Tropical Diabolical
North Peak Brewing Company

 

Pours gold orange with lots of debris. The scent is sickly sweet. I get overripe berries. Upon the tongue, this is pleasant, strong stone fruit backbone that nicely counters the sharper citrus and berry notes. The balance here is terrific and counters the aroma. Visited this brewery back in 2010 …very happy to see them continue to pump out quality beers

On-draught @ Jolly Pumpkin, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

C / AVERAGE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid yellow body; plenty of fine, rapid carbonation rising; thick and billowy head, soft and creamy white; dense sheets of foam coating the glass. Beautiful soft and spicy aroma; powdered sugar and mild citrus scents; faint orange and some pineapple. Very fine flavors; subtle and light cereal grain base; delicate citrus notes offset with some robust hop bitterness; juicy; orange and tangerine. Medium body; coarse and prickly on the palate; gently sweet yet bringing an overall dryness to the tongue.

This is an awesome Michigan brew. Exceptionally balanced with some fine nuance to the flavors and smell. An incredible beer.

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 6/4/2019. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy medium golden amber color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big lightly tart/tangy tangerine, mandarin orange juice, pineapple, pink guava, passion fruit, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, apricot, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/tropical fruits, citrus/fruity/tropical/light earthy hops, and moderate bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big lightly tart/tangy lightly tart/tangy tangerine, mandarin orange juice, pineapple, pink guava, passion fruit, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, apricot, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy tangerine, mandarin orange juice, pineapple, pink guava, passion fruit, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, apricot, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical fruits, citrus/fruity/tropical/light earthy hops, and moderate bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness, and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no astringent hop/fruit flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly sticky, and lightly acidic/tangy/resinous/rindy mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol as expected of 6.66%. Overall this is an awesome fruited American IPA. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical fruits, citrus/fruity/tropical/light earthy hops, and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp/clean/refreshing to drink with the mellowly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish; great soft feel, and not aggressive. Awesome mixed hop profile of Chinook, Simcoe, Centennial, Citra, Crystal, Cashmere, AU Summer & Mandarina Bavaria. Super juicy/vibrant hops/fruit, with light dank/earthy notes; and a great balanced wheat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering tart/tangy/resin drying. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected. Will have to revisit the base beer.