Cwrw Hâf
Cwrw Hf (the name is Welsh for "summer beer") declares itself to be brewed with a combination of barley and wheat, and with golding, cascade, and fuggle hops. 500 mL bottle into pint glass. As a summer beer, I am serving this with more of a chill than usual. Labeled best before September 2006; this is October 21st 2005. Oddly, it pours and smells like a lager -- a thick white head over a very clear body the color of ripe apricot flesh. Nevertheless, the label says "ale". Carbonation is faintly visible and thin lacing is left. The nose is slightly sour and wheaty, with hops dancing in the background; overall, fruity and malty at once, with a good balance between the two dominant components and a sweetness to the malt common in many of the Welsh ales I've tried; compare Thames Welsh ESB (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1310/3535/), in which this sweetness is most present. The first sip is quite thick and rich, very very full in the mouth with wheaty texture but not wheaty flavor. Beginning sweet, it finishes toasty, with only a quick flash of citrus and bitterness in the practically-nonexistent aftertaste. Quite refreshing and well-designed in feel for a summer beer, I find it highly reminiscent of the Sam Adams Summer Ale (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/103/). The flavor is excellently-balanced, with both hops and grain easily detectable and decodable, with malt only slightly dominating. This, however, leads to a problem -- there doesn't seem to be a lot of complexity beyond the malt and hops, especially little fruitiness; I could only find a little red apple, and the three strains of hops compete negatively and step on each others' characters. Carbonation is quite prominent and lingers. Overall, this beer accomplishes what it set out to do, that is, to be a malty summer ale. I feel like it could have achieved more, but I definitely think it's worth a second look next time summer comes around.