Maiden The Shade

Pours clear with about an inch of pure white foam. Retention is lightening quick. Sheeting foam recedes to leave sporadic globs on the side of the glass. Orange dominates the aroma with other tropical fruits. Caramel tries to balance but not an overall sweet scent. Taste has a pale malt backbone that is beaten into submission by huge amounts of hops. Citrus, tropical, pine, and all over the place. The finish is bitter with some lingering. Medium carbonation and medium body. Dries the palate quite a bit. An interesting combination of hops that are bold to the extreme. The bitterness is tough to get past in terms of drinkability. Enjoy!

A: Golden and soft. S: Malt and orange citrus in a swirl of aroma notes. T: Nice citrus fruit blend of flavors. There's a soft bitterness and freshness. Nicely carbonated but low mouthfeel. There's some spice in the background. O: There's many flavors going on, and it's not out of balance, but not sure in the end the sum of the parts come together into something great. It's totally drinkable, just had higher expectations.

Aroma: Hop spicyness. Grapefruityness. Pleasant. Color: Pale Amber, but not transparent. Doesn't look cloudy, semi translucent. Thin lace. Hop flavor. Complicated spice flavor. Lingering bitterness. Light (clean) malt flavor. Drinkable, but hop forward, not balanced persay, but intentionally so. It's a big drink.