Watermelon Ale

Beer Name: Thomas Hooker Watermelon Ale
Brewery: Thomas Hooker Ales & Lager
ABV: 4.5%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

How have I never tried a beer from Connecticut before this one? That seems impossible.

Thomas Hooker's Watermelon Ale is a pale golden ale that arrived with a thin head. It left a good lacing pattern, but it doesn't stick for the whole glass. At first, there is a light watermelon aroma and some maltiness in the background. Then, as you drink the glass, the watermelon keeps getting stronger. It's sort of like watermelon candy after a minute or two.

The flavor of this beer is very nice. There's a good watermelon flavor, but it's not over the top and it's not a sickeningly sweet fruit flavor or syrupy. It's very light, and it works very well with the carbonation level of the beer, which is pretty high. The beer finishes with a slightly sweet flavor, but it doesn't linger overly long.

Final thought - Overall, this is a very enjoyable beer. It's probably right there with Hell or High Watermelon as far as fruit beer quality goes. The one thing I did not like, and this has nothing to do with the beer, is that it arrived in a glass that wasn't clean. Or maybe it was clean, but it wasn't rinsed properly. The point is that beer should be served in appropriately treated glasses, and there shouldn't be a patch of bubbles streaming off the side of the glass. Kate told me to send it back, but we hadn't gotten our food yet and I didn't want to be That Guy.

-Jon

East Chop Lighthouse Ale

Beer Name: East Chop Lighthouse Ale
Brewery: Offshore Ale Company
ABV: 4.7%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I wonder if this brewery really brews out in the ocean. Probably not. East Chop Lighthouse Ale is an American blonde ale, which means it's light in color, light in flavor, and malty. Well, at least in theory. Let's see how this one plays out.

East Chop Lighthouse Ale is a straw-colored beer, slightly cloudy, that poured with a thin, light head. This head faded pretty quickly for the most part, although it left a small ring around the top edge of the beer. There is a strong malty aroma here, possibly pale malt (which would make sense, given the color of the beer). It also has a hint of a grassy aroma.

The flavor of this beer almost feels like it could be from Magic Hat (that's a good thing in my book). The maltiness is the main flavor, although there's also a nice grain component to it as well. It's very light feeling, but there's still quite a bit of flavor, unlike some other very pale colored light beers. The finish is fairly sweet, and it has a very faint aftertaste of malt.

Final thought - This is a nice enjoyable light-drinking beer. It's light flavor and low ABV make sure that you can drink it without any worries about drunken repercussions. If you like really light beers, this one should get a try.

-Jon

Natural Blonde

Beer Name: Natural Blonde
Brewery: The People's Pint
ABV: 4.6%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a tulip glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Unlike Kate, I did not have to spite-drink both of my dinner beers.

Natural Blonde is an American Blonde Ale. Seriously, that's a kind of beer. I know, I'm shocked too. I thought it was a kind of girl. As the name would suggest, it's a light golden color and poured with about an inch of head. The aroma was a little bready with hops in the background. There were probably some other aromas in there as well, but my nose was pretty stuffed up by this point so it was tough to pick them out.

The flavor of this beer is very light, with just enough hops to keep it from being boring. There's a little bit of maltiness as well, but all the flavors are very subdued. It's mostly malty at the beginning, with the hops finishing things up with a crisp bitterness. The medium carbonation doesn't keep this from being a very easy-to-drink beer.

Final thought - This beer makes me think of what the Big 3's beers would taste like if they actually tasted good. Obviously it must be possible to produce a light, low ABV beverage that doesn't taste like garbage, so I'm not sure why they don't do it. And yet they still have like 95% of the beer market. I'm ashamed of people.

-Jon