What Our Panel Thought
Aroma: Citrus and pine hops with some floral notes. The aroma is all about hops, but some bready pils notes and lager sulfur sneak through. Some impressions of coconut. Yeasty nose softens the hops and malt; a bit of alcohol, too.
Flavor: Lots of chewy hop flavor, but a surprisingly balanced malt body without much sweetness. Pleasant cracker-like malt flavor. Aftertaste is rather resinous and sticky. Strong bitterness finishes the hop story. Clean fermentation.
Overall: Initial flavors are very enjoyable and pils-like, but the mid- and aftertaste hits hard from the lingering bitterness and alcohol. Very hoppy, with an astringency that hangs on for a long time. A nice display of hop complexity that comes at the cost of malt profile.
What the Brewers Say
In the spirit of our local history we are revolting against the status quo. We infuse Mass Rising with increasing amounts of American hops during the kettle, hopback, and dry hopping processes.
