Another year, another crop of juicy fresh hops from the Adelaide Hills farm, Fresh Hops Co-op. With each year passing, Smiling Samoyed owners and brewers Simon and Kate have learnt a little more about how to utilise the freshness of the annual bounty and fully embed the flavours and aromas into their beer. This time around, 20 kilograms of Columbus and Centennial were used, with a newly installed bottling line allowing the Smiling Samoyed crew to pop the beer into 650ml bottles too.
The 2018 Harvest Ale pours an ultra-translucent and bright golden, orange colour with a tight knit, fluffy head sitting atop. The brewing couple have extracted a load of hop aroma in this year’s batch, with super fresh, grassy, earthy vibes ever present, combining with a touch of citrus and some sweetness hiding subtly in the background. The hops feature again in the first sip: a tad bit of spice and, again, earthy and grassy flavours. The beer is balanced nicely with a delicate sweetness and a very subdued bitterness.
Matt King
Published May 26, 2018 2018-05-26 00:00:00
