I’m out to dinner with my friend Joe, who is in town for work this week. We’re at Medici in Normal for dinner and a few craft beers. I was having the fish tacos, and wanted to go with something I thought might complement them a bit better than the Central Waters Scottish ale I started out with. After being pretty impressed with the Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale from Steven’s Point a couple weeks ago, I thought I’d give this brewery another shot.
Location: On tap and served in a tumbler style pint glass at Medici in Normal, IL.
Numbers: 5.5% ABV, 64 IBUs, ~150 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It was extremely clear and was copper-amber in color. The head was very thin, starting off as just a thin layer across the top and falling to just a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. It had a citrusy and lightly fruity hop aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body was light and the mouthfeel was mostly watery, with a bit of crispness. The flavor up front was a lightly fruity and caramel sweetness with some piney hop bitterness. In the middle, a citrusy bitterness and hop flavor comes in and grows throughout the finish. There’s a mix of citrusy hop flavor and bitterness in the finish, which lasts for a minute or so in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This has a good amount of citrusy hop flavor and bitterness, which went nicely with my fish tacos. I think the citrusy flavors would work well with fish and other light dishes.
Overall Impression: I enjoyed the citrusy hop flavors and bitterness, but felt like the hops were somewhat one-dimensional. The light caramel and fruitiness up front created some flavor differentiation, but the hops quickly kick in and take it in a singular direction. Overall, it was very drinkable, and I enjoyed the hop flavors, but wanted a bit more backbone and complexity.
My Rating: 
Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]
