Hangin' at the Hintons

After a great trip to Massachusetts we headed down for a second Christmas in Valdosta. Unfortunately Valdosta is fairly devoid of good drinking establishments, however, John brought down some good beers, and we were able to supplement his supply with a trip to the local liquor store (Five Points Liquor) which turned out to have a decent beer selection for a liquor store. I bought a brew from Avery called "Hog Heaven." I was really hoping for something like an Old Stock, or a good barleywine (because I was still thinking of that great brew I got from Aaron). Since it clamed to be a barleywine on the label, this one seemed like it might fit the bill.

The aroma was indeed remenecent of an old ale style drink, however, as the head settled down it gave off a piney hops smell. The beer was clearer than I expected, but still looked enticing. The first taste had a strong hoppy flavor, but still fairly mellow overall. Good, but not exactly what I was in the mood for. Over time the flavor tended to mellow out a bit as it got warmer, but still was defined mainly by the hops. However, there was a noticable sugaryness to the beer, which I think accounted for the smoother mellow taste, but did not cover a fairly bitter aftertaste.

I do really enjoy some good hops, but I typically like a smooth finish. The Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is my prototypical example of a hoppy beer that I really like. Unfortunately what I really was craving was an Old Stock Ale, and this just wasn't it. Since then I have purchased a 4 pack of Old Stock to let mellow in my fridge.