Caged Wisdom
Odd Side Ales

 

Curious about this new style, I had this beer on tap several months back along with another Brut IPA in a flight. This one excelled and has remained at the top over any others I've tried since. I found it at a grocery store newly stocked but sadly dated 11/20/18, 9 months ago. The beer lived up to my memory. Crisp, clean. The opposite of dank IPAs, which I like but this stands in strong contrast. The dryness drew me to it. Its effervescence makes it a pleasure to drink. The smell is complex and tropical even though I don't pick up on strong fruitiness in taste. The hoppiness makes it a beer any IPA lover should try. Michigan craft wins again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So apparently this style has been around since 2017 but this is the first time I ever seen a Brut IPA on the shelf. Into a pint glass. A bit lighter than standard IPA's with a nice 1/2 inch of sticky froth which leads to pretty good lacing. Smells again of just a dry IPA very citrus hops with a jolt of piney bitterness. I could see the appeal the Brut really makes for a very dry yet crisp smooth bitter hoppy experience. The malts and sugars do a decent job of rounding out this bitterness and every sip has a good hop bite. Body is quite good on spot with light to medium drink ability.

Overall I have another brut IPA but I suppose if the IPA the brewery already makes is great then the brut version with be equally as good if not better.

I’m always excited to try a new beer from this style as I think it combines the bitter hoppiness of an IPA with the crisper dryness of champagne (in a good way). This one pours a nice and clear fizzy golden color with some light and fluffy white head and very scant lingering lacing. Smells mainly of bitter citrus zest hops along with some lighter piney and herbal hops. There’s also some fainter aromas of malt and bread. The taste follows the nose and the citrus is predominately grapefruit, orange, lemon, tangerine and pineapple. The crisp dryness of the brut shines through as the finish is smooth, crisp, quite dry and with a nice mouthfeel. Excellent carbonation. There was the perfect amount of bitterness at the finish and this offering was very enjoyable from an always excellent local brewery.

 

You can see through this one. Nose is a mix of a lager and ipa. Lacing is beautiful. Head is white as can be. Beer is tasty but I cannot put my finger on the exact adjectives. Good beer.

At the threshold where IPA meets champagne, a new drier type of hoppy ale comes in response to the haze; turning the more West Coast type of IPA into an excessively dry, bitter and crisp taste- and far departure from the smooth and juicy trends.

Odd Side Ales roll out a Brut IPA that pours with a sparkling, light golden appearance. As Caged Wisdom floats a foamy arid cap, its scent of hop abound. Citrus, pepper and grasses lead the way along with a twinge of alcohol spice. Expecting a slight measure of sweetness on the tongue, only a glimmer of honey and bread suggests any barley within.

As its militant carbonation bounces vigorously on the tongue, what scant sweetness makes it to the middle palate is quickly carried away. What's left is a tepid starch structure to support the hops that crash the tastebuds with white grapefruit, orange peel and lemon rind. Trending exceedingly dry, the finish comes with a sharp and gripping bitterness of citrus fruit rinds, lemon pepper and an acute resinous nature of freshly torn pine needles.

With a sharp sake-like spice, the mild mannered alcohol begins to show in the absence of any malt disguise, playing tribute to the beer's dry and arid nature. A quick finish of fruit and starch allows the bitter, peppery resins to shine in an extended aftertaste of gullet grippping, slightly astringent bite.

 

 

 

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/4/2018. Pours slightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate pale malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and light body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and grainy/sticky/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.5%. Overall this is an excellent brut IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and pretty refreshing to drink with the moderately bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Feels like El Dorado/Lemondrop mostly. Very vibrant, dank, and earthy hop complexity; nice solid pale malt backbone, with no residual sweetness from crisp dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

Poured from 12oz can into glass. Canning date is stamped '09/28/18'.
Cloudy, pale straw colored body. One finger of white head quickly reduces to islands and ring. Initial reduction results in ring of lacing.
Aroma is of hops but no descriptive flavors, other than slightly dank and grassy/hay.
Taste is influenced by the effervescence of the beer presentation. Taste is earthy and grassy hops. Very slightly sweet but no bitterness, and with a dry finish.
Mouth feel is all tiny bubbles. Good carbonation.
To me this is a very well done Brut IPA. Easy to drink but dry. Minimal sweetness, minimal bitterness, but full of the hops.