Black Top
A - Not "jet black" as described, but dark and relatively translucent. Poured with good clarity and a nice off-white head that receeded to a small and thin cap of foam that didn't lace the glass. S - A really nice blend of pine and citrus hop characters. Maybe a little on the piney side. Very faint chocolate notes which I find perfectly suitable for the style. Very fresh dry hopped smell. +++ T - The burnt chocolate maltiness is trying to be quite and let the hops do the talking but nevertheless are present. The middle is somewhat balanced between malt and hops before being taken over by a nice dry and medium bitterness. M - Light to medium bodied with medium to high carbonation. Great drying effect at the finish. O - I am pretty critical of these new ABAs and prefer an opaque black color, huge hoppy nose, and as little dark malts as possible. This beer is not that dark, not that hoppy and a little on the malty side but these standards are nearly unreachable. I prefer Lakefront brewing companys IBA to this but this is an excellent interpretation of a new style that my guidelines might be construed against. Still another great beer from Wisconsin!!! New Glarus is great.