Mikkeller Hop Terroir: Sorachi Ace / Belgium American IPA at 6.8% ABV (C$9.80 at Collective, 500 ml, best before 14-Dec-2018, acquired 14-Aug-2018, reviewed 14-Aug-2018)
Appearance: green-tinged opaque straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dill, coconut, citrus, grainy pale malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, soft carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)
Take an excellent NEIPA like, say, Trillium or Tree House, and then replace most of the citrus with dill and coconut, and this is what you end up with. I’m willing to accept that this is a very well-done showcase of these particular hops – but I just don’t like them that much, and think I just have to accept the conclusion that I don’t much like Sorachi Ace hops. (Which is kind of out of character, because I love dill. And coconut.) But, at the end of the day, I don’t think I like dill pickles in my beer. (Though I do sorta love coconut there.) And the dill actually either fades, or you get used to it, so by the end of the pint, you start second-guessing yourself that it really wasn’t all that bad. So, I dunno… Sorachi Hops: the abusive gaslighting boyfriend of the hop world? (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
