672. Kona Brewing – Big Wave Golden Ale

672. Kona Brewing - Big Wave Golden AleWe picked up Buffalo Wild Wings dinner and I sat down with this beer to watch the Olympics opening ceremonies. This beer was given to me by my wife as part of a mixed 6-pack she bought me for my birthday. Since my birthday was back in September, I figured I’d better have this lighter beer soon.

Location: Poured into a chalice glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 4.4% ABV, 21 IBUs, 10.3° Plato OG, ~110 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s golden in color with an orange hue. There was a foamy white head when I first poured it, but it fell quickly to just a thin ring around the edge of the glass. There’s a bit of a trropical-citrus hop aroma to it.

Taste & Feel: The body is light and the mouthfeel is crisp. It has a good amount of bready, slightly yeasty, flavor up front with some lemony citrus flavors. In the middle, the citrus grows, but the bready-yeasty flavors break back through in the finish. The finish is mostly bready with some of the citrusy hop flavors just slightly to the back. Both flavors last for a brief time in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: The bready-yeasty flavors went perfectly with the hot wings I had, as those flavors helped cut down the spiciness a bit. I think this is a great pairing for any spicy food – wings, Mexican, Thai, Indian food, etc. – and with the lemony-tropical zest, might even be a good pairing for a fish dish as well.

Overall Impression: From a golden ale, I wasn’t expecting so much bready or yeasty flavors. It reminded me a bit of a hoppy wheat beer, that was very drinkable and refreshing. With those flavors, it’s perfect with spicy foods, and may be a good one to keep around for those types of dinners. Overall, I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it it as a spicy food pairing.

My Rating: ★★★½☆

Your rating:

Author: kkozlen

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