Beer Review: Callow Knife

Reviewing the Callow Knife from Half Acre Brewing Company out of Chicago, Illinois.
Score: 90

32 oz growler filled at the brewery on 01/11/13, served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed on 01/11/13. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Pours a murky amber color with a finger of off-white head that settles to a thin bubbly ring around the glass. Excellent lacing and retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Super fresh grapefruit, lemon, orange, mango and peach plus grassy and piney hops. Faint underlying caramel malt backbone. This brew packs a really nice, robust aroma! 4.5/5

Taste: While the nose is robust, the flavors here are "watery"/"watered-down." There are bitter, piney hops upfront followed by sweet tropical citrus. There's initially a "bitter pucker" that mellows out substantially after the citrus kicks in. Grapefruit, peach, apricot and lemon dominate the back end. Subtle caramel malt flavor too. Reminds me of their Daisy Cutter in "how" it tastes (but not in the specific hop/citrus flavors). A mildy sweet malt bill underlies the hops and citrus, and a little bready grain flavor comes through as it warms up. I realize that this is only a regular ol' pale ale with a sessionable ABV, but the watered down aspect cuts down what could have been a stellar beer to something that is merely good. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Light-plus bodied, low carbonation. Watered down on the palate, but dry on the finish. 3/5

Overall: Sessionable, tasty and refreshing. This beer is better than Daisy Cutter, but could have been something much greater and more special if the taste and mouthfeel could have been as robust as the aroma.

Recommendation: Worth trying, not worth going out of your way to seek out.

Pairings: Hot dogs.

Cost: $8 for a 32 oz growler refill or $14 for a 64 oz growler refill.