On our trip back from Belgium, we're stopping a whole lot closer to home. This is brewed in Heath, Ohio, a mere 30-ish minutes from downtown Columbus. This is the first Homestead beer we've reviewed, and we're excited to try it. They brew lower-ABV beers, so that you can enjoy a few without ending up underneath the table. This is one of their higher-ABV beers at 5.8%.
Ahhh, homesteading. Jennie has grand designs of a brewstead, where instead of (or even better, in addition to) homesteading, we grow the ingredients to use in our own beers and have a pleasant native yeast strain that won't make me hurl as soon as I ingest it. It's a bit of a pipe dream, but yes, that's what I'd love to do. As long as we're on pipe dreams, it's also going to be on an acre of land with a beautiful Victorian home that we rehab ourselves in the middle of, say, Victorian Village or even Old Towne East. Hence why it's a pipe dream. Now, why I referred to myself in the third person, I'm still bemused. We'll chalk that one up to the 10% St Bernardus.
This pours a beautiful, clear golden orange color with a very small off-white head that continues to grace the edges of the beer. The aroma on this is quite lovely: just the perfect amount of pine, citrus -- notably grapefruit, freshly mowed grass, and some caramel undertones that really intrigue me. Taking a sip, my inner hophead smiles with satisfaction. You get all the flavors that are in the aroma, but they're even stronger here, and they're complemented by some beautiful tastes toward the end of pineapple and mango. There's also a vague earthy note that appears seemingly out of nowhere toward the end. Damn, this is good. It's decently carbonated, it's not overly bitter, but there's definitely a bitter finish to this, even though the bitterness is not overpowering. Does that make sense? I certainly hope so.
I look forward to trying more of Homestead's beers. This is simply great, and I'm rather proud it's made and available locally. Of the one beer review I could find of this, the person enjoyed this as much as I am (or at least nearly), and this was his preferred brew from Homestead. I can definitely see why. Hey there, Heath, how YOU doin'???
4.6/5 caps
-Jennie
Well, since my partner-in-Zymurgy decided to spoil our future plans, I guess I have no other choice than to review this beer, go to bed, and wake up ridiculously earlier to work followed by work.... ugh...
This has had time to warm up a little, while she-who-lost-Rock,Paper,Scissors took lead on this. The color is a nice golden color with hints of orange, there's not any residual head at this point, just more of a distant vision. The aroma is, in the words of our friend, Big Mike, "Fuck Yeah!" Nice grapefruit, pine, citrus and hints of tropical fruits take hold with some biscuit and caramel tones playing second fiddle. This is an aroma (being a hop head) that I really enjoy. The taste on this.... Huh... the grapefruit and citrus are faint, then there is a nice mellow maltiness with biscuit and faint caramel coming up toward the middle. Pine takes over in the backend, blending with the tropical fruits. There's a nice lighter resiny feel left over. Not the typical hop bomb, rip out your enamel that I enjoy, but hoppy enough to satisfy my hunger for the humulus lupulus. Smooth drinking with decent carbonation. Definitely need to try more of their brews (especially as they are so close). and Jennie, stop hitting on the town of Heath.
4.6/5 caps
-Nathan-
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