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Saturday, December 1, 2012

30. Foothills Brewing Hoppyum CASK


Okay, so I gave up on the whole "trying to list my beers in chronological order" thing.  First, there's too many on the front end that I sampled but won't bother to put on this list.  Second, it would be a chore to try and remember some of the most recent beers that I've sampled, when I could draw on my direct memories and be able to provide a decent review right here and now.  If I waited to catch up, I wouldn't be as detailed, and for those of you that may have read my previous stuff, you'd see that it does matter.

Anyway, I was in Asheville for work this week and in my 11/26 haul at the Appalachian Vintner, I decided to try some of the beers they had on tap.  They tend to have ten beers to sample from, plus one special casked tap.  I decided to try the cask and one of the draughts (review coming next..!).  So their cask offering was the Foothills Brewing (http://www.foothillsbrewing.com) Hoppyum IPA with pineapple and papaya nectar added, maybe even a touch of local honey.

So, first things first, they were practically out.  I ordered a glass, but got about a shot or two worth.  That said, the owner/worker at the store offered it to me for free, of which I was most appreciative.  Cask beers are typically unfiltered, so the appearance had a strawlike hazy color to it.  What really blew me away though was the nose.  You take a whiff and the pineapple aroma smacks you right in the face.  In an absolutely good way.  I wasn't sure if I was about to drink pineapple juice, it was so strong.  Even though the beer was sweet smelling, it was not sweet tasting.  You could certainly pick up on the citrusy flavors.  With no carbonation, the hops didn't stand out as much, but I thought it brought a certain amount of balance to the beer, even without the carbonation.  By now, I'm starting to get adjusted to hoppy beers, so I had no problems with this one.  It went down light and easy, and was truly a very delicious beer.  Only makes me wish that I was able to get a full glass instead of the tiny sample.  I really, really hope that something like this comes along in Raleigh.  I want another go-round with this.

Grade: A
Price Paid: Free (2 shot sample)

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