Chatoe Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale

Hello dear readers, haven't posted anything in a while. My attention span lately has been more Twitter and less Blogger. Sorry about that.

I picked up the Chatoe Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale (CRFGWHA for short?) at the inimitable State Line Liquors in Elkon, MD, along with a bunch of other great beers. I was unaware Rogue was putting out a fresh-hop, so when I saw the last one sitting on the shelf, it was all over. I cracked it open Tuesday night with some Cabot cheddar cheese my uncle Bob from VT gifted me with the weekend before. Let the reviewing commence:

Appearance: Poured a dark amber color with good head retention. Color was darker than I anticipated, but it that's not a bad thing.

Smell: Fresh hops are obviously front and center. Grassier than an IPA with kiln-dried hops, the organics of the fresh hops used here remain.

Taste: A lot sweeter than the smell let on. I was surprised how much the sweet malts came through, but I guess I was in more of a DIPA mindset going into this beer. This is a pale ale by my standards, but the fresh hops add another dimension to the mild bitterness. It went great with the cheddar.

Mouthfeel: Nice and balanced, medium carbonation. No aftertaste really stuck around too long.

Drinkability: I doubt anyone would have too many of these on hand at once, but this beer is very drinkable. At 6.4% ABV and 40 IBUs its not too strong to enjoy a couple pints if you see it on tap anywhere. As Jimmy noticed, there's at least one more beer in this Chatoe Rogue series, so I'm looking forward to see what else they can cook up with their own hops in the kettle.

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest (2009)

Harvest time is my favorite time of year. So when Sierra Nevada came out with the Southern Hemisphere last year, it just doubled my excitement. I've been looking forward to the 2nd release this year because I'm sure the brewmaster learned a ton after the first edition and knew where the improvements were needed. When I saw it in the beer store today, I was ready to buy the whole supply, unfortunately my wallet said otherwise. Combine this find with the fact that I feel like I half assed the Firecrotch review last night, and that we are celebrating fellow Hophead Jimmy's birthday this weekend with a Hophead reunion, I had the itch to review this bad ass fresh hop ale tonight.

Appearance: Pours with a clean light amber color with a couple fingers of head with plenty of carbonation being released from the receptors in the Sam Adams glass, great lacy head.

Smell: Great strong floral, herbal and resiny hop smell along with a nutty caramel malt scent, great balance.

Taste: Wow, tour de force of flavors! The light nutty caramel taste starts you off, then the hop bitterness and floral flavors finish you. In last years release, I remember the hops being more subtle, leaving you craving for more, but this year just comes at you hard. Much improved!

Mouthfeel: The usual oily residue from the fresh hop ales coat your tongue while the light carbonation that's left tickles the roof, light but not watery, a little more alcohol aftertaste than the previous release.

Drinkability: The 2nd release of the Southern Hemisphere did not disappoint, despite my high expectations. This beer is so smooth and easy to drink, yet has such a great flavor profile that you won't go bored. At 6.7% abv, it's no lightweight, but is still easy to drink and won't weigh you down. I don't even have to think hard over this rating, I'm giving it a 9/10.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale (2008 12th Release)

I could not help but compare this fresh hop ale to the one I just had from prestigious Great Divide Brewery. I bought the last 4 bomber bottles of this beer from Ramsey Liquors, Ramsey NJ. Lets see how this one goes:

Appearance: A sloppy pour producing 3 fat fingers of head. Not as opaque as the Great Divide. The carbonation is more of like a fluffy cumulus cloud, and the lacing sticking to the glass is appearing due to the lack of retention.

Smell: Tangy and spicy hops coming from the resins/oils of the freshly picked Yakima, WA hops. Same sweet malt back bone as the Great Divide.

Taste: Well balanced with hops being the dominant ingredient.

Mouthfeel: Exactly as the appearance demonstrated in terms of it being medium bodied. The hop resins surround the palette perfectly.

Drinkability: Better than the Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale, if you want to put the two beers in the same category. 6.7% alc by vol. 60-65 IBUs, Cascade & Centennial hops. 9/10 rating. Would definitely have it again and would love to get my hands on the Chico Estate Harvest! Anybody have this one on draft yet?

Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale

I picked up this bomber from State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. Ever since trying some of Sierra Nevada's Harvest series, I have been looking for other fresh hop style ales to try. I love the smell and taste of hops, I wish there was a cologne with that scent. Enough of my hop loving dreams, here goes the review:

Appearance: Pours 2 fingers of head due to my awful pouring abilities, but dwindles down to an inch. Inviting carmel cherry wood color that is permeable. I can almost read the label of the bottle when looking through the glass.

Smell: A blend of the crisp Rocky Mountain air and Pacific Northwest hops put a huge smile on my face as I take a deep 5 second long sniff. Oops, I got some foam on my noze. Intense srassy hops with some sweet malts lingering too.

Taste: Very fresh and relieving type of taste. I taste more hops then what the 55 IBUs for this beer is. The sweet and musty malts stand out and hide the lawn grassy hops overpowering taste that I was going to expect (I was expecting that spicy fresh hop taste). It gave me a "Got Beer?" style mustache :)

Mouthfeel: Unlike the appearance, this brew is not as smooth, especially with the constant carbonation attacking the tonuge. The bitterness aftertaste would even be tolerable for a non-hop-lover I guess.

Drinkability: This beer leaves a spiderman web of hop lacing all over my tulip glass. I wonder if it is doing the same thing in my stomach right now. The beer is catergorized as an American Pale Ale, so it is hard to compare to other fresh hop ales. It was easy to consume and I think I could have a couple more...would be a good session beer if the price was right. I will give it a 8/10. 6.1% Alcohol By Volume. Cheers mate!

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale (2008)

Picked up this bottle at State Line Liquors down in Elkton, MD (great store; highly recommend; I will review it sometime soon hopefully). I couldn't find it initially because I was looking for a 4 or 6-pack and had to ask for help, and got directed to the bomber bottles. 24 FL OZ of fresh hops from New Zealands and bottled at Chico, CA. Can't wait!!! Side note: I have never had a "Fresh Hop Ale" before.

Appearance: Dark pumpkin-esque orange tone with shimmers of ruby red in it. 1/4 finger of head and got up to a 1/2 when I poured it in fast the second time around. Looks clear but can't see through it.

Smell: Bitter vicious hops from across the globe dance and prance around my nostril hairs. Wish they could make a cologne out of this one. Floral aroma as well as you take a swirl with hints of honey.

Taste: Immense bitter aftertaste. Overall taste is very similar to the smell with some piney hops now. Having trouble tasting the malts

Mouthfeel: Quite light going down with bubbly hoppy carbonation. The longer you leave it in your mouth, the more you notice the oily hop resins and the beer grows to a medium body.

Drinkability: Reminds me of a cross of an ESB, Pale Ale, and a light IPA. Refreshing. Would like to try this again, especially off tap and maybe other "Fresh Hop Ales" to grow to this style. 6.7% abv. 7/10

Sierra Nevada Harvest (2007)

So I was looking for some Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest, their fresh hop ale that they brew with New Zealand hops in the spring, within a week of their harvesting. I asked my local storekeeper, and he was unaware of the brew. However, he did have some of the Fall 2007 harvest, where they use Washington hops within 48 hours of their harvest, stashed in the back. I bought two, with hopes of comparing to the Southern Hemisphere if I come across any. I brought one 24oz bottle to Hibachi tonight. What a good move.

Appearance: Lovely copper color and plenty of suds on top.

Smell: Hops! Lots of interesting hop notes here, very complex. I'm excited at this point.

Taste: More hops! Delicious bitter hops with great oily flavor rounding it out. Its going perfectly with this hibachi.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, but not thick or creamy, the carbonation keeps it alive. I had it not too cold, as it was BYO, and it only helped I believe.

Drinkability: 6.8% ABV and 60-65 IBUs. Utterly drinkable. I'm gonna have to get some more so I don't drink the one I'm saving for comparison. I've never had a fresh-hop beer before, but I really enjoyed the oily characters added by throwing those hops in before the kiln-drying process. Though this brew is no longer made, I can't wait to try the Southern Hemisphere variety, and I'll be first in line when next fall rolls around.