Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Hanami Ale
Style: Fruit/Vegetable
Availability: Seasonal - March - April
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 4.8%
Malts: Pilsner, Carahell, Aromatics & Carafa
Hops: Styrian Golding, Sterling Color/Number: Rosy-hued Amber
Bottle text & Info:
Smuttynose Hanami Ale, our spring seasonal, is inspired by the ancient Japanese tradition of hanami- cherry blossom viewing - when people throughout Japan gather in parks to contemplate the luminous, ethereal sakura blossoms, while consuming copious amounts of food and beer in a joyous, nationwide picnic.
Made with a generous amount of natural cherry juice, Hanami Ale is crisp and refreshing, a well-balanced, medium-bodied ale offering subtle, tart cherry flavors - the perfect way to bid farewell to winter’s icy grip and toast the arrival of spring with your own hanami celebration.
Tasting Notes:
Pours a light foggy copper with a creamy looking off white head (tinges of pink here?) hmm. Smells of grains and cherry concentrate. This is my worried face. Ok. Light yet creamy mouthfeel with building cherry tartness. Subtle on the front then building for ages 'til your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. This is an interesting decision from the folks over at Smuttynose. I think this ale is an idea that could be more successful if executed differently. To succeed as a lower ABV ale, the cherries need to be severely scaled back. Slight tartness with subtle cherry could turn this into a nice little ale with fruit additions and succeed similar to Magic Hat #9. The second modification would be doing something similar to a flemish sour/lambic where you use big alcohol to cut the tartness and some bretts to hold the thing together with complexity. Love the Smuttynose releases, just a bit of a head scratcher, this one.
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