Anchor Brewing Co.'s Liberty Ale, "was first introduced on April 18th, 1975 to commemorate the bicentennial of the famous ride by Paul Revere."
5.9% ABV
Review:
Appearance: Liberty pours a beautiful golden orange, with a lasting, fluffy white head.
Aroma: Smells just like a lemon tart. Yum!
Taste: Hmmm... this beer is a bit confusing. It is citrusy, but has no real bite. It feels flat on the tongue, but has exciting flavors. It is sour, but still complex.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high hop presence.
Finish: This is a hoppy beer, but the hops are earthy.
(Side Note: I think that the hops used in this beer are the same as those that were available in the 1970's. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to remember that Cascade hops were created in 1972, and didn't get popular until the 80's when Sierra Nevada started using them in copious amounts. Most of the citrusy hops that we associate with American IPA's were developed even later.)
Overall:
This is an old school IPA. When this was created, it was probably edgy -- it borrows a lot from the English style, but has a certain Americanness to it. Today, it seems much closer to an English style than what the American Style has become. Despite the claims of Anchor's website stating that Liberty is unique because it is, "Bunged" (a now common method usually called "bottle fermented"), and uses a "rarely used" process called dry hopping (which is VERY common), I would say that the uniqueness of this beer comes from how uniquely dated the flavor profile is. This is like drinking a snapshot of where the leaders of the American brewing industry were in the mid 70's. Put on some Led Zeppelin, crack open a Liberty, and enjoy how good something British can be once America has influenced it!
Grade: B-
Barrel Man says,
"at least I don't have
to talk about Fritz
anymore."
(This Bottle Purchased at Whole Foods, Kahala Mall)
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