T(welve)-1

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me

An icy raven looking needy

It's the first day and I have to decide between bird or fruit.  In some ways it's the easiest one to find something to represent it.  There's something about a wintery old raven that makes you think of some solitary place, the loneliest number if you will.  Even the name of this IPA, Hold Me Tighter, brings up feelings of isolation.  Somehow I thought Wylie had a more jovial and social image, but I'm not complaining.

Minor explosion on opening, the beer is eager to escape and better existence outside its can.  It's a very pale IPA, sort of lemony,  It's very heady, with a bright white and fluffy cloud perched on a sea of dirty lemonade.  Even the aroma evokes summery lemonade more than beer, with a lemon candy scent that just tickles the nose.  The taste comes as a bit of a shock, wielding a much more bitter punch than you expect.  It isn't actually that bitter, but from the aroma you don't quite prepare for it.  It's also pretty clean and even a little dry, leaning towards a wine sensation rather than juicy, sticky modern IPA.  Left standing a while, more spicy notes start to come out in the smell, but the flavor doesn't pick up much in the way of spice.  It's the sort of beer you wouldn't mind having with you on a break from doing work in your orchard.  Of pear trees, of course.  Where a crow or even a partridge could find a place.