Rising Tide Brewing Co.
Portland, ME
Classic American pale ale brewed with spicy Columbus and Centennial hops. Grain bill includes locally grown rye malted to our specifications at Valley Malts, an artisanal malt house. Dry hopped for a bright floral aroma.
ABV: 5.5
ABW: 4.4
COLOR: N/A
BITTERNESS: N/A
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: N/A
AVAILABLE: ME
This 5.5 percent pale ale is another bottle-conditioned beer that uses Centennial and Columbus hops with rye from local farms. It is “dry-hopped”: Additional hops are added to the finished beer. It’s pale bronze with a lively head of foam and a fresh rye bread aroma allied to powerful hop resins and fresh lemon fruit. Bitter hops bounce on the tongue balanced by lemon fruit and chewy malt. There’s some sweetness in the finish from fruity hops and lush malt but they’re underscored by a continuing bitter hop note.
Hazy antique gold, the beer briefly stands a thin white foam. The aroma is pleasantly hoppy—fresh oranges, honey and flowers combine for a “Juicy Fruit” impression. As the beer hits the palate, the “holy $#*%” moment strikes—hoo boy, this beer is bitter. Broad, clean and bracing, the bitterness leapfrogs clean over the cowering malt and makes a run for it, sliding into a super-dry clipped finish. It lingers like a hop-based mouthwash. It’s a bit shocking at first, this much bitterness on such a light frame, but it kinda works. Pit it against a plate of hot wings.
Author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. Respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. and www.protzonbeer.co.uk.
Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer, the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and a veteran host of more than 800 beer dinners in 15 countries.
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