Xahoo
Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

 

12 oz bottle from the Wall of Beer in Clemson SC ($2.29).

Popping the tap let a large burst of compressed air escape the bottle; enough to strongly suggest over carbonation.
Pouring the beer into an oversized .7L tall beer glass confirmed the over carbonation; i stopped with only about 30% of the bottle dispensed and watched as the dense off-white head rose all the way up and over the rim of the glass. Glad I took a hint from the 'explosive' opening and poured this over the sink.

After allowing the head to settle a bit, I smelled and tasted it with the objective of screening for contamination. While I initially concluded this was not an issue I was ultimately not sure. The dominant flavor in this moderately bitter IPA is earthy/herbal hops. This is one of the least, and perhaps the least fruity hazy IPA I've tasted. Not bad, allowing for this departure from expectation.

Overall. OK, but possibly from a bad batch, and with an unusual and surprising resemblance to a Euro pilsener. I'll try to revisit this down the road.

 

 

 

Hazy pale yellow with little head. Not a lot of lacing. Aroma is citrus especially grapefruit. Taste is more of a pineapple-grapefruit combination. Carbonation is light. A tasty beer but not one that anyone will be lining up for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xahoo brewed by Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, with an ABV of 7.00% This New England IPA pours out of a 12oz glass bottle into a pint beer glass. The color is a hazy golden amber color with a nice white head. This is an unfiltered brew, you can not see though this brew. There is also a nice amount of lacing to this brew, it sticks to the side of the glass well. The smell is rich with hop bitterness, mixed with earthy grains and malts. Lots of bitterness in this brew. So far this brew is like most IPA's on the market, not saying that is a bad thing. Now for the taste, it is Bold with flavors, you first pick up on the the hop bitterness mixed with mirror citrus sweetness. Then a nice balance of earthy grains and malts. It is really hard to pick up on the 7.00% ABV in this brew, it is just that smooth. The body of Xahoo IPA is a solid medium. There is nothing overpowering about this brew, it has a real nice balance to it. The mouth feel is Rich, Bold, Hoppy, Clean, Smooth and Refreshing. Overall I am going to give Xahoo aIPA a solid 4 out of 5. I would definitely look this brew up again giving the opportunity to. Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, did a real nice job with this New England IPA.

This is just what the doctor ordered - an NE style that kicks butt. All kinds of funky is in evidence.

The look is over the top hazy - obvious adjuncts. Huge head. The aroma is funky skunky, seriously stinking, like the Roquefort cheese sausage I was chomping while drinking. The adjuncts leave a bit of harshness in the mouthfeel but it is a big experience.

Recommended.

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/22/2019. Pours very hazy/cloudy medium golden/amber color with a 2 finger dense and rocky white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, red apple, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, green pepper, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, red apple, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, green pepper, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, red apple, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, green pepper, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly sticky/resinous/rindy mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is a delicious NEIPA. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with mellowly bitter/resinous/drying finish, nice soft feel. Great Citra, Mosaic & Equinox profile. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a great balancing wheat/oat/malt backbone. Mild residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made attempt at the style.

 

Bottled on 1/18/19. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a hazy and cloudy pale yellow; small white head that fades leaving solid retention and lacing. The aromas have a nice blend of citrus, tropical and floral notes. Some bread and crackers. Some malts. The flavors are very clean, crisp and refreshing. Some orange, grapefruit and pineapple. Some fresh grass. Some pine. Hints of cracker. Solid bitterness. This one is more bitter than your typical "New England IPA". It finishes juicy and dry at the same time, but it's definitely more on the juicier side. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with moderate to active. It's very sharp, crisp, smooth and easy to drink.

This is a pretty nice "New England IPA". The flavors being so clean, crisp and refreshing is what takes this one to the next level for me personally. The hops work well, but it's not like this one has some crazy intense hop presence. Less is more in this case. The craftsmanship is on point and takes this one to the next level. It's enjoyable and fun to drink. Well done. I really like it.

 

This most recent batch fresh out of the tanks into a growler pours a creamily opaque corn milk yellow building a densely fluffy white meringue blanket.

I hope they keep this dialed in to where it's at right now, because this latest iteration is really good. Spicy and dank with peppery cracker, I found it more enjoyable than the fresh DDH Ghost in the Machine I had next to it. Complex cannabis notes are softened by peach and biscuit with accents of Spree.

This has a good froth in the medium-full body before the chewy dry finish.