Review - Southern Tier Brewing Company's Hop Sun
"Pour Hop Sun Summer Wheat Beer into a pint glass, give it a long whiff and you'll realize that this isn't your average wheat beer. Filtered to a golden clarity and dry-hopped to perfection, Hop Sun is a fantastic session ale in which flavors of wheat, barley and hops co-mingle to a refreshing and zesty conclusion. Hints of lemon and sweet malts waft to the fore as a touch of bitterness contributes to Hop Sun's bright finish. Enjoy Hop Sun all summer long as a perfect balance to your outdoor recreation. Summer never tasted so good." -- Southern Tier Brewing
Pours a pale yellow hue producing a decent sized off-white fizzy head that is full of vivacious carbonation that whittles itself down to nothing, leaving a lot of bubbles resting on top of the beer. Having settled, it has a bit darker yellow hue, almost golden, with excellent clarity. Very little lacing clings to the glass as we swirl the beer. Aroma is gentle with some soft grapefruit citrus notes, some slight maltiness with some caramel backbone, and some moderate strength yeast. Initial taste is fairly dull, lacking the carbonation we saw in the body, with some lemon citrus bitterness up front, albeit gentle, with perhaps a bit of a sour finish. Light to medium bodied, the finish is sour with a puckering effect, leaving an oily film with festive carbonation behind. Very tasty and easy to drink with a decent hop presence.
Reviewed on July 17th, 2008.