Zero Issue Brewing Halfshell Spruce Tip Ale (Issue #34) – American Pale Ale at 5% ABV (C$4.65 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 31-Dec-2020, reviewed 4-Jan-2021)
Appearance: clear pale gold with two growing fingers of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: green spruce, caramel, field berries, light citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building resiny bitter finish. (4/5)
The label art strongly suggests the name to be a reference to the “Heroes on the” variety, though what TMNT have to do with spruce I’m not entirely sure. As with some I’ve had in the past, the spruce tips actually work reasonably well with the typical pine/citrus flavours the hops, but the hopping could’ve stood to be more emphatic. On the other hand, I’ve certainly had worse spruce tip beers. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
