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Beer Review: Left Hand Brewing Sawtooth Ale
From our friends at New Belgium, comes this review of Sawtooth Ale from Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, Colorado.
“Well, it’s pretty much a guessing game from here on out.” This was spoken by a co-worker to our fearless founder one evening while we were filtering Fat Tire. Our CO2 measuring device was malfunctioning and the filter run was proceeding poorly. Needless to say, Jeff was not amused by Jack’s cavalier attitude towards a highly engineered and expensive process. Why do I mention this story? I really have no idea. Maybe it’s because it is Midsummer’s Eve and the veil separating our world from the spirit world is at its thinnest. Or, maybe it has something to do with Left Hand’s Sawtooth Ale, which has been flying down my throat with astonishing alacrity. Or maybe because the “bottled on” date printed on the label is 03 12 08. And since I am pretending to be European anyway, this means that I am drinking a beer from the future. It must have passed through the veil.
Sawtooth is an Extra Special Bitter. This style originated in Burton-on-Trent, England. The water there is hard (acidic) due to a high level of gypsum in the soil. The lower pH of the water allows for better hop isomerization. Read: more hop oils dissolve into the beer. This unique geographical fluke meant that the ales brewed there tasted different than a similar recipe brewed in, say, Liverpool. Over hundreds of years, this evolved into a distinctive, special style. Originally brewed with an alcohol content of 4%- 7%, they were designed as “session beers”: satisfying, highly drinkable concoctions that could be consumed jar after jar over the course of an evening.
Sawtooth pours with a small head. The beer is a luminous gold, with a touch of ruby. The nose is a combination of floral and earthy hops, with wisps of caramel malt – inviting indeed. The first sip feels soft and is a bit sweet, with just the right refreshing edge of bitterness for balance. As the beer warms in the glass, more toasty malt notes are noticeable. The hop combo is strange but brilliant. Kent Goldings are mellow, heavy, earthy hops. Cascade hops, on the other hand, couldn’t be more different. They are lively, punchy, and smell like fresh grapefruit. One wouldn’t think that they would go together well. But in Sawtooth, they swirl around, chasing each other’s tails. The result is a sum greater than the parts.
With Sawtooth, Left Hand has created a preeminently drinkable beer. Summer seasonal beers, unless I am standing in hot sand with a hair dryer blowing in my face, are generally too light and uninteresting for my tastes. Although it’s not specifically a summer ale, there is something about Sawtooth in the summertime. It is balanced. The hop profile is interesting without being distracting. You can have a few and still remember your ATM pin code.
By the way, are those faeries or pixies?
– Bill Hepp, New Belgium Brewery
61 days ago / / Link
The Left Hand Brewery’s attitude sucks, arrogant, entitled, and nieve. Come on Eric, how many “yes men” do you need?
— john son · Jun 27, 01:37 PM · #