Instant Karma
Fremont Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

2017-07-08
16oz can served in a pint glass. Canned 06/28/17.

Pours very hazy, very pale, not much head, medium carbonation. Smell is juicy -- a little mango, pretty strong orange.

Taste is again juicy, maybe a bit more on the mango side than the orange side.

Mouthfeel is moderately thick and moderately chewy. Overall, good beer.

 

Appearance is typical for the style: watered-down OJ, but not too ugly, in this case, b/c it doesn't resemble some kind of slurry, which can happen with these beers. Smell is cat pee (in an unoffensive register), oranges, some tropical fruits, and some je ne sais quois. Taste is pineapple (and lots of it), lemon zest, pine needles (haven't tasted them, but I can imagine), and peppercorns on the finish (which keeps it interesting, but may well be divisive).

I'm quite positive I preferred BS to this, and fairly positive I preferred Phantom Chair to this, but it's still one of the best, and more complex/challenging, NE-style IPAs that Fremont has brewed. I'm less sure, however, and for that reason, that it will be universally embraced...

I had this beer on-tap in a mug at Special Brews in Lynnwood, WA, one of the collaborating bottleshops for this project.

Appearance: super turbid light gold hue with a finger of frothy ivory foam. This is the haziest of the hazy.

Smell: rich and fruity with good citrusy notes. I like it.

Taste: herbal and fruity with a good grapefruit character. It's prickly and refreshing.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and creaminess. Not bad, but the way this looks, I feel like it should be creamier.

Overall: a fruity and refreshing IPA; I really dig it.

 

Poured into a Fremont pint glass. Pours a very hazy, almost milky caramel amber with a thin white head that dissipates to large patches with slight lacing. Quite aromatic, with pineapple, guava, lemon, orange, grassy and dank hops. Flavor is hoppy, with mixed tropical fruit, lemon and orange family citrus, hints of pine resin and camphor. Finishes with pleasant fruit forward and herbal hop bitterness. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A classic Northeast style hazy fruit bomb of an IPA. The hop flavors are fresh and aromatic, almost reminding me of a fresh hopped ale. This style of IPA often tastes great to me at first, but loses its hop flavors to fruit juice at the end of the glass, but Instant Karma keeps delivering herbal hops flavors throughout. One of the better IPAs of this style. The can graphics are wonderful, I wish this wasn't a one-off, I'd like to see this can (and the IPA) again.

 

 

Canned 06/28/17, enjoyed 06/30/17
A: Murky pineapple juice, large bubble head quickly disappears.
S: Juicy ripe pineapple, guava, peach.
T: A good hop bite with firm bitterness, tropical fruit, citrus, hops definitely dominant. A hint of light malt and yeast on the finish.
M: Fluffy, creamy, pillowy, typical NE-style IPA.
O: Tasty! A great salute to our many outstanding bottle shops in Seattle.