Badger Hill High Road Everyday Ale Review

Name: Badger Hill High Road Everyday Ale
Style: International Style Pale Ale
ABV: 5%

**Update: I was informed that this is, in fact, an International Style Pale Ale and uses a variety of hops, malts, found in different beer styles. I have made the changes needed to reflect this information**

It's time to look at another beer from Badger Hill Brewing. This time we have their High Road Everyday Ale, which is classified as an International Style Pale Ale. It is described as a sessionable ale, which utilizes ESB yeasts, Pilsner Malts and a Pale Hop Profile Variety.

High Road pours a very hazy wet straw yellow color with a soapy head. The visible carbonation is quite high and leaves behind no trace of lacing.

The aroma comes off initially as surprisingly fruity. I'm picking up notes of orange peel, mangoes, and citrus hops. The back end leans toward notes toffee and pale malts.

Interestingly enough, the flavor is rather grassy and pils-like up front with notes of barley, pale malts, and light citrus hops. The aftertaste is dry yet fruity at the same time. The overall palate is very lightweight but heavily carbonated. With that said, it's quite crisp.

In my previous draft of this review, I said that I thought that High Road suffered a bit from an identity crisis, and was a bit perplexed by the overall flavor while assuming it was a blonde ale. Knowing that it is, in fact, not a blonde ale, I can give this beer a more deserving score. While I'm still not exactly a huge fan of the "Fruity-Pils" flavor, it's still a decent beer. I'd still say try it out and decide for yourself.

Thanks to Brent from Badger Hill for clearing this up!

Badger Hill High Road Everyday Ale - 7.5/10

New Glarus Totally Naked Review

The ingredients for most beers are: barley, hops, malts, yeast, and water. It's a very simple formula that is often tweaked to cater to different styles. If there is one word I could use to describe New Glarus' Totally Naked, it would be "basic." As a matter of fact, it doesn't even try to hide it but rather embrace it as evident by the description on the label. This is a barebones lager coming in at just 4.25% ABV.

It pours a very fizzy clear yellow color with an equally fizzy head that disappears rather quickly and looks like any other yellow fizzy American Lager.

The nose is mainly barley, pale malts, yeast and some very mild hoppiness. The same can be said about the flavor, which consists mainly of barley, pale malts, yeasts, and mild hops. The body is also fairly light and the carbonation is in between mild and moderate.

This is a beer that is out to prove that it has nothing to prove. It's basic, it's minimalist.....and it works just the way it is; I'm serious. The flavor may be stripped down (hence the name) but it's possess a good flavor for what it is and you know it's being made with quality ingredients and not some adjunct products.

Award Winning? No. Drinkable? Yes.

New Glarus Totally Naked - 7.5/10