I’m giving three stars because maybe my nose and tastebuds are missing something, or maybe I got a bad batch. When I opened the package of Galaxy I was waiting for the explosive tropic and citrus notes. What did I get? Bland earthy smells…I thought, maybe I’m developing COVID. Good thing I was also using Strata hops that day. So I open the bag of Strata to see how my nose was operating for that day: boom, dank and tropical smells like you read about. That ruled out COVID. So, ok, first impressions of Galaxy are not so great. Let’s see how it performs in a brew. I used a total of 5 ounces of Galaxy hops (FIVE) in a 5 gallon brew plus 1 ounce of Strata. All hops were used at flameout or dry hopped. The result? Zero tropical or fruity aromas. The beer has a pronounced Earthy and/or mineral feel. I’ve had a sulfur issue in the past (with a lager that I pressure fermented and should not have pressure fermented). This is not sulfur. It makes me think the hops were expired, but that’s hard to believe given the high demand for these hops. I have to say, I very strongly suspect the hops I purchased were not up to the standards of what Galaxy hops should be. I’ve been happy with Amarillo, Strata, Citrus. Mosaic, Idaho #7, Enigma…you name it. I was super stoked to try Galaxy since I was holding out on purchasing because of the price. What a letdown this has been. If this wasn’t a bad batch, then I can’t tell you why this hop gets so many rave reviews. Maybe in a few months I’ll buy again to see if it was me, or if it really was a skunked batch of hops. I still have 11 ounces of these hops to get through. Do I potentially ruin future beers, or just throw that $20 in the trash? I’m too cheap to toss it. If the next brew turns out to be trash, then I’ll be convinced the hops I got were bad, or Galaxy is just a terrible hop (I’m gonna go with my hunch and say it’s the first option).