Sugar Hill Golden Ale - Harlem Brewing Company

Eeroomnhoj

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

01-11-2013 02:04:31 | More by Eeroomnhoj

jameyp

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -11%

03-14-2013 15:47:15 | More by jameyp

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

2.54/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

First had: bottle at Iridium Jazz Club, NYC, NY

I cringed at the $8 price tag on this as my buddy got it, and sadly it was the best beer Iridium had to offer. I sampled it, but ultimately decided if I needed to reach a $15 minimum, I might as well get a martini.

But anyway, this was a slightly hazy, light amber beer, with a fizzy white head that receded to nearly nothing; bubbly carbonation and no real lacing noted. Aroma of toasted grains and corn sugar. More of the same in the taste, pale malty sweetness, toasted grains, light grassiness, slightly metallic edge in the finish. Light body, and not too pleasant overall. Shame on Iridium for gouging these suckers. A crappy club that I hope never to return to, though it was worth it to see Paul Gilbert play "Man on the Silver Mountain" with the Les Paul Trio.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:46:12 | More by Rifugium

rhhjr

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%

02-03-2013 16:00:01 | More by rhhjr

Noelito76

New York

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

02-02-2013 14:50:28 | More by Noelito76

metter98

New York

3.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear deep golden yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high off white head that died down but consistently left a small head covering the surface and lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of biscuit and cracker malts in the nose along with some faint hints of berbal hops.
T: Like the smell, the taste some flavors of sweet malts along with hints of herbal hops, the latter of which contributes a light amount of bitterness that persists into the finish.
M: It feels a bit more than light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and flavorful compared to some of the other beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 18:27:06 | More by metter98

mdfb79

New York

3.28/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From 10/06/12 notes.

a - Pours a golden-amber color with one inch of off white head and low carbonation evident.

s - Smells of sweet corn, wheat, grains, bready malts, and light floral hops. Not great, and not much going on here. Pretty average nose.

t - Tastes of lightly sweet honey and light fruits, corn, wheat, bready malts, grains, floral hops, and earthy malts. Nice sweetness from the honey and fruit, much better than the nose.

m - Light body and low carbonation. A bit undercarbonated and has a watery feel to it.

o - Overall a decent beer, though nothing amazing. Easy to drink and some nice honey in the taste, though the nose is uneventful. Probably wouldn't seek it out again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2012 20:15:46 | More by mdfb79

demogorgon

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +18.7%

09-27-2012 23:15:22 | More by demogorgon

shockrocker65

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +18.7%

07-20-2012 01:28:28 | More by shockrocker65

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

07-17-2012 14:46:13 | More by rolltide8425

bonbini26

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

05-25-2012 17:10:54 | More by bonbini26

DonFrap

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -11%

04-17-2012 01:10:00 | More by DonFrap

M27

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

03-25-2012 01:49:38 | More by M27

jsisko01

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance - Pours a dark amber/golden color with a half inch head that dissipates quickly. Lacing is very nice.

Smell - Sweet with bread, grains, honey, and floral hops.

Taste - Light hint of honey with a few spices I can't point out. It's very sweet with pale and toasted malts, citrus, floral hops, and bitter dry finish.

Mouthfeel - Light body with mild carbonation.

Overall - The taste of this beer is a lot different than any other blonde ale I've tried.. It's not exactly a good thing, but not bad either.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 05:04:32 | More by jsisko01

rab53

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -18.4%

12-01-2011 06:56:55 | More by rab53

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Grabbed a bottle at Euro Market. It poured a clear amber with a little yeast on the bottom of the bottle. By color and taste I'd say this is an amber ale, though it is light in character. The beer comes off like a lighter version of Dundee's Honey Brown, there's just a simple, mild caramel barley character that dries out in the finish. There's nothing exceptional here, but it is a clean, drinkable ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 22:13:29 | More by tempest

mummbearsfan

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This brew from Harlem Brewery was a good buy. The golden color was dark golden color just had me wondering at first if this was a hybrid beer between an amber and an adjunct lager.

The aroma of this brew was malty with just a hint of hoppiness. Tasting this beer I found it quite smooth and refreshing not too heavy on the pallet.

Overall I would recommend this beer for parties and having a few while watching the game.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 15:36:57 | More by mummbearsfan

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had to pick up some bottles recently and in getting a discount on a mixed-six, I decided to give this one a whirl.

From the bottle: "Legend has it that during the Harlem Renaissance, a special beer was being brewed Uptown in Harlem that was the rave! It was the brew of choice for musicians, artists and locals alike. Named for that swinging neighborhood made famous by this period, Sugar Hill Golden Ale sings with flavor!"; "Taste the Music".

My pour netted a finger of bone-white head with good retention. Color was a deep golden-yellow with NE-quality clarity. Nose was quite biscuity, very reminiscent of Fat Tire, actually. Mouthfeel was medium with a big biscuit malt presence on the tongue. Finish gave way to a grassy hops taste that was nice. It was pretty standard for the style. A nice break from the IPAs of the last two days, but nothing truly remarkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 19:11:33 | More by woodychandler

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, biscuts. Taste is refreshing, malty, some hops are present as well as a biscut flavor. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a good quality beer on a hot summer night.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 15:21:50 | More by tone77

hopsgirl35

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +33.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

When I poured it into my beer glass the apperence
was deep golden with a small amount of lace on
the side of the glass and a small head on top.

The aroma is a fruity hopness with a breaded malt
smell that over powers the hops.

The taste is a medium bitterness with a spicy
dryness. More of a malt finish.

The mouthfeel is more creamy with a hint of zest
going down.

Overall I like how it's not over powering in the
taste buds. A beer I break to when I'm not in an
IPA mood. One of the best american blond ales I've had this summer!

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 22:32:12 | More by hopsgirl35

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sugar Hill Golden Ale
$1.99 @ Whole Foods, Union Square, NY

Appearance: Clear amber body with golden highlights beneath a creamy head of slightly off-white. The head retention is quite good and it maintains a solid surface covering even after dropping. A sheet of lace is left behind with each sip, and although it slides back into the liquid most of it remains, rising up like a mountain range in the distance.

Smell: Grainy malt with a bit of yeasty fruitiness and some minor grassy hop notes. Clean.

Taste: The grainy malt dominates the flavor profile, accented by the yeasty fruitiness (apple, fig). The hops are spicy and grassy, helping the very firm bitterness to bring it to a dry and spicy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied with a gentle zest on the tongue.

Overall: A decent beer with an interesting character. It's a basic American blonde ale and it won't turn any heads, but it's well-made and should hold its own with the best of 'em.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 16:45:06 | More by NeroFiddled

Scherring

New York

2.78/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Mahogany color almost red, opaque with a half fingers width of off white head with an OK lacing.

S- Very aromatic with a very noticeable honey tone and under tones of sweetness and alcohol.

T- Off the bat, just like the first whiff, a taste of honey. There is a very brief taste of alcohol but not as noticeable as the smell of alcohol i had. It is very well hidden behind the sweetness of this beer.

M- This beer coats your mouth in a syrupy layer and finishes off smooth. The taste lingers on your tongue, but only for a moment

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 06:40:52 | More by Scherring

CHickman

New York

1.53/5  rDev -54.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Pours cloudy orange amber with a 1 finger tan head that faded quickly; pretty weak lacing that slid down fast.

Smells of honey, sweet malt, light caramel, coriander, light brown sugar, cotton candy, yeast and almost like mead or a bready smell - kind of strange smell like a sweet piece of old wheat bread; not the light blonde ale odor I was expecting, in fact it was the opposite.

Tastes like it smells, which is not a good thing; the combo of honey, sweet malt, caramel, coriander, light brown sugar, funky yeast and wet bread just don't work well together. This beer is too sweet with basically has no hop presence, and to make it worse it left a funky yeast metallic taste with no good taste reward beforehand. The aftertaste was almost like rotten fruit.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, with little to no carbonation and a silky feel on the tongue. Goes down physically easy, too bad it tastes like ass. This was a drain pour; my two friends that were with me tried some of my beer (this bottle) and both agreed that this beer just tastes bad; perhaps it was a bad bottle, otherwise it's just awful.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 04:26:35 | More by CHickman

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle - $1.49 at Hop City in Atlanta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, darkened orange-amber body with a modest, white head.

Smell: A sweetish, spicy, but not particularly effusive nose, smelling of crumbled biscuits, equally crumble toffee crisps, a drizzle of apricot, dried lemon peel, and spicy, dried herbs.

Taste: Pale malts with a pinch of toasted biscuit crumbs and a bit of sweet butter toffee. Lightly fruity citrus and a touch of dry, tea-like herbs. Medium-light bitterness. Drying, faintly herbaceous finish with a lingering of that sweetish toffee.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: It's a simple, satisfactory golden, nothing more. Best of luck to ya, Harlem Brewing!

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 22:41:19 | More by ChainGangGuy

scootny

New York

3.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A nice hazey blonde with a good sized off white head and decent retention. A few spots of lace here and there. Smell is light and sweet with a cereal grains and light English ale fruitiness. Some earth as well. Taste is much the same with a bit of honeyed malt and a nice firm earthy hop presence to balance it out. Flavors develop as it warms giving it nice depth and a touch more complexity. A bit of biscuits toward the end. Dry clean finish with a good carbonation to lend a light citrus aspect. Feel is well carbonated and almost creamy with a medium weight. Goes down easy and lend itself to any session you may find. Quenching and clean this is a beer that will satisfy the BA as well as the BMC drinker. Nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 23:38:57 | More by scootny