Fuzztex
Fort George Brewery + Public House

16oz can from Brewers Haven. Hazy yellow pour, fizzy head leaves islands of foam. Light citrusy aroma, grapefruit. Taste is soft and juicy, zesty smooth. Went down way too fast.

 

its so cool how these guys take a staple beer like vortex and play with it every year with some really cool other breweries, combining philosophies and ingredients and such with some of the foundational beers and breweries of the region, just fun. usually i am against messing with the flagship stuff, but these are always so smart and well done, i think it brings positive attention to vortex not distracts from it, these guys just do everything right! i havent had much structures beer, including fuzz, which this one partners with, but both my father in law and i were blown away by this, one of the best hazy types we have had in ages, maybe since their pizza pals this year! definitely now in search of fuzz, but i will be stoked to drink on this one while its around, thats for sure. i love how blonde and creamy looking this is, sunny yellow colored, pretty thick but so bright still, hazy without the dullness of the conventional murk bomb, and a nice pillowy inch plush of whipped white head from the can. aroma is punchy and bold, juicy for these hop varietals, less intense woodsy and pithy simcoe character, some dankness we see less of usually in the hazy types, yellow peach and ripe apricot, white grape and lemongrass, summery notes for sure, and absolutely peak freshness as well, earthy off dry grain base to me, oat forward, nothing green or overdone at all, but high saturation to my nose anyway, the contribution of the cryo is apparent. the flavor is just as good as the nose, white grapefruit is indeed there from the simcoe, more than i could smell, some white coconut, meyer lemon, honeydew melon at full ripeness, light mid palate sweetness but not really grainy to me, trace vanilla and even floral honey in play there, all hop nuance i assume, lots more of the soft citra coming out as this warms a little. very light late bitterness just crisping it a little bit, smooth with the oats and the length the hop oils add, good carbonation, fuller but not heavy or filling or fatiguing to drink at all, really remarkable overall quality, fruity chinook at the end is a cool note, this hop doesnt get enough love in this context i dont think. this is top notch!

 

A first for Vortex: a NEIPA-style. Pour is a yellow-tan, light head. Get your aroma right when the can is open; that's your first and only chance to pick up the full range of hops you have on hand. Plenty of body, moderate dryness, long and clean finish, no hint of harshness or overly bitter.
Dominated by fruit, it turns each sip into its own taste adventure.

Just 7% ABV

Poured from a 16 ounce can dated 3-30-26 into a tulip glass at refrigerator temperature.

Appearance- Pale straw, very hazy, white creamy head, slightly above average head retention and lacing.

Aroma- Grapefruit, pine, peach, between medium and high strength of scent.

Flavor- Grapefruit, peach, pine, pineapple, between medium and high strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Between thin and medium body, average carbonation, mildly mouth warming, highly prickly, mildly creamy, mildly astringent, mildly dry finish.

Overall- Pale straw and very hazy with slightly above average head retention and lacing. The bouquet was a pleasant mix of grapefruit, pine and peach with medium-high strength. The flavor followed the nose with the welcomed addition of pineapple notes. The mouthfeel consisted of a between thin and medium body with a highly prickly character, mild creaminess and mild astringency. Overall, this was an above average beer in all categories and a nice example of a NEIPA.