Schlafly Hop Trial: Bramling Cross
Schlafly Hop Trial: Bramling Cross is a Golden Ale, 6.5% ABV, bottled on 06/02/16 opened on 07/12/16. It looks like Schlafly does a series of single hop beers to showcase various hop varieties, this one features the English hop Bramling Cross. Thanks to Schlafly for sending a few of these single hop beers for us to review.
This is one truly pretty looking beer, a light golden color with some near perfect clarity. The head is fantastic, a light and creamy half inch of off white foam sits on top of the beer. The retention is amazing, seems this head might sit there forever if I don’t actually drink the beer. The aroma is extremely typical for the Bramling Cross hop, it’s nice and spicy. There is also just a touch of cracker malt behind the hops on the nose. As expected the taste carries more classic Bramling Cross and a dry cracker malt flavor. That tell-tale hop spiciness leads the taste, but this single hop beer actual has a little bit of complexity. A little bit of sweet dark cherry finds it way into the taste, and things finish with a hint of earth and a mild bitterness.
Single hop ales can sometimes be a little less than complex, a simple but enjoyable way to see what a particular hops flavor and aroma is like. In this case there is just enough going on to make it more than an experiment.
