Duclaw eXile X-5 Sorachi Ace IPA

I picked up a bottle of Duclaw eXile X-5 Sorachi Ace IPA while at the release party at Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that recedes rapidly and leaves a nice lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, caramel, wheat, hop funk, and sorachi ace. The taste is spicy and bitter with lots of pepper, sorachi ace, and lemon on the front end. You can detect that there is a caramel and wheat background, but it never comes to the front, as the spiciness takes over this beer. The finish is dry and champagne-like, which is quite enjoyable. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I loved this beer and can’t rave enough about it. It was similar to blending a farmhouse ale with an IPA, giving you hoppy and spicy all in one beer.

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

I picked up a bottle of Brooklyn Sorachi Ace from Al's of Hampden based on several positive recommendations from friends. This beer is a saison with the addition of the Sorachi hop and fermented with a Belgian yeast. Be careful when popping the cork of this bottle, as it is ready to explode.The beer pours a golden color with a very lofty and foamy white head. The aroma consists of banana, lemon, pine, and fresh hops. On the tongue, the beer is alive and bubbly from the Champagne yeast. The taste is sweet and consists of banana, lemon, yeast, white grapes, and hints of pine. The finish comes in with a dry hop flavor. The alcohol content is 7.6% ABV. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sorachi Ace, as it was a lively and vibrant beer on the tongue. Once the carbonation settled down, the beer was packed full of wonderful flavors, especially the banana and grape. But Brooklyn did not leave out the pronounced hop finish, and I thank them for that.