Style: Fresh Hopped Pale Ale
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 52
Joe’s Take
Strap on your helmet and let’s take a ride to the bicycle themed brewery, Crank Arm Brewing, for this week’s beer of the week post. We are taking a quick pedal down the road to our neighbors in Raleigh to try “Wet Road,” a fresh hopped pale ale. We purchased the ale in cans we purchased while making a stop in Raleigh. We figured that these may be one of the last fresh hopped beers we saw for a while as the season has come to a close (usually August – September) and thought it would be our last chance for the year to review one of these seasonal delights as they have a short shelf life.
I enjoyed “Wet Road” from my trusty tulip glass to help concentrate the volatile hop compounds and retain a nice pillowy head. In the glass the beer had a slight haze that you could partially look through. It was a nice pale golden-amber color with a full, clean looking white head that clung to the glass, leaving a hearty lace behind. It looked quite refreshing and appealing.
Being fresh hopped, the nose was very hop forward with some herbal/floral notes shining through. Malt character was also evident with sweet, bready aromas making their way out of the glass. Initially, I was worried if we may have grabbed the beer too late in the season and the hop aroma wouldn’t be as strong. Since the hop compounds are volatile, they break down quickly and dramatically shorten the shelf life of the beer. On the first smells my fears were dispelled as there was plenty of hop punch from the beer. However, as the beer warmed and I sniffed and drank through, malt notes became more evident. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of hop aromas, but the change made me reach for the can and look for the canning date. I couldn’t find it and resorted to drinking the rest of the beer. Moral of the story, buy fresh hopped beers quickly and drink them the same.
The mouthfeel of the beer was medium bodied with a drying astringency on the finish. This sensation seemed to lend itself more to the oils and compounds contained in the fresh hops used to flavor the beer. There was a decent amount of carbonation that gave a “scrubbing” like sensation to the tongue.
Now to the best part of any beer review, the tasting. “Wet Road” definitely packs a punch in this department. Intense hopping is the first thing you will likely notice when sipping the beer. It is a strong, bitter, vegetal/floral flavor that will make hop heads smile. Backing up that hop pop to the palate are strong malt flavors that border the bread and biscuit realm. The deep malt flavors are likely an attempt to balance out the bitter hops, but at times were a bit overwhelming. Interestingly enough, I found myself thinking that some sips were very well balanced and others seemed skewed toward the malty. However, I couldn’t find any consistent patterns as to the difference in how I was tasting the beer when this happened. With the intensity of the flavors, I would suggest pairing this with some strongly flavored foods so they do not get lost in a wave of hop bitterness. I would say something spicy would do but be careful as hop bitterness often intensifies spice. Alternatively, you can drink this without a food pairing (and this is what I suggest). It may be best to just focus, ready up, and let your tongue pedal through the Tour de France (or actually NC) of hops.
As far as drinkability goes, this is a one per session beer for me. The intensity of the hop and malt character would ruin my palate if I pushed it any further. I would definitely drink “Wet Road” again, but would try to get it as close to the release date as possible. That way I could experience the flavors at their peak, just as the brewer intended. If you get the chance I suggest you pedal your way over to Crank Arm Brewing. Nick and I have been there a few times, and they have yet to leave us disappointed.
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Slightly hazy, golden-amber color, clean white head, nice lace left behind. (4/5)
Aroma: Hoppy, floral/herbal, malt sweetness and bread aromas coming through, some traces of bitterness. (4/5)
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, bubbly “scrubbing” carbonation, drying finish. (4/5)
Taste: Hop, hop, hoppy. Strong malt character. Sometimes balanced, sometimes skewed toward the malty. Bread and biscuit mixed with fresh flowers and grass. (4/5)
Drinkability: Good for one or two. Would annihilate the palate if it was your drink of the night. (3.5/5)
Total: (19.5/25)
Nick’s Take
On a recent trip to Chapel Hill for a wedding, Joe and I found ourselves stopping at a few of the big grocery stores in Raleigh with our significant others. Normally, this type of Sunday afternoon activity can be a bit…unexciting. However, I was graced with my first trip to a Wegmans store. I’d long heard of the massive beer selection but until I saw it in person, I wasn’t fully aware of the options that were available. I could’ve spent an entire afternoon stalking the aisles but ultimately found a good stash to bring back to Greenville, as did Joe. Among our haul, we each had picked up a different 4-pack of 16 oz. cans from Crank Arm Brewing. Being a big fan of this brewery over the past several years, it was only right to finally highlight one of their brews.
Joe shared one of his “Wet Road” fresh hopped pale ales with me (guess I owe him one) and we sat down to give it a taste. I borrowed one of Joe’s IPA glasses and watched as it filled with a rich, hazy golden color and came to rest with a very prominent head of microbubbles. The consistency of the foam in the glass was dense enough to linger for awhile, and made for a nice looking pale ale.
I was glad to have quality glassware in order to enhance the aromas of this beer. While the fresh hops were obvious on the nose, it carried some notes of tropical and fruit notes as well. A few deeper inhales brought out the malt character and made for a nice balanced aromatic profile.
The microbubbles were indicative of the carbonation in this pale ale, and it gave a nice crisp mouthfeel up front. A few more small sips in, and I was noticing just a bit of mouthcoat lingering on the tongue. It was also evident that the fresh hops were coming through with bitterness that provided an enjoyable experience.
The fruit notes I smelled turned out to be reminiscent of mango and stone fruit (apricot?) to my tastebuds. I enjoyed this flavor profile along with the hop character and, not to be obvious, the freshness of this beer. I have not had too many fresh hop brews but learned that the fresh hops really add to a more impactful flavor, and perhaps more bitterness. This could be a bit overwhelming to those who are not accustomed to bitter beers, but can be really enjoyable if you give the brewing style a chance.
Overall, I would recommend this beer to hoppy beer fans, but it should be known that it is not a beer I would personally drink many of in a sitting. “Wet Road” also has a very complex and bold flavor profile, so crushing this pale ale would be quite the feat. While it’s a bit lower on the drinkability rubric in that regard, grab yourself a pint of this at Crank Arm’s taproom or at Wegmans if you live in the area, and enjoy the freshness.
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Hazy, rich golden color with nice collar of microbubbles. (4.5/5)
Aroma: Malt character with tropical hoppy aromas. (4/5)
Mouthfeel: Crisp and carbonated up front, with a little mouthcoating. (4/5)
Taste: Hoppy profile with some light notes of fruit like stone fruit and mango. (4/5)
Drinkability: While it has a nice depth of flavor, it is quite bitter due to the freshness of the hops and thus, not a very crushable beer. (3.5/5)
Total: 20/25
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