Luponic Distortion: Revolution No. 014
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

(review from November 2019) Another well balanced, smooth & tasty LD ipa w/subtle flavors as stated of orange, grapes & passion fruit. Not nearly as hoppy as 59ibus labeled.

RB transfer

Clear, bright golden hue, slim ivory head.

In the nose: Bold, bright beautiful citrus and pine. Bursting with hoppy flavor.

In the mouth: Blasts of bitterness from the start, a shower of citrus zest and piney-ness. Just delicious. A barrage of bitter hops on the palate. Light-ish bodied, long bitter finish. Brittle and dry. Big citrus , bright fruit. Right on the money.

 

 

At this point the challenge is describing how this beer is unique from the previous iteration. Same base malts, same clear golden appearance, similar but still different hops profile. White grape, passion fruit, and some peach on the nose. A more tangerine-peach jam note as sipped. Intensely bitter and dry finish. As usual, I like it.

Nabbed this in the flavors through hops mixer pack. Brewed 4/28, only 10 days old.

Look: Crystal clear golden amber color with ample carbonation. A thin cap leaves consistent bands of lacing down the glass.

Smell: The nose is rich with juicy lychee, red mango, baby pineapple, strawberry papaya, bubblegum malt, and mild mandarin orange. Very fruity, floral, and fragrant.

Taste/Feel: A smooth blast of tropical goodness with juicy lychee, red mango, baby pineapple, strawberry papaya, white grape, pear drop, bubblegum malt, and mild mandarin orange gliding across the palate. The bitterness coats and tickles the tongue with grapefruit pith, white pepper, and tomato stalk influence. A touch of tropical honey and purple Japanese honeysuckle balances things out. The medium-bodied mouthfeel has a clean and dry finish that is refreshing and drinkable. The complex fruitiness is indeed reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc, with the hops hailing from New Zealand.

Overall: This was a treat, I'm glad it was only 10 days old when I drank it so the super freshness preserved the intended hop-derived fruity complexity. Very well done.

 

 

 

 

relatively clear, with lots of bubbles. restrained foaming. Aroma is very faint. Seems like it would be very nice. Flowery and sweet, but the only flavor I can discern is a bit of honey. Taste has an immediate sweet, fruity note, and a bitter dry aftertaste without much in between. Mouthfeel is light and pleasant and forgetable.

Pours hazy pale gold. Thin foam. Nice tropical hop aroma. A little sweet and tangy at first but quickly falls flat. Slight bitter finish. Pretty disappointing but not bad. You would think after 14 tries they would have got it right.

 

 

 

 

Firestone Walker Brewing Co. "Luponic Distortion: Revolution No. 014"
12 fl. oz. can, "CANNED ON 10/03/19 10:42" and sampled on 02/27/20
$1.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: I'm just going to jump right in on this one. I'm finding sweetish golden malt in the nose with a floral and orange-accented hoppiness. It's not that strong in all honesty, but this is a little old. The creamy white head has held up really well, and the body is a clear golden. On to the taste... as I suspected the orange is the main note but there is more going on. There's a kind of minty herbal note that's unusual, and plays out straight through and into the linering finish. Hmmmm, it's more than just minty though, I think it's got some sage to it as well. As for the white grape that they list on the label, I'm not getting much but there is a touch. I find more of the Passion Fruit to be honest, It's not that strong of a hop flavor either, but it is definitely fuller than the aroma suggests. I like the herbal hops in the finish - I wasn't sure about that at first, but now I've been swayed. You've got that lightly sweetish, maybe honeyish orange upfront, and then the herbal note starts to build and finally crescendos in the finish. Nice. And although this isn't a massively hopped beer, that's a good thing because it remains "a beer". I could drink a couple pints of this out with my friends whereas sometimes the hoppier beasts get to be a little much and I have to switch up.So what else? The body is medium and it's gently crisp and then smooth across the palate. The head held up really well and it's left some very nice lacing about the glass. So, overall, it's an interesting blend of hops but nothing that will turn your head. Nor is it massively hopped for an IPA, but it's hoppy enough.
Review #6,967

Bought a 6 pack at Winco, drank the 3rd can on Saturday. Half way point, let's go ahead and crank this review out.

Pours the same as all the others. Yellow with a slight haze but not hazy ipa territory. Mild citrus notes in the aroma.

Taste is similar to the other 13 prior iterations of this beer. You have a mild barley body presence that largely stays out of the way letting the slight difference in hop choice have a clear way of showcasing its characteristics. Here the hop choice does for the most part check the boxes as listed in the commercial tug job. There is a white grape like levity to the hope notes evocative of some white wine/grape like feels. Beyond that is that mandarin like presence bespoke of. Pretty serviceable all around and at a good price. Appears like for the foreseeable future, I'll keep banging these out. $9/6 pack at the grocery store makes it an easy choice. Easy to drink and legit has uniqueness into the chosen hops. Keep 'er coming.