Hangtown Strong Blonde Ale

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

pretty nice balance and decent body due to the strength of the beer. a little hoppy, a little sweet...nothing too special, but worth trying for sure. better than average for them.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 9

Pours a brilliant golden brew with a thick fluffy head. Nice hoppy nose that is very appealing. Flavor is exceptionally balanced with just a bit of sweetness coming through in the finish. Alcohol is expertly hidden making this a very dangerous beer. Need to try more from these guys.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

The third and final 22-oz bomber of Hangtown brews that I carried back with me from me and Karen's honeymoon in the Lake Tahoe area. And, to be honest, this is perhaps my least favorite of the three. To put it bluntly, this is closer to Malt Liquor than anything else.

Poured rather weakly, with little to no head showing up in my SD Strong Ale glass. A few trace wisps of foam resting on top, but in no way can I say that I'm all that impressed with the appearence of this beer.

Alcohol and fruit in the nose -- little else. Almost melon-like in the aroma, which I have to say isn't that unappealing. But a little goes a long way, and this quickly over-stays it's welcome....

More fruit/melon-like notes in the flavor profile, with a certian uneasy "hotness" in the middle and the backend to make this beer remind me way-too much of cheap Malt Liquor. Mind you, I'm sure the brewers didn't set out to make some sort of Olde English/Colt 45 clone, but the end result is basically the same, in my book.

I spent a few years living in Pollock Pines (about 10 miles east of Placerville, CA), and for better or worse, I could imagine many of my friends from Pinewood Elementary going onto El Dorado High School craving this sort of swill. It *does* have the biggest bang for the buck, afterall. Who knows? Maybe if I hadn't moved to the Bay Area, I would have been right there with them, smoking cheap weed and sucking down this sort of thing. But that's neither here nor there. Now that I know better, I have to say this beer really sucks, and deserves little more than pouring some of this onto the ground, for my home-ies. Word-up...

[Brewery now closed, I'm told]
//TB

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Medium gold color, Medium head. Aroma is malty and slightly hoppy. A medium bodied very hoppy blond ale. The mild and sweet malts are kind of overpowered by the citrusy, grapefruity hops, Its very unbalanced but as an American Pale Ale it sort of works. Hides the 8% alcohol very well. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is bitter.