RateBeer: 0
BeerAdvocate: 2 ratings, 1 'review' (where the person just quoted the label and that was it)
Untapped: 29 people have drank this
Behind The Tap: actual review
So here we are, pretty much giving it to you first, as we did with Magic Hat's Hicu . Now, onto this review.
The label states that "Michigan Hatter celebrates our local agriculture with its Michigan-grown Cascade hops from the Leelanau Penninsula. Bright and aromatic, with delicious malt notes underneath a citrusy showcase of hops. Pairings: sharp cheddars, herb-roasted poultry and curry." This seems like a mysterious brew as of right now. There's no ABV or IBUs listed on the bottle, New Holland's website does not list it yet, and the closest thing I can find is that this is to be released during the Hatter Day Festival in Holland, state up north, which is June 7th and 8th (sources being hopnotes and New Holland). So, again, finding no info on this beer, other than state up north-grown Cascade hops, I dive into this brew, inviting you loyal readers to do the same.
This pours a slightly hazy amber, with a thick cream colored head that sticks around (it's been roughly 15 minutes getting sidetracked with getting the links, and this head is still proudly there). The aroma is earthy, citrus, and a hint of sunshine. Call me crazy, but the aroma reminds me of a perfect day, temperature-wise, cause as we all know, there's no such thing as a perfect day. If there were a perfect day, we'd all be rich beyond our wildest dreams, having huge mansions and maids waiting on us hand and foot. But if everyone had exactly the same, then there would be no rich, we'd all be equal, and you should be locked up for your communistic thoughts. Some men with a nice warm white jacket are coming for you. They're on the lawn, walking toward your door. You should finish reading this review before they take you to your nice 'happy' room. I seem to be getting way off track, but long days with little amounts of alcohol will do that.
Back on track- so the aroma is initial hints of earthy tones, with a blast of almost lemon-like citrus tone, with some caramel tones that try and sneak in. Onto the part that seems the most important to the drinker, the flavor profile. Now, being the first to review this, I could say that this tastes like dog slobber and Cheetos, but I won't. This is more like a Pale Ale than an IPA. This has some nice herbal tea like qualities about this. Everything melds perfectly- there are earthy with the citrus tones from the hops, equally balanced out by some biscuit tones from the malt. There are some herbal tones in here that I can't really place. Not sweet, not really bitter, just perfectly balanced. There's a bit of stickiness to the backend, but not a powerful sweet stickiness, and not a powerful resin stickiness. It's just, like, a perfect stickiness, if you follow me. This is slightly carbonated and drinks very smooth, with a lighter to slightly-medium body. There's no presence of alcohol, which worries me with how smooth this is. This leaves an amazing lace down the entire glass as you realized that you've thoroughly enjoyed the roughly 11 ounces (half of the 22 ounce bottle purchased). Fuck, there should be more of this. Constantly.
4.9.5/5 caps- Only reason it's not a 5, is it's more like a Pale Ale compared to IPA like the label states. Really damn good though.
-Nathan-
Well, Nathan, it is Wednesday, after all... and since "The Americans" won't be on again until next fall, let's resume Commie Pinko Night! Everybody in? Good, glad to hear (as I dust off my Russian primer). Class is in session.
Oh wait, there's beer to drink, so let's get to it. Nathan perfectly described the aroma... and as I take a whiff, I get that perfect day. Which, to be fair, today nearly was, weather-wise: 80ish degrees, low humidity, perfectly mixture of sun with some lovely puffy white clouds. And this is Ohio. Yay us. This will be one of about five days all year that are this perfect. When I took that initial sip, I was smacked in the face (in a good way) with citrus and lemongrass. Then I was a tad disappointed because it's so light, it almost tastes watered down a bit. But just a smidgen. Then the earthy qualities hit you full on long after your sip is gone.
This brew perfectly highlights the beauty that can be a good-quality Cascade hop. It's bright, a tad floral, and a whole lot of citrus, where the earthy tones aren't so predominant you're wondering if you're drinking your way through the latest dinosaur dig. I'm not sure if the hops are from Great Lakes Hops or Hop Head Farms (or another Michigan hop source), but whoever grew these, you've done a fantastic job. And New Holland has put them to a downright magical use. We'll be seeking more of this.
4.895/5 caps -- agreed, it's just too light, although I can see where it might be categorized as a session IPA.
-Jennie
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