Head Smasher
Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon

 

Considering how very unimpressed I was with Fathead's head crusher, I was stunned by how much I enjoyed this beer. On tap at Beergarden the other day.

The beer pours a golden amber color with good head retention and lacing. Frankly, I was expecting the worst when I stuck my nose in the glass, but almost shouted out with joy with what I encountered. There was a fairly sweet, somewhat piney and sauterne-like nose that was most impressive. Many of the Fathead IPA's have a level of dankness that I find a bit over the top, but not this beer. It was fairly light, and added another element of complexity in an already impressive nose (also seemed to pick up some peach and apricot). The flavor profile replicated the nose fairly closely, though the sweetness level was a bit more than I normally want to see in a TIPA. Still, there was pretty decent bitterness as well, and it tended to buoy and balance the sweetness level pretty well. Mouthfeel was fairly full, though I thought this TIPA carried it's alcohol and sweetness very well (no heat, heaviness or cloying attributes on the finish).

Probably the best new TIPA I have tried in some time. Maybe not quite as good as the notorious, but this is really an impressive effort.