Are you familiar with The Green Man? I don’t mean the brewery of which I’m about to speak, but rather the pagan Green Man of some repute. If you need more details, here’s a description from Wikipedia:

A Green Man Sculpture is a sculpture, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit….."The Green Man" is also a popular name for English public houses and various interpretations of the name appear on inn signs, which sometimes show a full figure rather than just the head.

Only natural, then, that Asheville, North Carolina should have a Green Man brewery, rich as the state is with both breweries (the public house connection) and forests (the arboreal connection). Then too, it’s quite amazing the things you can learn from Wikipedia, and it’s no coincidence I quoted from them today. Wikipedia is currently in the midst of a fundraiser, and considering the wealth of information they provide, I donated. Why haven’t you?

Back to the beer. Under consideration today is Green Man Wayfarer Summer IPA. Here’s what they say about it on the label:

Perfect for summertime, Green Man’s easy drinking IPA suits every activity you fancy. This cool ale has a rockin’ citrus aroma and a laid-back finish that is ideal for longer days and warm nights. So pull your hair back, drop the top and put those Wayfarers on, baby.

Green Man Wayfarer Summer IPA has an alcohol content of 5.5% with 45 IBUs. This is, obviously, a summer seasonal though it’s not a “session” IPA. It’s just a good old India Pale Ale on the lighter side of that equation or, probably more aptly described, an American Pale Ale. That’s where I would peg it anyway. It was running $9.99 a six-pack at Bruisin Ales in Asheville. I bought it in early July and drank it in early November. It spent the intervening time well chilled in one of my beer fridges.

Green Man Wayfarer Summer IPA pours to a pale yellow color with a slight short lived head and a soft fruity melon and pineapple nose. Taking a sip, the beer is very light malty up front with more of the tropical fruit notes the nose promised permeating and a dry, slightly herbal aggressive bitterness in the finish.

As a refreshing fruity hoppy APA/IPA, I very much liked this beer. It was very refreshing and crisp, a great summer beer even if I drank it in November. Which, here in Georgia, can be a lot like summer at times anyway. Go and look it up on Wikipedia if you don’t believe me.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

(G)=Growler

 

 

 



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