This brewery’s self-proclaimed ‘flagship beer’, and a hugely-awarded one at that. Bottle-conditioning makes it a conspicuously-hazy warm gold, and it’s quite a lot fuller and maltier in the body than a lot of the Goldens I’ve been having lately. If it makes any sense, I almost want to say it’s more of a singly-capitalised golden Ale than what is (maybe mostly just to me) a doubly-capitalised Golden Ale. But for similar reasons, it’d make a great Gateway Golden for lagerheads, being all crisp and yum as it is.

Verbatim: Hopback ‘Summer Lightning’ Golden Ale. 20/1/09 $7 at Rumbles 500ml %5. A nice warm gold with slight haze — bottle conditioned. Quite a lot maltier than my other recent Goldens. Flagship beer of Hopback, and hugely awarded. More full bitterness not bad, just another expectations issue. (Lots of point-missing reviews.) Crisp +yum. Gateway Golden for lager-heads.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: The reference to ‘point-missing reviews’ comes from that fact that a lot of self-identified beer geeks don’t ‘get’ golden ale; you’ll see people harping about how the flavour is so light and soft and non-full-on. Which is exactly the idea. Not every damn beer has to be a punch in the face, people. There’s a lot of merit to be had in easy-going yumness.

Also, perhaps I’m just being picky, but that is the worst beer photo I’ve taken in ages. I’m not even sure why I dislike it so much; the glass, the focus, the wonky angle. Maybe the perilously-boozy beer before it softened my standards / ability again. But I certainly made up for it the next day.