have his name on every beer that comes out of the brewery.  Tonight, I am trying their beer, Birthday Beer 107 Hoppy Pilsner.  Birthday Beer 107 Hoppy Pilsner is a German Style Pilsner. This Hoppy Pilsner has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5.0% and an IBU of 30. Let's see what Shiner Brewery has behind this birthday brew. 

Appearance of Hoppy Pilsner 

Aroma of this brew is very pungent and lingers around after you take your first smell. I picked up on a hop forward aroma, which is common for a German Style Pilsner. There is a subtle citrus note in the aroma that comes through after the hop forward note. The other interesting aroma is one that kind of smells like soap, which I cannot put my finger on. The appearance of this Hoppy Pilsner is taking on the typical appearance of a German Pilsner. There is a golden hue or straw hue to the appearance of this brew. There is a thin layer of white foam or head to this beer that stays around leaves some lacing around the edge of the glass. The beer is pale and not cloudy or hazy.

Time to see what the taste backbone of this beer is like. I am curious based off of the aroma, I am not to eager to try this because the bitter notes. Let's see what the first sip is like. All I can think of before taking my first sip is the aroma and how overpowering it is. Almost makes me not want to try this beer, because it's not up my ally of beers. But I already poured it and I do not waste beer. You never know the aroma might be misleading and not be followed by the same notes in the taste. I committed and found out that the notes did align. I noticed the spice note of the German Style Pilsners and was surprised by that note being one of the first profile, I noticed. The second and more overpowering was the bitter note. To think more about the style of beer, the Saaz Hop is one hop that would provide both spice and bitter notes to the beer drinker. Those two notes linger on the taste buds. The body of this beer is medium and is refreshingly crisp. 

Check out Shiner Birthday Beer Hoppy Pilsner

If you are a fan of the Pilsner style, Czech or German, you should check this beer out. I think this beer was a good beer, but a little to hop forward for my taste. I think that if you enjoy bitter hop notes than you would enjoy this brew immensely. Anyone that is a fan of India Pale Ales or Pale Ales in general, should check this out. I enjoy Pilsners, but the addition of the bitter and spice notes were too much for me. I did enjoy it and I enjoyed learning more about Shiner Brewery. I think the more and more people try beers outside their norm, the more the begin to figure what the do and do not like in particular styles. For example, I love the peppery spice note in a Saison or Farmhouse Ale, but I think it might be too much for a Pilsner. I am looking forward to trying more from Shiner Brewery and maybe hopefully visit the brewery someday. 

Check out Shier Brewery on Twitter and their Website:

Tweet @ShinerBeer

http://www.shiner.com/

Heavy Melon

Trying a brew from New Belgium Brewing Company. I have sampled a few beers from New Belgium before. I have even drank with some of the beer representatives when they visited the Philadelphia region, when New Belgium first hit the area. I can say the beers, I have had from them have been delicious and I am curious to see what is behind the beer tonight. I love the fact that New Belgium Brewing Company is an employee owned brewing company. "Here's the thing: culture isn't about what you say; it's about what you do." I think that New Belgium Brewing Company has built a great culture and that allows them to create great beers. I think that culture being about what you do, clearly shows in the quality of their beers. New Belgium is focused on sustainability and allows the consumer to see their efforts in that area. They allow beer drinkers to look at where they obtain they ingredients such as hops and barley (Sourcing). New Belgium is also focused on saving and repairing the Colorado River as parts of their sustainability efforts. New Belgium Brewing Company is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

Heavy Melon New Belgium Brewing Company

The brew I am trying tonight is Heavy Melon, watermelon lime ale. Heavy Melon has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5% and an IBU of 14. I think this combination could be interesting and refreshing just based off of the name. The name alone reminds me of summer and having watermelon at a hot summer BBQ. 

Let's see what this beer is all about. 

Appearance of Heavy Melon 

I am interested in see what the aroma of this beer is like and what the appearance might be like. First let's look at the appearance of this ale. Most of the times when looking at ales that are brewed with fruit, they usually take on that color or are wheat ales. An example of this is Hell or High Watermelon. Looking at the appearance of this beer you cannot tell its a fruit beer or an ale brewed with fruit in it. There is a golden hue to this ale, which seems to be on the lighter side. The head or foam of this beer is white foam that has a great retention and leaves some lacing around the outside of the glass. In terms of aroma, the first thing I noticed was the watermelon aroma. It was not to overpowering like an ale brewed with fruit could be. Then I began to notice the subtle cereal malt notes and the herbal aromas. Looking at the golden hue to this ale, it makes sense with the cereal malt notes in the aroma because of the lighter complexion. Lastly, I picked up on a citrus note that give me the aroma of a lime.  

After looking at the aroma and the appearance, I am finally ready to try this brew to see what the taste has for me. I took my first sip and all I could do is not put down this beer. Heavy Melon is light and refreshing. To me it's like the perfect ale for a hot summer day. There is a balance to this beer in terms of sweet and hop notes. I would have thought originally that this ale would be on the sweeter side but in actuality it has a perfect sweet to bitter note. In terms of mouthfeel, this beer starts of sweet and then finishes with a crisp finish. Body behind the beer, I would say is light and refreshing that has a spritz feeling as you drink more and more of it, almost like a spritzer. In terms of lingering taste notes as I drink more, there is a faint citrus note that lingers on the back of the tongue. I would same it's the lime note in the beer. 

Check out Heavy Melon this Summer 

Overall, I think that this is great brew. If you are looking for a refreshing beer on a hot day this might be a beer you should check out. It's a light crisp brew that is not a fruit beer, but still gives you the flavors of fruit. Heavy Melon has a balanced profile between sweet notes and bitter notes that both style fans can enjoy. Originally, I was skeptical on this ale because of the flavors in the beer. But the more and more I drank this brew, the more I enjoyed it. I think this beer might be one of those beers judged by its label as a fruity brew, but make sure you do not because this brew has a backbone of an ale.  

Check out New Belgium Brewing Company Twitter and Website: 

Tweet @NewBelgium

http://www.newbelgium.com/