Ectoplasm
Fremont Brewing Company

 

This is a collaboration between Fremont and Half Acre. I like both. Also part of the tap takeover at BeerNV before the Alabama show in Lake Tahoe.

Pours golden with that light amber influence in about a 90/10 ratio. 1/3" white head. Aroma pops proprietary hops. Mosaic seems to have the most influence. Tropical bright notes. Pineapple, lychee, passion fruit.

The taste brings a light woody note in the malt bill. Hops keep banging away, but there is a more familiar C hop Columbus that gives a hearty grapefruit bitterness paired up with some weed notes. Throw some melon in for good measure. Its a solid beer all the way around. Ticks some west coast ipa boxes. As ipas continue to evolve and frankly get better, this is a solid one. But is it better than whatever macro regional has at the grocery store? Not really, on the same quality level, just significantly more cost in it. Sure its middle aged on a dating app, but why sink money into it that everyone else didn't?

collaboration with half acre, seems like fremont as been strong on the collaboration game recently, i swear ive seen a half dozen from them this year, anyway, this is predictably excellent, all their hoppy beer is. surprised to see it a little orange tinted, well short of caramel, but not just pale malt in here, their stuff has either been hazy or really pale in recent memory, so this looks slightly more grainy, but that pretty much stops with the visual, this is all hops in aroma and flavor, and quite distinctive too, maybe some experimentals in here, maybe just a unique combination of varietals, but it rules, and its major modern despite the malt. tons of uncommon hop layers here from strawberry candy to sweet mango flesh and coconut, an herbal layer too before it gets bitter, and then as it warms more melon and kiwi, tropical yes, but more than that. some oils swirling from the hops, a little sweetness through the finish, minimal on the ferment, and with some assertive bitterness at the end, very northwestern, although there is enough hop diversity here to suggest some unusual suspects in the hop schedule. grapefruit and grapefruit pith is the last thing i taste, and this malt, for having some color, stays pretty light. cool beer overall, these guys never miss!

 

 

Poured from a 1 Pint can. Canned on 08/29/2022
A nice hoppy West Coast IPA.

 

Was hoping this would take a different path when I heard Half Acre was the collab, this one leans into the West Coast-style with a pretty bittering palate and light carbonation. Not my favorite but not bad.

 

 

2022-09-04
Pint in a can-shaped glass at the brewery.

Pours a clear dark gold, small head, little carbonation. Smell is mild, grassy and resinous, a little bit of hay / grain.

Taste is moderate to light grain sweetness, grapefruit skin bitterness. Very resinous. Bitterness keeps building as I drink it.

Mouthfeel is light, almost thin, a little bit of resin stickiness. Overall, a very nice WCIPA.