Brewery: Boulder Beer
Location: Boulder, CO
Style: American Pale Ale

Time to make a return to my current spring/summer project: Embrace The Hops.

Quick recap…up until recently I had quite an aversion to strong hop beers. My preference ran in the stout/dark ale realm so I have made the commitment to buy at least one big hop brew on every beer run until the winter.

This time around, I went for a beer I’ve been eyeing for a while and just never got around to buying: Boulder Beer Hazed & Infused Dry-hopped Ale. I wish it had not taken me so long to finally get to this. This has quickly become one of my favorite summer session beers – though sadly not readily available at my local gas station. Having this in the cellar means a bit of a trip and some stocking up.

It is a beautiful amber colored ale that is strangely very clear for being unfiltered. A good pale yellow head falls fairly quickly but that;s not really a big issue. There is a huge hop aroma with the slightest edge of maltiness. The taste is solid hops – but not a dry your mouth to the point of arid. Just a big punch of flowery and citrusy hops (Crystal and Centennial according to the bottle) with enough malt underneath to keep this nicely balanced and out of the hop bomb territory. The flower/citrus aftertaste builds over the course of a glass making the hop taste strong the longer you drink.

Medium bodied and quite refreshing – at 4.85 % ABV it might be a bit on the high side of a session – though not for the usual craft drinker. A great afternoon on the deck in summer drink. My only regret was not stocking more when I had the chance. I plan to correct that this weekend.