Fistful of Hops (Autumn) - Sun King Brewing Company

    Fistful of Hops is an American style India Pale Ale brewed by Sun King Brewing Company located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Fistful of Hops changes seasonally based on what combination of hops are available throughout the year. The malt base stays the same, but Sun King balances different hops on top of that base for each release. This particular release is the Autumn 2013 brew.

    The beer pours a hazy orange color with a half-finger head with amazingly good retention. Thousands of bubbles roil within the beer, even long after pouring. The lacing left on the glass by the foam is just as amazing as its retention.

    Fistful of Hops smells strongly of hops (surprising, I know). The hops scents include fruits such as cherries, oranges, and grapefruit, as well as some more floral and piney notes. There is a slight unpleasant acidic smell due to all the hops, though it's not too noticeable. Underneath all the hops smells lies a subtle, sweet malt scent.

    Sun King's IPA is medium bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Even with all of the bubbles, the beer comes off as very creamy. The ale finishes very dry, and leaves a small bit of acidy bitterness in the mouth. The beer has an alcohol content of 6.4% ABV.

I don't get how pure hops turn into beer, but ok.

    The malt base of Fistful of Hops is definitely present, though it doesn't stand out as more than a backdrop for the hops to play against. There were definitely more variations in the hops scents than there are in the flavor. Piney, resinous flavors dominate with a bit of grapefruit and cherry.

    For some reason this beer reminds me of the advertising campaign for Raisin Bran. You know, "two scoops of raisins in every box!". Instead, I'm thinking, "A fistful of hops in every can!" If this were the case, this would likely be the most bitter, disgusting beer on earth, but I would probably still try it...

    It's no secret, I'm not a huge fan of Sun King Brewing Company. I can admit though, that this is my favorite of their beers I have tried. I wish the beer's flavor had as much hops character as its scent did, though the beer is still not at all bad. I would rate this as a good IPA, but when it comes to IPAs which attempt to highlight hops it is only decent.

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Wee Mac - Sun King Brewing Company

    Wee Mac is a Scottish Style Ale created by Sun king Brewing Company which is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wee Mac is one of the three standard beers that Sun King makes year-round. I purchased a growler of this beer when I visited the brewery this past weekend. It is notable that Sun King's beers appear in cans, as opposed to the nearly standard bottles. This is a new trend that I highly approve of.

    Wee Mac pours a reddish-brown color, which is almost ruby in hue. There is around one finger of khaki head that forms after pouring. Unfortunately I took a picture of the beer after the head dissipated.

    The Scottish Style Ale smells sweetly of caramel and toffee. There is a noticeably toastyness to the malts smelled.

   The Ale is thin bodied with a huge level of carbonation. Together, the body and carbonation make for a foamy, yet creamy mouthfeel. At 5.4% ABV, Wee Mac presents no alcohol character whatsoever.

This growler actually looks like it's growling!

    Sun King's Scottish Ale is quite sweet. Toffee and caramel notes are present just as the nose suggested. There is not nearly as much roasty flavor as the scent hinted at, however. There is an almost earthy flavor to the ale which might well be smoked peat, which is used in some renditions of the Scottish Style Ales. There is a sweet, maltyness that lingers long after the beer is swallowed.

    It is a little known fact that Wee Mac is actually a character from a Scottish legend. The legend speaks of a tiny man named Macinzie who saves a highland village from an English raid using only his wits and a wooden fork. Needless to say, it is a forking bloody battle. In fact, at the time the English uniform consisted of pure white pants and jackets. After Wee Mac destroyed the raiders, their jackets were so bloody that they were stained completely red. The English army from then on changed their uniforms to red coats and white pants in remembrance of their fallen brethren. (Note, the facts of this story have not been verified)

    Wee Mac is a more lightly flavored Scottish Style ale than others I have had in the past. I expect this style of ale to be a little bit fuller bodied and flavored. While I do think that this is probably the best beer brewed by Sun King, I definitely don't think that it is a mind-blowing Scottish Ale.

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