Hop In Hand - Trident
Breckenridge Brewery & The Farm House

I went out to get something tonight with nothing in particular in mind, and found this at a store that I only go to when the store I usually go to is closed (they close early and I have not the wherewithall to learn their hours). Extremely pleased with this purchase.

The packaging says it is a tropical IPA brewed with Trident hops. I do not really know all my hops but know I tend to like tropical IPA's, so I went for it. Upon popping the tab when I got home, the strawberry-rhubarb aroma hit my nose from like a foot and a half away, and I knew this had to be decanted. Poured a hazy, lightish-amber into a snifter-style beer glass, a good inch of head, just a good-looking beer overall.

The nose is crazy good. Strawberry, sweet, a little tart, and there are some hops peeking through there as well. It's not a total fruit basket (not that I have any issue with that). The taste is distinctively Breckenridge D/IPA - really balanced, especially notable in their imperials. Starts sweet, progresses to a little sour, and finishes lightly bitter. Alcohol is noticeable but not offputting, and the mouthfeel is pretty perfect, with the malt giving it a good backing. Holds up well.

Overall, this is a damn satisfying beer, and tastes super fresh. This is up there with their 471 and 472, and tastes like it came out of a tap from the brewery. Get it if you see it.

RB transfer

 

Poured into a tasting shaped goblet: color is gold, hazy but not thick, head is off white with fine bubbles and presents 1 finger thick, head dissipates to thin top with lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is light sweet malt, mixed tropicals, some grapefruit pith, tough to distinguish hop profile.

Taste is similar with a mixture of hop flavors and light malt sweetness: mixed tropical notes, light/moderate citrus, lighter malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel is lower carbonation, moderate sweetness, slow building bitterness that lingers on the tongue.

Overall a decent IPA with nice mixed aroma/taste but its tough to break it apart and identify the flavors, still I found it easy to drink with a more typical hop bitterness.

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy (40-50% opaque), medium, dull orange color with a strong white head. SRM of 11-12. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of strawberry, pomelo, passionfruit, and dragon fruit. (3.75)

Flavor: The flavor follows the nose with more strawberry, pomelo, passionfruit, and dragonfruit. A slightly plastic flavor, but overall authentic asian flavor of pomelo and dragon fruit.

Feel: Medium to heavier bodied. Moderate carbonation. Juicy and sweet on the palate. Not overdone. (3.75)

Compared to Lagunitas Super Cluster IPA 10/19/21: Pours a hazier and darker color. More strawberry, pomelo, passionfruit. Less orange citrus.

Overall: A very good and interesting IPA. Nice showcase of the Trident hop. Very tropical for sure. I get mostly east-Asian tropical notes including pomelo, strawberry, passionfruit, and dragon fruit. Lacks citrus which is a nice change of pace for an IPA. Glad I tried this one and learned more about the Trident hop. This was a well-made IPA. (Final Rating: 3.82+)

Hazed amber appearance with a lasting egg shell white head and good lacing. Muted aroma displaying a bit of tropical fruit. Taste is a little more interesting as bitterness competes with all the fruity aspects. Notes of citrus, tropical fruit and passion fruit are bouncing around on the palate. Malts seem content to just add some balance. Dry, dank aftertaste. Best by date of 11/04/21.

Pours a slightly hazed gold with 2+fingers of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Tropical fruits, breadyness

T: Follows the nose some passion fruit, blood orange & dryness up front. Grassyness & sour orange as this warms, some lime notes along with dryness, a little doughy sweetness too.
Finishes dry with grassyness, lime & passion fruit

MF: Medium body, low carbonation, okay balance

Kind of run of the mill, maybe I don't like this hop variety?

 

I forgot which brewery did this. They all start to blend in after awhile, right?
12 oz single can, best before 8/14/21, into newly acquired Bell's Wheat Glass.

Pours a very pretty hazy amber-orange with a creamy 2fingerhead that recedes to 1 and leaves a little lacing.

Aroma is distinctively west coast grit with a rough edge pipebowl and pine, but what floats on top is the massive hit of mango, strawberry jam, papaya, red grapefruit, pink starburst, and bubble gum. Very good.

I'm getting a very slight hint of onion/spoilage off the bat, but it's not too bad yet. I'm *very* sensitive to caramel malt IPAs going bad - it has to be super fresh for me. After this I get some cannabis, pine, red grapefruit, strawberry, and honey. This is all wrapped up in a big caramel malt profile. This is not your typical juice nowadays. It's heavily seated in the west coast style. For what it is, it's not bad.

Feel does the very rare and odd thing of actually numbing the tip of my tongue like novacane. And as I drink it more, it numbs my throat. I don't like that. It has quite a bit of alcohol burn, and is fluffy with quiet carbonation. It is like drinking throat spray. Not a fan.

Overall, Hop In Hand was a beer I was more than sure I'd not return to, and I was right, but it was nice for a one-time trial on a stupidly humid afternoon. Will probably not finish due to the throat numbing aspect of this thing.

I think I do like these Trident hops and will try to make a beer from it.

$1.99 @ Taylor's Pantry

12oz can. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, fluffy white head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of pine, toasted caramel, toffee and some floral notes. Sweet citrus, other fruits, toasted caramel and a subtle piney bitterness.

Best enjoyed by 8/14/21. 12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours a hazy golden; fluffy off-white head that falls leaving great retention and sticky lacing. The aromas are malt forward with lots of crackers and breads. Caramel is there along with mild citrus notes. The aromas might not be the boldest, but they slightly open up as it warms. The flavors are ultimately clean. There's a nice amount of citrus coming through, especially orange. Some grapefruit as well. More caramel coming through. The flavors are bittersweet. Solid bitterness with a subtle sweetness. Slightly sticky. Solid malt backbone. Finishes juicy. Mild warmth in the finish, but it's not hot or boozy at all. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's fluffy and smooth.

This is a decent DIPA. It's nothing too crazy, but there's something about it that I really like. It's kind of old school, but in a good way. It's enjoyable and fun to drink. This one definitely grew on me. I like it.

This really isn't that good but from what I can remember from past experience the Trident hop is there and this does taste like a general ipa just nothing I'd recommend. However I'm on a soapbox right now and at least this tastes like SOMETHING..... looking at you V2K and American Haze Voodoo Ranger.

Aroma is bread/grains, tropical fruit and a hint of pungent hops. The flavor is fruit, malts/grains, tropical fruit, slightly oily texture and a very bitter /spicy hop/mildly sweet finish.