Cambridge Brewing Co. Audacity of Hops [Beer Review]

Sometimes I wonder if the rarity of a beer makes me predisposed to like it. Do I subconsciously want to like a beer just because it was so hard to get, or so rare that very people will ever try it? Normally this would be a philosophical question left to the ages (or perhaps a good pysch experiment) but in the case of Audacity of Hops I can actually answer it. You see this beer started as a collaboration beer between Cambridge Brewing Company and Mayflower Brewing (and several other Massachusetts breweries) for the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference. Everyone who attended the event was given a bottle of this beer, and at the time it blew us away. But that bottling was limited to that very, very small run for the event. Sure it’s been on tap at Cambridge Brewing Company from time to time since then, but now it’s in 22oz bottles and I couldn’t wait to try it again. I have to admit, though, I had a bit of fear. Had I over hyped this beer in my head because it wasn’t readily available to purchase? In a word...NO.

I sat down on my couch and started filling my glass. Immediately nearly all my concerns were washed away as the citrusy aroma of hops poured out. Audacity of Hops is more than a clever name, the hop aroma leaps from the glass to let you know you’re in for some serious hop goodness. It pours a rich, hazy gold color with a fluffy white head that stays for a shockingly long time. Any tiny doubt of how good this beer is was eradicated in the first sip. A rush of grapefruity hops coated my tongue, instantly everything I remembered about this beer was confirmed. I let out an involuntary satisfied sigh as I put my glass down, a tell tale sign of tasty beer. This beer isn’t just about the hops though. There’s a fantastic balance of malt sweetness that follows up which then gives way to a perfect spiciness imparted by the Belgian yeast. If it sounds like I’m swooning over this beer it’s because I am. What started out as concern that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations resulted in the blissful realization that this amazing beer is now available whenever I want it, and that’s a great thing.