TwoHeadsBrewing
Well-Known Member
So, my home brew club meets at Sierra Nevada and this past Thursday I headed down before the meeting to grab a beer at the pub. Thursday nights are cool because they have something special on tap: last Thursday it was the casked version of the Southern Hemisphere harvest ale. The only difference in the cask version is that it is naturally carbonated and served from a beer engine. Having tasted the normal Harvest ale that uses green hops from the Willamette valley, I have to say it is almost exactly the same. The Southern Hemisphere batch uses New Zealand hops flown in as soon as they are picked.
The only difference I noticed was a bit more spice than I remember tasting in the original Harvest, and a bit more hop flavor. A very good beer all around, but I have to say the cask version was really a treat. A bit sweeter, but also not quite as carbonated which I think compliments the style nicely. I think the extra sweetness offsets the hop flavor better and gives the beer a better balance.
The only difference I noticed was a bit more spice than I remember tasting in the original Harvest, and a bit more hop flavor. A very good beer all around, but I have to say the cask version was really a treat. A bit sweeter, but also not quite as carbonated which I think compliments the style nicely. I think the extra sweetness offsets the hop flavor better and gives the beer a better balance.