This is the beer that started it all for me in a way. I had always loved beer ever since I reached the age where I could, but pale ale and IPAs were always my bane and tasted absolutely awful. I would try the ones you’re supposed to start and they still tasted bitter and terrible. Then one day I was at my friend (and co-admin of this site) Ansichart’s house and he handed me an Abrasive. I cracked it open, took a sip, and suddenly I understood. I finally “got” hops and was completely enamored. Not long after I started telling him about all the new beers I was trying and he encouraged/helped me start this website. And now, after all these years I found it locally in Upstate NY and can finally review it!
Lightly hazy with light head retention, smells of grapefruit, tangerine, and floral hops. The taste is crisp and lightly fruity with flavors of lightly toasted bread and hints of tangerine, peach, and pineapple underneath the soft full body. The finish is long and moderately high in bitterness, featuring notes of grapefruit peel, apricot, orange blossom, pine, and herbal hops. Overall, it’s well balanced and has nice fruity notes throughout and is, coincidentally a great blend of the major hops flavors, with tropical fruit, citrus, pine, floral, and herbal notes. Still a damn good beer and a bit heavy handed if you’re a beginner, but a solid beer to start your own hoppy beer love affair with.
Canned on: 10/9/24
