All Together | Bellwoods Brewery
Score: 75/100 - average
From a 473ml can served cool at 9 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Canned on: 05/01/20 - making this about 2 weeks young. I acquired the beer through a friend. Brewery-fresh - it's been a while since I've reviewed a Bellwoods beer. My expectations are above average.
Appearance (2/3)
The beer pours an opaque pale gold with 2.5cm of thin, bubbly , white head which dissipates into a partial film within 1+ minutes. Poor lacing and so so head retention. Average at best.
Aroma (20/24)
Medium-strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is daringly hoppy with delightful humulus layers. Grapefruit, tangerines, and lime lead the fruity tones along with mild melon and nectarines. Additional vegetal layer and a hint of malt at the back. The dry nose is fruity-hoppy (citrus + grass) with mild fresh yeast. I like it.
Flavour (34/40)
Strong intensity with bitter balance and assertive perceived bitterness. The palate opens up with a punch of citrus (tangerines + grapefruit pith) and minerals making way for an edgy center where notes of stone fruit (nectarines), herbs, woody pine, and a hint of spice performs a shimmy shake on your palate. Pronounced, unpleasant minerality. The long finish is bitter and of moderate strength with notes of grapefruit pith, lime, pine, herbs, a vegetal quality, and supportive crackery malt. Yes, the minerals still remain.
Mouthfeel (4/10)
Medium-full body with lively carbonation. The mouthfeel is prickly and powdery with restrained alcohol warming and an off-dry finish. Mild astringency with some harshness from the dustiness and low hop burn.
Overall (13/20)
Bellwood Brewery's All Together is somewhat unimpressive. The appearance is ok but the head struggles to keep it's structure. As expected, the flavour is all about the hops which deliver a satisfying, layered smack for the senses. However, I do find the beer too minerally where both the overall flavour and mouthfeel are greatly diminished. It becomes more challenging to pick out nuances of flavour and the mouthfeel is just unpleasant: chalky dryness with mild hop burn. The flavour is good enough that I find this a beer worth trying if you like bitter, hazy IPAs and a pronounced minerality doesn't bother you. For everyone else, there are better IPAs out on the market with much higher drinkability and no apparent flaws.