Bottle/Tap: Bottle
Hello there, Avid Reader, as you know, here at Parched No More I have made it my mission to try beers that are a little off the beaten path and beers that might just kill you. This week I’m going to tell you about a brew that you might swear came from my neighbor to the left, Vermont, and instead it came from the left coast of California. That’s right, everyone, the secret ingredient in this beer is…hemp. Not just for ropes, clothing or other weird things, you can drink it too.
At first I noticed this was a brown ale and thought it would still fit in with my normal winter beers, then seeing the hemp piqued my interest further. It is not every day you come across a beer such as this. I took it home and set it out to chill in the fridge for a bit before I began my ritual. Selecting my favorite pint glass from the cabinet, I was ready to give this sucker a try. People have been using this “miracle fiber” for thousands of years and it can’t kill me, right?
Taking off the cap, I was greeted with the aroma of a brown ale — nothing too crazy, and it reminded me of a Newcastle. Pouring out into my glass, I didn’t see anything that was too different about this brew, and figured the x-factor would be the taste. Truth be told: it didn’t have an overpowering taste that would deter me from thinking this was a regular brown ale. I did what anyone would do in this situation: continue to drink.
Since it was cold, at first nothing stood out; however, as the brew reached room temperature, I noticed some spice coming through that was muted beforehand. To my knowledge I have never ingested hemp before, so I can’t say for sure if that was the hemp I was tasting or something else. It did not have the floral appeal of a bitter IPA; this brew was malty and had a nice aftertaste about it.
This was an interesting venture, and to be honest, I thought it was pretty good. I’m not sure I would run out and grab a bunch if I saw it in the store but I would have a few on hand to bring out at parties. If you like brown ales give this a shot and I’ll keep my eyes open for other brews from Nectar Ales.
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