8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at Tip Tap Room, 8/30/17.
Heavy haziness, bordering soupiness and a bright, golden-maize color with a large, dense, well-retained, white head.
Lemon, white wine and honey/biscuit provide for a fairly straightforward, but very well-executed nose. No sign of resin or alcohol. Not intensely aromatic, but with some light perfume/floral/spice character and light earthy/mineral character that this hop can provide. If it's not as bold, lush and juicy/tropical as Galaxy and Nelson, it's every bit as interesting.
Soft, juicy and lushly-hopped with very low bitterness and zero resin/twang. Pillowy malts are well-attenuated and the beer finishes creamy, almost with gentle bitterness keeping balance. Spiciness increases with warming. Very well-made and with a tight carbonation and no flaw or alcohol. This is a hell of a series.
Heavy haziness, bordering soupiness and a bright, golden-maize color with a large, dense, well-retained, white head.
Lemon, white wine and honey/biscuit provide for a fairly straightforward, but very well-executed nose. No sign of resin or alcohol. Not intensely aromatic, but with some light perfume/floral/spice character and light earthy/mineral character that this hop can provide. If it's not as bold, lush and juicy/tropical as Galaxy and Nelson, it's every bit as interesting.
Soft, juicy and lushly-hopped with very low bitterness and zero resin/twang. Pillowy malts are well-attenuated and the beer finishes creamy, almost with gentle bitterness keeping balance. Spiciness increases with warming. Very well-made and with a tight carbonation and no flaw or alcohol. This is a hell of a series.
Tried
from Draft
on 17 Jan 2018
at 13:56
7.8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draught at Tip Tap Room, 8/30/17.
Clear copper with strawberry-auburn highlights and a pink head that is full and well-retained.
Without knowing what this was, I guessed strawberry, cranberry or tart cherries (wrong on all three counts). Seemingly well-attenuated, whatever it is with mineral and funk but low acidity. Biscuit and light cereal from the grains add to the picture of a rustic farmhouse ale with light fruit juiciness sitting on the clean, alcohol free end.
Lightly fruity, cherry-raspberry-like character in the mouth mixes with light cereal-like notes, whitebread and finally tart fruit acids on the end. Tight carbonation, strong attenuation and soft texture. Bit bready, however, and with the acidity and tartness from the grapes maybe dominating somewhat.
Clear copper with strawberry-auburn highlights and a pink head that is full and well-retained.
Without knowing what this was, I guessed strawberry, cranberry or tart cherries (wrong on all three counts). Seemingly well-attenuated, whatever it is with mineral and funk but low acidity. Biscuit and light cereal from the grains add to the picture of a rustic farmhouse ale with light fruit juiciness sitting on the clean, alcohol free end.
Lightly fruity, cherry-raspberry-like character in the mouth mixes with light cereal-like notes, whitebread and finally tart fruit acids on the end. Tight carbonation, strong attenuation and soft texture. Bit bready, however, and with the acidity and tartness from the grapes maybe dominating somewhat.
Tried
from Draft
on 17 Jan 2018
at 13:45
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draught at Tip Tap Room 8/17/17 and at Lulu's on 1/3/18.
Very hazy, bright, lemon-golden with deeper bronze hues and a small, fairly dense, white head atop showing moderate retention.
First impressions give a touch of dough, cereal and "sour" overly bitter Simcoe and/or Mosaic. It's very heady, perfumey and somewhat punchy with traces of resin on the end. With warming and breathing, however, this softens in to more of a mango-lemon-pineapple character, though the aroma never gets terribly strong. The resin/grapefruit/pine never builds up and there is no alcohol. Malts are fairly sparse, adding light cereal and honey.
Malty and sweet in the mouth with a fluffy texture and low but mostly engaging carbonation. Gains a reasonable dryness on the end with some of the punchiness from the nose translating to bitterness on the end. Pine, grapefruit and lemon, yet the resin never comes, thankfully. Mango-pineapple-lime continue to emerge with warming and ward off the grapefruit. Remains spicy, almost perfumey throughout, but the texture really shines through, soaking up the unwanted bitterness and softening things greatly. By the end of the glass, it's highly enjoyable.
Very hazy, bright, lemon-golden with deeper bronze hues and a small, fairly dense, white head atop showing moderate retention.
First impressions give a touch of dough, cereal and "sour" overly bitter Simcoe and/or Mosaic. It's very heady, perfumey and somewhat punchy with traces of resin on the end. With warming and breathing, however, this softens in to more of a mango-lemon-pineapple character, though the aroma never gets terribly strong. The resin/grapefruit/pine never builds up and there is no alcohol. Malts are fairly sparse, adding light cereal and honey.
Malty and sweet in the mouth with a fluffy texture and low but mostly engaging carbonation. Gains a reasonable dryness on the end with some of the punchiness from the nose translating to bitterness on the end. Pine, grapefruit and lemon, yet the resin never comes, thankfully. Mango-pineapple-lime continue to emerge with warming and ward off the grapefruit. Remains spicy, almost perfumey throughout, but the texture really shines through, soaking up the unwanted bitterness and softening things greatly. By the end of the glass, it's highly enjoyable.
Tried
from Draft
on 11 Jan 2018
at 15:10
8.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Draught at Tip Tap Room, 6/22/17. Quite hazy, though not soupy/cloudy, warm-toned honey-bronze with strong copper hints and an off-white head atop that is rocky and shows moderate retention. Great minerality in the nose from the NZ hops. Lots of spicy, floral and white wine-like characteristics creating a very heady aroma that comes off lighter than 8.2%. Malts, while being a fairly standard biscuit-cracker-like base, do show a bit more sweet honey-bread-like character, as well, which helps round out the otherwise very dry character. Grape must is light but apparent and augments/complements the NZ hops without getting too acidic or dominant. Juiciness grows and grows with warming/breathing and it becomes quite rich and rewarding over time. Alcohol is well-concealed and there is no flaw or resin. Sweet, succulent grape and malt notes are balanced by grape and hop acidity, which itself is controlled/moderate. Biscuity/crackery malts help break up the softness of the malt and grape, adding a more varied texture. Low but very tight carbonation carries and concentrates the hop flavors on to the finish where lime, white wine, passion fruit, earth and various mineral notes all congregate quite harmoniously and enjoyably. Gets a bit sweet and and the grape must becomes fairly strong, as the glass empties, but it’s well-done, better than most/all of the Dialed In variants, in my opinion. Alcohol is well concealed and no resin, doughy yeast or flaw is noted. Draught at Ashby, 4/22/22. Holy shit this is way better than I recall. Perfect balance, beautiful minerality. Incredible nose.
Tried
from Draft
on 16 Aug 2017
at 16:06
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at Tip Tap Room, 6/22/17.
Brass-golden with light copper hues, thoroughly hazy bordering soupy and a small but fairly dense/firm, off-white head atop.
Surprisingly not as much difference in the nose from the Citra/Mosaic version as I’d expect based on significantly different hops. Granted, citra can mirror Galaxy in quite a few ways with their overlap of tropical notes. And to be fair, there is some white wine and stronger minerality here than in the other version, but I was expecting quite a bit more deep, lush spice, black pepper and/or passion fruit notes. Still, what’s there is enjoyable, just very dry and almost herbal, with light white grape and even a floral character lingering. Crackery malts, again, leave the hops to do their thing, although light honey-like maltiness does emerge with warming/breathing. No dull/doughy yeast, resin, flaw or alcohol.
Soft, malty texture is dotted with crackery, grainy notes that add a bit of complexity, shall we say. Moderately-low but very fine carbonation helps concentrate the wonderful hop bouquet which is heavily spicy and floral, with meyer lemon, light passion fruit and white wine on the finish. Lots of pineapple, kumquat and nectarine rind with sweeter key lime and red grapefruit emerging as it warms. A hint of sharpness/resin on the very end, probably more due to the high attenuation and strong dryness than anything but otherwise free of flaw and alcohol. Like the Citra/Mosaic version, a very lovely beer. This one is less explicitly juicy and takes some time to unlock the tightness that Galaxy often displays.
Brass-golden with light copper hues, thoroughly hazy bordering soupy and a small but fairly dense/firm, off-white head atop.
Surprisingly not as much difference in the nose from the Citra/Mosaic version as I’d expect based on significantly different hops. Granted, citra can mirror Galaxy in quite a few ways with their overlap of tropical notes. And to be fair, there is some white wine and stronger minerality here than in the other version, but I was expecting quite a bit more deep, lush spice, black pepper and/or passion fruit notes. Still, what’s there is enjoyable, just very dry and almost herbal, with light white grape and even a floral character lingering. Crackery malts, again, leave the hops to do their thing, although light honey-like maltiness does emerge with warming/breathing. No dull/doughy yeast, resin, flaw or alcohol.
Soft, malty texture is dotted with crackery, grainy notes that add a bit of complexity, shall we say. Moderately-low but very fine carbonation helps concentrate the wonderful hop bouquet which is heavily spicy and floral, with meyer lemon, light passion fruit and white wine on the finish. Lots of pineapple, kumquat and nectarine rind with sweeter key lime and red grapefruit emerging as it warms. A hint of sharpness/resin on the very end, probably more due to the high attenuation and strong dryness than anything but otherwise free of flaw and alcohol. Like the Citra/Mosaic version, a very lovely beer. This one is less explicitly juicy and takes some time to unlock the tightness that Galaxy often displays.
Tried
from Draft
on 16 Aug 2017
at 13:27
8.8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
Draught at Tip Tap Room, 6/23/17.
Drab, brassy-bronze body is thoroughly hazy, though not quite soupy. Off-white head atop is frothy/rocky and shows moderate retention.
Spicy and with tons of unripe pineapple and a smattering of dainty honey-like malt notes mixed in, the beer shows a little less cohesion than the Roam I had previously. With warming, more malt and grains notes show forth, as well as deeper, juicier hop notes, but it remains less soft and richly juicy than the Roam and is slightly interrupted by a bit of alcohol on the finish. Lots of grapefruit and floral characteristics here. Very sparse, cracker-like malts, perhaps even biscuity wheat and a hint of light pine resin.
Soft and a bit more loosely carbonated, yet with plentiful pineapple, red grapefruit and meyer lemon. Cracker and honey from the malts both sweeten and yet break up the body, at times, with lots of grapefruit and spicy hop notes lingering and fair amount of bitterness mixing with a touch of alcohol. Still shows a good degree of maltiness and attenuation but straddles the line between NE and WC IPA and, I think, tends quite a bit more towards the latter. Which is of course fine, but not my thing personally. 7/4/7/4/14
Draught at Brendan Behans, 6/2/18.
Heavily hazy, cloudy, brilliant white gold. Small, well-retained, white head.
Fruity, juicy, spicy with kiwi, melon lime and strong mineral. Wow. Cracker and biscuit are light and supportive. Hint of pine but no resin or alcohol.
In mouth it's juicy, dry and flavorful with perfect bitterness and softness, yet not thick and creamy like so many NE IPAs of its size. Spicy, almost Galaxy-like mineral with nectarine, kiwi and meyer lemon. Perfect texture. Definitely upping the score.
Drab, brassy-bronze body is thoroughly hazy, though not quite soupy. Off-white head atop is frothy/rocky and shows moderate retention.
Spicy and with tons of unripe pineapple and a smattering of dainty honey-like malt notes mixed in, the beer shows a little less cohesion than the Roam I had previously. With warming, more malt and grains notes show forth, as well as deeper, juicier hop notes, but it remains less soft and richly juicy than the Roam and is slightly interrupted by a bit of alcohol on the finish. Lots of grapefruit and floral characteristics here. Very sparse, cracker-like malts, perhaps even biscuity wheat and a hint of light pine resin.
Soft and a bit more loosely carbonated, yet with plentiful pineapple, red grapefruit and meyer lemon. Cracker and honey from the malts both sweeten and yet break up the body, at times, with lots of grapefruit and spicy hop notes lingering and fair amount of bitterness mixing with a touch of alcohol. Still shows a good degree of maltiness and attenuation but straddles the line between NE and WC IPA and, I think, tends quite a bit more towards the latter. Which is of course fine, but not my thing personally. 7/4/7/4/14
Draught at Brendan Behans, 6/2/18.
Heavily hazy, cloudy, brilliant white gold. Small, well-retained, white head.
Fruity, juicy, spicy with kiwi, melon lime and strong mineral. Wow. Cracker and biscuit are light and supportive. Hint of pine but no resin or alcohol.
In mouth it's juicy, dry and flavorful with perfect bitterness and softness, yet not thick and creamy like so many NE IPAs of its size. Spicy, almost Galaxy-like mineral with nectarine, kiwi and meyer lemon. Perfect texture. Definitely upping the score.
Tried
from Draft
on 16 Aug 2017
at 12:49
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at Tip Tap Room, 6/23/17.
Heavily hazy, going on soupy, brass-blonde with light copper hints. Off-white head atop is medium-sized and shows moderate retention.
First sniff and I’m already sold. Juicy nectarine, pineapple and even light mango belie the lack of Austra-NZ hops in this and the mosaic is tame on the pine front, showing much more ripe stone fruit and round citrus. Crackery-biscuity malts are done near perfectly, showing through only as much as needed and leaving the hops alone. No doughy or bland yeast and no alcohol, flaw or resin. Pretty proto-typical NE pale ale though there’s a touch more citrus and a good dose of honey-like maltiness lingering as it warms and breathes.
Dry and yet malty in the mouth with a soft texture boasting low but engaging carbonation. Zesty lime, orange, dank spice and pineapple are met by light amounts of biscuit and cracker with some sweetening honey-like maltiness on the end that helps balance the slightly above-average, for the style, bitterness. Quite robust and flavorful for a 5.7% pale ale. I assume this uses an English yeast strain yet the esters are much more relaxed/light and it isn’t bubble gummy or melony like Tree House. Yet it’s also not sharp and boozy like much Trillium (though that’s just a product of churning out the beer quickly). Lovely stuff. Big juice character and great attenuation.
Heavily hazy, going on soupy, brass-blonde with light copper hints. Off-white head atop is medium-sized and shows moderate retention.
First sniff and I’m already sold. Juicy nectarine, pineapple and even light mango belie the lack of Austra-NZ hops in this and the mosaic is tame on the pine front, showing much more ripe stone fruit and round citrus. Crackery-biscuity malts are done near perfectly, showing through only as much as needed and leaving the hops alone. No doughy or bland yeast and no alcohol, flaw or resin. Pretty proto-typical NE pale ale though there’s a touch more citrus and a good dose of honey-like maltiness lingering as it warms and breathes.
Dry and yet malty in the mouth with a soft texture boasting low but engaging carbonation. Zesty lime, orange, dank spice and pineapple are met by light amounts of biscuit and cracker with some sweetening honey-like maltiness on the end that helps balance the slightly above-average, for the style, bitterness. Quite robust and flavorful for a 5.7% pale ale. I assume this uses an English yeast strain yet the esters are much more relaxed/light and it isn’t bubble gummy or melony like Tree House. Yet it’s also not sharp and boozy like much Trillium (though that’s just a product of churning out the beer quickly). Lovely stuff. Big juice character and great attenuation.
Tried
from Draft
on 16 Aug 2017
at 12:21