Daisy Cutter - Half Acre - The Brew Review Crew

Review by Cory Smith

Even though it’s late August, it finally feels like summer. It’s 85 degrees, muggy, and all I want to do is sit indoors and catch up on Breaking Bad (I’m so addicted it’s disgusting). Yesterday something changed my mood. Yes, it’s still hot and muggy, and I still want to watch Breaking Bad, but I received a package from Chicago that included one of my all time favorite beers: Half Acre’s Daisy Cutter

As the name suggests, Daisy Cutter is almost viewed as a lawnmower beer in the craft beer industry. I’ve mentioned in my review of Indigo Imp that a lot of breweries now are focusing on extremes. Hops, alcohol content, dark malts, liquor barrel aging — all of them are being crammed into beer, and almost no one is focusing on just creating the best drinkable beer for a hot day. To me, that’s what Daisy Cutter is, but before I say too much, let’s get into the breakdown.

Appearance:

Daisy cutter is a light copper, to orange color in my brand new Dogfish Head IPA glass. I have been waiting for a good beer to test this glass on, and this one lives up to the hype aesthetically. I mention that it’s my first beer in this glass because I don’t think I poured well enough and ended up with a HUGE amount of head on this drink. As you can see in the picture, the white, pillowy head is peaking out of the glass. It makes for a great picture, but I am scared that I released too much carbonation and will now be undercarbonated when I get to the tasting. Daisy Cutter is pretty hazy, but I love seeing the bubbles ascend the glass and open up this beer.

Aroma:

Just as I remember, this brewery has the dry hopping process down pat. The nose explodes with citrus, hops, fruitiness, and some crystal malts. It’s as if I’m rubbing fresh, juicy citrus hops in my hands and driving them into my nose. In my mind, it’s everything I want in a pale ale’s aroma: hoppy, slightly malty, but most importantly inviting me to take the first sip (which, by the way, I’ve somehow avoided as I write this).

Mouthfeel:

As I mentioned, this is more like a lawnmower beer than a double IPA. I say that because Daisy Cutter is slightly thin compared to other pale ales, but that helps you drink more, and more, and more of it. Yes there is a good amount of bitterness that hits the back of the tongue, but this is not a beer that coats your lips and tongue with a thin layer of bitterness. I’ll also call user error when it comes to carbonation. As I feared, my bad pour has lead to low levels of carbonation. Frankly, it has almost ruined my experience with this beer, but that’s why I ordered more than one!

Taste:

Daisy cutter may smell like the best of IPA’s, but it lives up to the Pale Ale name very well. It’s almost shocking how this beer is not overly bitter and hoppy. It is like smelling a lemon slice, squeezing that slice into a glass of water, and then drinking the water. It’s delicious, and there is a definite hop presence, but this “ain’t no lemonade”. It goes down smooth, and easy, and the initial taste of resiny, bitter hops dissipates quickly. Half Acre did not try to combat the heavy hop bill with sweet malts, instead it is almost like a watered down IPA; in a good way.

Conclusion:

I have family in Chicago, where Half Acre brews and distributes Daisy Cutter, and every time I go to visit I make sure I get at least one glass. I’m not going to say it is the best beer in the world, and that everyone will be as crazy about it as I am, but I do believe that it is a nearly perfect representation of an American Style Pale Ale.

I’m a bit of a hop head, but I don’t love how a lot of hoppy beers destroy your palate. If you read Stone’s Ruination label, they mention that it will ruin your taste buds if you drink it, tongue in cheek of course, but that really does happen. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone from drinking one IPA to drinking another and realize how badly they clash. Individually they’re great, but one after the other makes your taste buds cry.

I have to give this beer a 4.8 out of 5, almost an A+. The low carbonation may have impaired my grading, but I just don’t think I can call this a perfect beer yet. I appreciate the balance that Daisy Cutter brings. Hoppy on the nose, smooth on the palate, and just overall delicious. If I had a yard, I’d be mowing it and drinking this.