Super Ripe by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Hazy DIPA
Super Ripe is Great Notion’s DIPA version of Ripe which is quite popular - similar mango forward tropical start but significantly more dank and pine in the second half with medium bitter finish which had some unusual slight sweetness in the background. Overall not bad but Ripe is a much better balanced IPA.
Breakfast of Leisure by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Imperial Pastry Stout
Interesting and well made Imperial Pastry Stout which shows the expected stout characteristics like roasted malts, dark toasted bread, roasted coffee and burnt caramel but also mimics the flavors of a french bread quite well with notes of maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Not too sweet as the maple syrup is more of in the background and the focus is still more on the stout part than the pastry part.
Ghost Town Brewing’s Helles–at 4.8% ABV, the perfect beer for sitting around a beer garden, relaxing and checking out all the cute dogs snoozing under the benches.
Creme de la Creme by Evil Twin Brewing NYC (Ridgewood, NY) - Hazy Triple IPA
Hazy triple IPA which shows the expected fruitiness (peach, orange) upfront but quite subtle, before a lot of dank, piney flavors are taking over. At the same time the milk sugar adds an odd slight sweetness in the background. Dry, medium bitterness finish with a very creamy, nearly viscous mouthfeel. Overall OK but didn’t feel well balanced.
Mucho Mangonada by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Fruited Imperial Sour
Really refreshing mango sour with excellent, not artificial tasting, mango flavor. Not overly sweet and with a nice sour balance - really good sour
Tropic Desert by Other Brother Beer Company (Seaside, CA) - Fruited Sour
Quite tart sour with mainly prickly pear (which reminds a bit of passion fruit in this beer) and lime flavors. No real mango flavors recognizable. Overall more emphasis on the tartness than the fruit components but still quite refreshing.
Sausage Sizzler by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Hazy DIPA
Strong flavor of peach and melon upfront before this IPA turns more towards herbal and spices. Dry, medium bitter finish but there is throughout the sip even into the finish some sweetness in the background which isn’t overwhelming but distracting.
Fleeting… by Ghost Town Brewing (Oakland, CA) - NEIPA
Interesting mix of raspberry and orange upfront but that turns dank quite fast (without taking over the beer completely as there is always some residual sweetness in the background). Overall not bad but somehow feels a bit muted compared to some of their other IPAs
Apex Predator from Off Color Brewing out of Chicago. It’s a saison, malty sweet and a bit tart with just a bit of funk. I like it.
Raw by Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, NY) - IPA
Relatively light IPA with strawberry and orange notes upfront but is mainly dominated by very floral notes with some piney flavors in the background. Very dry, medium bitter finish - interesting IPA and it would be interesting to know how much the unmalted barley contributes to the floral flavor profile
Woody’s Orange Cream by Evil Twin Brewing NYC (Ridgewood, NY) - Fruited Sour
Very nice rendition of orange cream soda but just better - cream soda is often too sweet but this sour adds a nice tart counterbalance which keep the expected flavors of orange and vanilla but makes it much more enjoyable.
Destination Unknown by Fieldwork Brewing Company (Berkeley, CA) - Hazy DIPA
Very nice example of NEIPA with good upfront juiciness (orange, honeydew and peach) and followed with piney and lots of dank, weed flavors. Dry medium bitter finish which still has some slight dank flavors.
+1 I will vouch for that; probably the best DB I know of.
Hedge Bier by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Dry-Hopped Pilsner
Interesting variation on a pilsner as it is dry-hopped which adds some stronger citrus notes but still maintains a bready, biscuit malt backbone with floral flavors. It reminds a bit of a pale ale (or a quite hoppy pilsner).
Provenance (Tangerine and Clementine) by Jester King Brewery (Austin, TX) - Farmhouse Ale
Saison/Farmhouse Ale with a lot of funk and barnyard flavors and surprisingly sour/tart. The tangerine and clementine add hardly any sweetness but more some slight fruit notes in the background. A great sipping beer.
AKA West Coast Pilsner. See, https://chuckanutbrewery.com/bier/citra-pilsner/
Flower in the Kettle by Wayfinder Beer (Portland, OR) - Hazy IPA
Less fruity than most NEIPAs with only some lighter grapefruit notes upfront which turn to a lot of floral flavors combined with some pine notes which overall dominate this beer. Dry, medium bitter finish which still has some hints of floral notes. Good but overall a bit too floral forward.
Hazy by Temescal Brewing (Oakland, CA) - NEIPA
Hazy IPA with some lemon flavors upfront which bring in some light sourness before more piney and herbal notes get more dominant. Very dry, relatively strong bitterness in the finish. Hazy IPA which reminds sometimes more of a WCIPA from the flavor profile.
