Sinus Rhythm

Sinus Rhythm by Ghost Hawk Brewing Co. is being evaluated as a Strong Bitter (2021 BJCP Guidelines Style 11C).

This beer’s aroma highlights very traditional qualities for British Bitters — earthy hops with a subtle note of orange marmalade and light pear-like esters all painted upon a toast-like malt canvas. The malt presence is a bit low in the aroma and this is partially due to the complete absence of any caramel malt, which is a common ingredient in this style but not a requirement.

Noticeably, the blonde color is too light for the style, which should ideally begin at a light amber. The beer has faint haze and shows off a tall collar of dense white foam that has excellent retention.

The flavor is more impressive than the aroma, featuring a punch of bitterness that makes sure the beer lives up to its style’s name. Malt within is rich with deep biscuit and bread crust flavors and nuttiness, but falls short of any significant caramelization. This beer has a dry finish that accentuates the bitterness and makes this beer extremely quaffable. There is no trace of diacetyl, any of which would have been extremely exposed even in small amounts due to the lack of caramel malt.

This is an excellent domestic interpretation of an English pub ale that lacks only a bit of malt richness and complexity to be a world-class representation of the style.