Sun Temple IPA
Spice Trade Brewing / Yak & Yeti

 

16 fl oz can:

B- / WORTHY

 

 

 

 

I liked this one, and while I didn't have it at the restaurant, I bet it would go great with their food. It's their New England IPA, but it's not hazy, and has a bit higher ABV than their house IPA. It's definitely not the juicy fruity New England style beer that's hot right now, but a nice compromise of that and a traditional IPA. Nice work from this brewery.

 

From a 12 oz can (dated September 15, 2017) to a tulip. Now packaged under the "Spice Trade" name instead of Yak and Yeti.

A-Despite being advertised as a NE-style IPA, Sun Temple is mostly clear and traditional in its rusty orange coloring. Head from my pour starts at almost two fingers tall before fading steadily. The foam is off-white and shiny; it leaves some clingy lacing on the glass.

S-The aroma of this older can still packs plenty of tropical and floral hop notes. I'm picking up a lot of enjoyable peach and mango, but also a heavy dose of floral flavors. There is a moderate amount of pithy orange bitterness here. The beer smells juicy, but I would not place this example completely into the new-school juice bomb category.

T-The taste tracks the smell closely. I am still getting heavy doses of mango and peach, some bitter citrus, and lots of floral notes. The malts are doughy and moderately sweet for the style, but the citrusy bitterness overwhelms all semblance of malt flavor on the long finish.

M-The body is medium to lighter than average with lower than average amounts of carbonation. It drinks easily, but leaves a little bit of stickiness on the palate.

O-This is a pretty tasty beer. It nicely pairs juicy, fruity hops with a healthy dose of bitterness and just enough malt to provide balance. The bitterness gives it a welcome layer of complexity. I would buy more of this.