Brewview#5: Creekside Session Ale by 42 North Brewing Company

Here we are, about to close out the year, and what better way than having a local 716 beer and writing a review!! Before I begin I would just like to say this Brewview is dedicated to my Grandma Lelonek, she is such a strong and persevering woman!! She is the epitome of strength and compassion!! So here’s to you Grandma!!

Alright, let’s do it!

42 North Brewing Company is a brewery located in East Aurora, NY, maybe 20 minutes from my house. I’ve been there quite a few times and I’ve always enjoyed myself!!A brewery you should definitely put on your list to visit!! So, the Creekside Session Ale, such a nice easy beer to drink. I’ve had it on draft as well as from a can. Which ever way you may be enjoying this beer, both are perfect. Enough of my chit chat, let’s begin!!

The Beer: Creekside Session Ale by 42 North Brewing Company

ABV: 4.8% IBU: 55

Hop Profile: Citra Hops

Sorachi Ace

Malts: Unlisted, but if I had to guess maybe something along the lines of Crystal.

Let’s crack this can open!! Just from cracking it open I can smell those delicious Citra Hops as they produce a quintessential citrus aroma!! Wow, are they mouth watering!! Such simplicity arises into such beauty.  In other words, perfection! As far as aromas go, the Citra Hops are all there is to it. The Sorachi Ace hops are used mainly for bittering from what I read, so we will hear more about them later.

Pouring the beer into a glass was a thing of beauty, producing a good 2 finger width of head with excellent retention!! A true sign of a good beer. The beer itself appears to be a little hazy with a golden straw color. Though when I hold it up to the light, there is some visibility, but not too much!! The aromas once poured into the glass did relax a bit and may even have added a lemon aroma, which would make sense when looking at the profile of this beer on 42 North’s website.

So before we go into what it tastes like, I would like to do a quick quote from 42 North’s description of the beer. “Provides a refreshing lemon, spice, and tropical fruit note on a crisp, refreshing backdrop.” Mmm, such a good build up!! Let’s jump right in, for the first sip I can sense a touch of lemon with a hint of spice, maybe with a fruit background. Altogether, delicious! Easy, medium body  that leaves a creamy taste in your mouth, though not too over-powering. At the end, I’m thinking a little bit of a lemon bitterness to it, which after reading up on the Sorachi Ace Hops is what should be expected!! Spot on, 42 North!!! Though I am not sure if I agree with an IBU of 55. Maybe a little less would be appropriate in my opinion.

Looking at the Hop Profile of this beer and then tasting it, I’d say 42 North was accurate in their description!! The Citra Hops, with their highly admired aromas as well as the citrus and mango tastes. The Sorachi Ace Hops providing that lemon bitterness. I must say this combination was perfect and produced a delicious and refreshing beer! Perfect combination for a session ale.

To finish it up I’d give this beer a solid 4.25/5. It was a refreshing and delicious beer. Though lemon and beer in this case was good, it’s not a taste I go crazy about. Be that as it may, I would put Creekside on my list of beers to have again. Cheers, 42 North!!

That’s it for now, but please be on the look out for more Brewviews! I’m on vacation this week and plan on doing a Brewview everyday!

Cheers!!

Love you Grandma!!