Fresh Cascade Hops, Right from the Vine
Written: Jan 02 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fresh hops used in the brewing; Easy drinking; Refreshing
Cons: Only brewed in the Fall
The Bottom Line: This beer is fresh- tasting, smooth, and refreshing.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Bert Grant's Fresh Hop Ale |
Beer comes in thousands of styles and flavors, and there is a beer to accommodate any occasion or desired taste. Sometimes, a sweet, malty beer hits the spot. Other times, a beer with greater hop infusion is just the taste you’re looking for.
For those who like hops, particularly the citrus taste of Cascade hops. There are plenty of beers to satisfy your cravings. And one of them is Fresh Hop Ale, a beer from the Bert Grant Brewery in Yakima, Washington. Let’s take a closer look at this beer from the Pacific Northwest:
Basic Characteristics of This Beer:
Orange/red in color, this ale has a floral and citrus/piney- hop aroma and a thin layer of foam when poured into a glass. The carbonation is lively and zesty, and the bubbling action makes a good amount of noise when initially poured.
This beer features a malt taste that is biscuit- like and appetizing, followed by the taste of pine and then citrus from the hops. The hops are not overpowering in any way and the taste is not even that bitter, like I thought it would be. This is a very well- balanced ale.
Grant’s makes this beer using fresh, whole Cascade hops to give the beer a fresh, highly drinkable flavor. The alcohol content of this beer is 5.2 percent by volume and there are 170 calories in a 12 oz. serving.
Food Compatibility:
There are all sorts of foods that would match up with a beer like this. The flavor is fruity and biscuit- like, so it would match up with most anything that combines the flavors of bread and/or fruit. But honestly, this beer is so versatile it would make a good companion for all sorts of different foods, from a simple burger and fries to a meal of chicken and vegetables.
Final Thoughts:
The late Bert Grant is one of the many pioneers in the brewing business. He is responsible for opening up the first brew pub and for spreading the craft- brewing business throughout the Pacific Northwest states.
Grant was responsible for creating some very tasty malt beverages and Fresh Hop Ale is one of his many prized creations. What makes this beer different is the freshness of the hops. This beer uses Cascade hops, and they are evident in the aroma and the taste. According to the Grant brewery, the hops used are as fresh as possible- picked ripe from the vine and then rushed to the brewery in about 20 minutes where they are then added to the brew kettle. Hop pellets are not used- Grant’s cooks the beer using the pine cone- shaped hops straight from the fields.
The thing that strikes me most about this beer is its incredible drinkability. It’s true that many beers are smooth and easy to drink but it’s also true that the majority of these “smooth” beers are rather bland and watery. This beer, on the other hand, is hop- enhanced and yet it still retains a smoothness and easy- drinking quality that makes it easy to quaff, over and over again. It’s tasty and refreshing, and it tempts you to want more and more.
This beer is brewed seasonally, with production occurring only in the Fall. Most brewers produce Marzen (Oktoberfest), Pumpkin ale, or some other traditional autumn brew for the cooler season. But Grant’s instead makes this great- tasting ale with freshly picked hops. The fact that it isn’t one of the traditional Fall styles is yet another quality that makes it so unique.
Overall, this is a great- tasting beer that satisfies all the way through, including the aftertaste. It’s a nice choice for those who love the taste of hops- particularly Cascade hops- but want something that isn’t overdone and too bitter like some of these beer products can often be. Fresh Hop Ale earns an easy recommendation for its smooth, refreshing taste and the unique brewing process it uses to arrive at this level of drinkability. It’s a very good beer for the Autumn season or any time of the year.
Recommended:
Yes
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