Back Forty Brewing makes their return to Belt’s Beer Garden after a long 7.5 year wait
Back Forty Beer Company is back on Belt’s Beer Garden after a looooooong time…they first appeared on March 17th, 2017 and seven and a half years later they are finally back!! The 2828 day gap between appearances is the second longest in BBG history, with only Rhinegiest’s 2989 day differential being longer (yes, I did the math).
Since that time a lot has changed for the Gadsden, Alabama brewery. They now have three locations in their home state – their OG in Gadsden, another in Birmingham, and a third in Huntsville.
I recently went to that Huntsville location (it was an awesome space!) and was able to pick up a four-pack of their fresh hop IPA – Hop Tosh.
For Hop Tosh, they used a sweeter malt base, tons of Amarillo, Citra, Chinook hops, and gave it a hefty 7.5% ABV. The four pack of 16-ounce cans was around $15.
This West Coast IPA poured a golden straw color with darker orange hues towards the top of the glass. It had a little bit of murkiness to it and was pretty opaque. Just about a finger of off-white head built up but didn’t stick around too long. As it dissipated, it left a thin layer of lacing down the side of the glass.
On the nose the beer was rather sweet and hoppy. There were big juicy and tropical notes of orange, tangerine, pineapple, and papaya. With all that fruity sweetness, the grist notes were mostly hidden, with just a hint of bread maybe appearing every so often.
The sip started with a light and watery mouthfeel with just a touch of carbonation fizzle. From there, those tropical fruit notes really bloomed.
Juicy waves of pineapple and other tropical fruits continuously splashed across my taste buds. While pineapple was noticeable in the scent, it really took over in the taste and pushed the tangerine and mango into the secondary position.
After a few seconds there was a hoppy bitterness that would nip at my tongue sporadically…just a simple reminder that this is a beer and not fruit juice. That bitter twinge wasn’t too bad at all and did stay well under the tropical flavors the whole of the time it was there.
Towards the backend, a slight grapefruit rind quality began to appear. It slowly pushed the pineapple further and further away until a slightly dry and bitter citrus peel pithiness was the most prevalent characteristic. But even that wasn’t too harsh.
It was quite the easy drinking West Coast IPA. That light, watery body didn’t sit too heavy and the flavors were all there too, with just a touch of hoppy bitterness. If you’re in, or near, the northern Alabama area, get to Huntsville now to try this beer before it’s gone!
