My first sips are lithe and supple, with a good combination of citrus and tropical fruit backed up by a pillowy-soft malt body that definitely comes across as focused on wheat and oats, two non-barley grains used in NEIPAs that tend to add to the smooth texture of this style. This beer is so bright, vivacious, fruity, and juicy … and that’s before getting into how it tastes. These hops together are kind of an “automatic win” combination in the world of dry-hopped IPAs, but here they do even better together than expected. It’s very forward with the Citra and Mosaic hops, meaning there’s probably an immense load of “dry-hops,” or hops added during/after fermentation. The nose is sweet and thick, with intense hop aromatics ranging from tropical fruit (papaya and mango) to bright, sticky citrus (grapefruit/tangelo, orange pulp) with a little bit of piney resin in there. It’s a looker, as long as you are a dedicated fan of New England IPAs. The legs are nice, too, with the suds left behind by the dissipating collar remaining fully connected to the main body of the beer. The pour is an opaque, hazed-over orange color with a dense, thick head of bone-white foam that leaves behind excellent, consistent lace. Sounds simple, for sure, but this beer tastes a lot better than many beers of a similar caliber with similar recipes and ingredients. And so is this beer.įlume is a New England-style double IPA hopped with Citra and Mosaic. I’m not kidding when I say you could spend a whole afternoon just at these breweries alone, and you’d basically be bar-hopping down a single street (actually, it’s more like a plaza). BS are a brewery located on Industrial Way in Portland, Maine, a street that is pretty much “brewer’s row,” home to Allagash, Foundation, Austin Street, and Definitive brewing companies. I think I’ve actually found cans of this with less than a week on them before, too, which is pretty unbelievable and a great selling point for these guys. That simple interlude brings us to Battery Steele’s Flume, which was canned exactly two weeks ago the day I opened it. So when I see great IPAs that are less than two weeks old, I tend to get pretty excited. I will definitely enjoy this one again soon! Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.Fresh beer is one of the best things in this world, especially fresh hoppy beer, and it’s something I don’t take lightly or for granted. Firn is a really good American/New England style pale ale, loads of hop flavor but enough body/balance to keep it from being one-note. The finish is crisp with some lingering hop flavor. Firn is light and easy-drinking, not overly boozy at 5.8% ABV. This is balanced by a pale malt backbone, hints of cereal and crackers. The flavor is also hop forward, notes of grapefruit, papaya, and lemon along with a mild bitter bite. There is a solid burst of hops on the nose, heavy on the citrus and tropical fruit. Battery Steele Firn is brewed with Citra and Simcoe hops and is available on a rotating basis on draft and in 16 oz cans.īattery Steele Firn pours murky pale yellow with a moderate white head. I am always all in on beers with huge hop flavor and lower ABV, so I was excited to give Firn a shot. One hoppy Battery Steele offering that was new to me is Firn, an American pale ale. Battery Steele has always been focused on hoppy beers first, which are styles they do well and are clearly popular, although they have branched out a bit in recent years. I happened to be in Portland a few years ago just after they opened and some of the beers I tried then, including Kineo and Flume, are still among their regular releases. Battery Steele is clearly in the latter category. Others have a clear plan in place, and beers that are released on week one become flagships for years to come. Some breweries open up and clearly have no idea what kinds of beers they want to make, they spend the first year or so cycling through a myriad of recipes, many of which become one-off beers, until something sticks.
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