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Color is a hazy dark honeyish gold. Tall, beyond ridiculously high light tan head that took three separate pours from a 12 oz. long neck. And I wasn't even pouring it fast. Yikes. Took forever to settle, but finally resorted to a thick fluffy skim always present, lace in sticky sheets and strings that fade after a bit. Smell is a whole lotta dry stuff; leaves, wood, hops, malts. everything coming across super dry and toasty. Taste is a bit different, but not by much, quite smooth with a mild dry hop bite, toasted malts, notes of dry wood and nutskins. finishes dry and crisp. Feel is light to medium bodied with a few thin areas and a touch of astringent texture in the swallow. Gets better as it warms. Not a bad session brew, the warmer the better with this one.

Served In: Pint Glass

Best by date June; Sampled December 2008
A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces an initial two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The beer is exceedingly clear and is a reddish, amber-gold color that shows a bright copper color when held up to the light. The aroma is a mix of expressive citrus hop notes and crystal malt aromatics. Some other notes of metallic, lightly herbal hops join aromas of grapefruit zest, tangelo, lightly toasted grain (sort of biscuit like), and a touch of sweet caramel maltiness.

Pretty dry tasting and actually a bit lighter than I was expecting. The citrus hops seem to add a touch of tartness due to the overall dryness of this beer. Meyer lemon zest character comes through in the flavor more than the juicy, ripe, slightly sweet citrus notes that were noticeable in the aroma. The beer has a nice, clean, biting bitterness that is noticeable from the beginning to lingering end of each sip. The finish has a nice cracker like malt to it at times, but at others comes off as thin and tart.

Not bad, but a bit weird somehow. I don't think there is quite enough malt to support the hops here and the tartness is a bit odd; I don't think it is an infection as this beer is pretty clean over all.

Served In: Tulip