Soul Doubt IPA
Freetail Brewing Company

 

EVERY TIME I BUY THIS BEER, THERE IS AT LEAST ONE FLAT CAN. THEY DONT HAVE UPDATED EMAIL FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. SHOWS HOW THEY VALUE YOU. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. THIS SHIT SHOW NEEDS TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS.

Thanks to Ozzylizard for this one, from one of his boxes during the recent NBS BIF #14. 12oz can (coded 201209A3AC018. I think) poured into 12oz tulip. Poured a very cloudy dark orange-ish yellow color with over two inches of white head that good retention and no lacing.

The aroma had slightly musty hops upfront, with some citrus behind, on top of a light grain base.

On the tongue, it started out similar, but some brighter, more bitter hops popped through.

The body was medium-full, about average for the style, had a pleasing coarseness, and a semi-dry finish.

Drinkability was good, the kind of IPA you could knock back a couple of.

Overall, a solid brew, one I'd happily have a gain. Worth trying if you see it.

 

pours a dark gold body with an off-white foam head that has moderately high retention and leaves a high amount of lacing behind as it settles to a rocky halo

aroma is green and sweet. low-key pine leaning hops and super sweet caramel malt.

taste pretty much follows the nose. hops are subdued but definitely there. super sweet, near syrupy honestly

mouthfeel is low carbonation and medium body. evergreen bitterness in the finish and aftertaste

overall:
underwhelming hop profile and super sweet bordering on syrup makes an odd brew. certainly wasn't terrible - it definitely grew on me as I sipped along, but I doubt I'll return to it as the sweetness wasn't my particular bag. however, if you are into malty and syrup sweet IPAs that loiter around the pine-hop section without really getting in there, then you may love this one. either way, no regrets.

This is the bier to try when you visit San Antonio. Well balanced, full flavored and easy to find. The brewpub has excellent food and a friendly staff

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a golden color with a one finger head of off white foam. The head has a great level retention slowly fading over time to leave a great sum of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is heavy of a pine and herbal aroma mixed with some light caramel malt and a bit of a bready smell. Along with these aromas is a touch of an earthy smell and a bit of tangerine.
Taste – The taste begins with a bready and caramel malt taste that has a rather decent showing of pine and herb right from the start. The herb gets stronger and stronger as the taste advances and is joined by a touch of grass. In the end there is a touch of a tropical fruit taste that comes along as well, leaving one with a rather dank and more malty taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is average to slightly thicker with a carbonation level that is rather average. For the malty and more dank hop taste of the brew the feel is great and makes for a nice sipper.
Overall – A rather nice dank, and very drinkable brew overall with a good flavor. A nice one to try if you get a chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours out a hazy pale gold golor with an off-white head. Retention is minimal and leaves moderate lacing.

The nose citrusy with a bit of a floral character. There is also a nice grain back bone that i really like.

Very well blanced. Good citrus fruit sweetness with that clasic orange rind bitterness. Everything is in sync and very tasty. Its fresh.

Feels good. Medium bodied with medium amount of carbonation. Its smooth and goes down great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brief impression from a can purchased as part of a Freetail variety box at an HEB grocery:

CAN: 12 fl oz. Standard pull-tab. Aluminum. From the bottom: "PKG092817. YIPPEE IPA061."

"India Pale Ale." 6.8% ABV. 65 IBU.

APPEARANCE: Head is off-white tending towards an extremely pale khaki. Somewhat creamy, somewhat frothy, fairly thick. Retention is above average - ~4-5 minutes. Leaves little lacing on the glass' sides as it recedes.

Body is murky though filtered, and dark copper in colour. No yeast/particulate is visible within.

Appears well-carbonated. Not an incredible appearance for an IPA, but certainly well within style conventions.

AROMA: Caramalt, pale malt, floral hop aromatics, evergreen hop aromatics (bordering on pine without committing), and some herbal hop aromatics.

No overt off-notes, yeasty notes, or booze are/is detectable. Aromatic intensity is average.

Suggests a hum-ho middle-of-the-road IPA with a pleasant but underwhelming hop profile and limited depth of flavour.

TASTE: Herbal flavour joins floral hop flavour and a hint of evergreen in the war against malty sweetness, but - perhaps of the can's light age - hops are the losers in that combat, beaten narrowly by the pale malt and caramalt backbone. The result is an imbalanced beer with ill enough hop pungency and concomitant bitterness. None of its constituent notes are particularly expressive or vivid, and depth of flavour is poor.

Brief flavour duration. Mild flavour intensity. It's wanting.

Hop profile is a shrug.

TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, medium-bodied, slightly overcarbonated. Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, or harsh. A little rough in the mid to late second act, but there's no dragging attributes even if it's a bit too coarse. Unrefreshing. Not boozy.

OVERALL: The American IPA is easily the most oversaturated style of beer today. You've just got to bring more to the table to compete even with widely distributed expressions thereof. With cheaper yet superior beers in the style from the likes of Deschutes, Lagunitas, Bear Republic, and Alaskan sitting on shelves across the United States, it's hard to see how this even has a sliver of market share. Not a beer I'd buy again even if it is drinkable and would no doubt be a little better were it not 3 months old (not that that's a lot of time, freshness obsessives be damned).

C- (2.62) / BELOW AVERAGE

I like this one but its really just another IPA. Pours a beautiful dark amber and leaves a nice lace throughout. I like it but I just dont love it.

 

 

Hazy dark golden color. Citrus, sweet pine, and resinous smell. Slighty sweet flavor that is quickly overpowered by a very assertive hop that ends dry. The 65 ibu is very evident, as is the 6.5% abv. I like the dry finish with this beer, some ipa's I've had leave a sweet taste that make them feel heavy. I like it, will definetly buy some more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz. can poured in Imperial Pint glass
Look:
- Burnt orange color, like warm copper
- Opage
- Medium fluffy head, laces nicely
- pretty in the glass
Smell:
- Mild aroma
- a bit grainy
- mild, but crisp, pineyness
Taste:
- Very malty and roasty
- Mild sweetness
- a hint of coffee roast every now and then
Feel:
- mildly smooth
- mild carbonation
- pleasant and balances the flavors
Overall:
- decent IPA profile, but would prefer a bit more hops
- maybe a bit over-roasted