Taylor's intro and review of O'Brien's Harvest Ale from Hale's Ales

Hello!  My name is Taylor and I'm Amelia's brother.  A little bit about myself, hrm.  I'm Amelia's older brother - I turn 30 this week.  I've been enjoying craft beers for my entire drinking career which started when I was 18 or so.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in Portland, OR which was (along with other cities, but not Seattle, fuck Seattle) an early hub of the home brewing and craft brewing scene and the mecca of the northwest craft brew scene.

In addition to drinking beers, I brew them as well and have been a home brewer for almost a year with 7 batches to my name.  I would like to brew much more often but the demands of life have me limited for now.

I'm newly married and as an anecdote to how clever my wife is, she came up with the name to this blog! In my spare time I enjoy drinking beer, playing modern board games, and watching movies.

NOW ON WITH THE SHOW THIS IS IIIIIIIT

Brewer:  Hale's Ales
Location:  Seattle, WA
Name of Brew:  O'Brien's Harvest Ale
Manufacturer's Description:  "Our Autumn seasonal is eagerly anticipated each year when the annual hop harvest is about to begin.  This year's rendition is faithful to other years - lots of Simcoe, Centennial, Bravo, and Cascade hops provide great aromatics and spicy character.  This year the addition of a bit of Rye malt adds complexity to the malt profile."
ABV:  6.5%

Today I reviewed O'Brien's Harvest Ale, which is an offering of the (they think) cleverly named Hale's Ales Brewery.

Calling something a harvest ale makes me think its part of your fall seasonals, so while I don't know for sure that this isn't a year round offering it's name suggests that it is.

THE POUR: It poured out of the bottle with a very distinct copper color; it reminded me of a slightly weathered penny.  There was no head to speak of right out of the bottle.  It was mostly clear and didn't have any evident yeast balls or anything floating around but there was some clouding.

AROMA: To help open up the beer I like to give the glass several swirls.  This has the added benefits of trying to whip up a head and to see if there are any alcohol legs on the glass.  While I was able to stir a minimal head onto the beer that had the exact color of orange peel, there were no alcohol legs.  The head, however, was very attractive and once present, persisted throughout the drink.  Moving in to smell the beer there was some citrus hop notes of orange and grapefruit.  Additionally there was a kind of earthen aroma at play which I think is also from the hops used.  There was a strong presence of malt sweetness in the nose which is nice and not something I'm used to smelling in a beer.  Yeast was minimal but contributed a very mild generic fruity note in the nose, something like very mild strawberry.

PALETTE: When I took my first sip my first reaction was HOPS!!! THERE ARE HOPS IN THIS BEER!  The hops carry you through the entire experience and mesh organically with the grapefruit bitterness that finishes the palette.  Carbonation levels are very low so there is no bubbly zing on your tongue which helps the hops settle in.  Needless to say, the hops dominate the palette and leave little room for the very understated malt presence, which contributes crisp light flavor.

OVERALL: My overall feeling about this beer is dependent on whether its seasonal or not.  If it is seasonal, it is an underwhelming addition to the already clogged market of fall seasonals; it simply isn't anything special enough to be offered for only a few months a year. If, however, it is a year-round offering, aside from a name change I really think this should be marketed as an IPA, or a hoppy amber ale.  The hop forward flavor really doesn't leave a lot of room for fucking around.  4 out of 10, wouldn't reject it if offered for free, but also wouldn't drink again it if were up to me.