Wavvy Triangle
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

16oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $5.49 plus tax. Not sure of the date code....1442023. This could mean that this was canned on May 24, 2023. However, there was an instagram post advertising the release of beer around 38 weeks ago. I just purchased this on March 18, 2024. No matter.

Look: After pouring out 2/3 of the can, it is just slightly hazy with a nice light copper orange color. The off-white, two-fingered rocky head dissipated to a rim around the glass pretty quickly. There appears to be a nice stream of fine-bubbled carbonation. Tons of hop proteins and haze at the bottom of the can. It now looks like a liquidized orange creamsicle.

Smell: This smells fantastic! It's really dank with awesome tropical fruit and citrus notes including white grape, gooseberry, mango, papaya, orange, and grapefruit. Throw some passion fruit in there for good measure. Green bell pepper on the finish after swirling the glass. A lot more green notes are present after pouring the sediment.

Taste: The flavors really do mirror the nose quite nicely. The beer is highly drinkable for an 8% ABV Imperial IPA. It has spritzy carbonation and a nice juiciness up front. However, the dry finish is mildly to moderately bitter with a nice crispness. I get some orange chewable vitamin notes on the finish but not in such a bad or chalky way. For sure, the beer became a bit chalky after pouring the hazy sediment; however, it's still surprisingly drinkable and enjoyable.

Feel: The mouthfeel is relatively light for an 8% ABV Imperial IPA. It has a bit of oiliness and chewiness and it's nicely carbonated and spritzy without being overcarbonated.

Overall: I think that this is really tasty, especially considering that it may not be so fresh. I am a big fan of Nelson Sauvin-hopped beers and I particularly like when they lean more West Coast than hazy. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to pick up on the flavor profile that the Motueka and Waimea are bringing here. I know that Motueka often has a lime/lime zest kind of vibe and I am not very familiar with Waimea. I kind of got to taste two different beers in this can - the "naturally filtered" top 2/3 and the "settled" bottom 1/3. I preferred the top 2/3. It would have been interesting to taste a fresh can of this beer when the haze was well-integrated.