Belly Hop Brewing Day Glow – Pilsner at 5.7% ABV (C$4.09 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 22-May-2020, reviewed 28-May-2020)
Appearance: brown-tinged clear straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, excellent retention and heavy chunky lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, caramel, wet cardboard, floral, citrus. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (4/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter astringent finish. (2/5)
The labels says this is hopped with Falconer’s Flight (a blend including seven “C” hops) and Sabro hops, but I’m not really getting that in the profile. Not to put too fine a point on it, this is a bit of a mess, from the discoloured tea appearance, through the wet cardboard aroma, to the astringent finish. I have to conclude that this is oxidized/infected (and the can actually felt like a slightly short fill), but absent a packaging date have no way of knowing how old this can (that I bought a week ago) actually is. Disappointing. (9/20)
Edit: checking t’internet, others are seeing the same thing. For the sake of the brewer, I’m hoping this is just a bad batch, because this is a mess. If the brewer is listening, I’ll re-review upon receipt of a replacement, but otherwise this review will stand.
4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
