Hop Dust Torture
Sly Fox Brewing Company

It's a demerit for the starchy stark white foam on top, instead of a proper beer head. It takes up about a third of the clear glass liter mug and it's not pretty. Instead, it recedes ridiculously unevenly, leaving a puffy mound in the center. The glass lacing is sparse and irregular. Beers just shouldn't look like this and the culprit is always substituting wheat and/or oats for barley malt. First impressions aren't everything, but if this tastes among the greats, it will be quite the surprise. Beneath the foamy mess, after the pint can is emptied, lays a rather pretty dark golden-amber liquid. It's rather opaque, but not murky at all. The aroma strikes the nose with sharp piney and resinous hops. Maybe there is redemption forthcoming. It drinks like an incomplete West Coast IPA. It has the resinous hop taste down pat. There's no malty counterbalance balance expected within this style, so no deduction for its absence. But, the thin body is a problem, much Ike many within this style. Most beer drinkers want to drink beer, not just hop juice. This is great at delivering a sharp and resinous hoppy taste, with piney being its best reference. But, overall, even for its style, this relies solely on its hop delivery, which is good, but it doesn't make it a great beer.

Sly Fox Brewing Co. "Hop Dust Torture"
16 fl. oz. can "BEST BY:07/17/22 #6456 12:22"
$3 @ Docs World of Beer, Phila., PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: A hazy golden-orange body is capped by a thumb's width of antique-white foam. The aroma is bready and slightly honeyish alongside notes of citrus and delicate pine. On to the taste... as is quite often the case the flavor follows the aroma almost exactly. Some additional tropical character is present (mainly pineapple) and there's also some light peach and grapefruit. A firm bitterness balances it leaving it lightly sweet upfront but dry in the finish with some delicate spiciness, some earth and pine, and a light touch of lingering mint. In the mouth it's medium bodied on the fuller side and gently crisp. All in all this is solid and very well made go-to IPA, but at the same time it's not really anything out of the ordinary. I can live with that.
Review #8,375

Can dated "best by 7-16-22" (I prefer a "canned on" date so that I can make my own assessment of the freshness or lack thereof) into pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy honey-gold with a nice off-white head. Great lacing. Initial impression is grapefruit, lime, tropical fruits, pine, pepper, and maybe a hint of cherry. Mouthfeel is clean and fresh. Finish fades to a spicy, piney bitterness. Overall, a good take on the West Coast style. Not spectacular, but enjoyable.