The Great Experiment Volume 4: Honor
Barrier Brewing Company

 

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/17/2019. Pours very hazy deep golden amber color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/bitterness balance, and minimal lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a smooth, creamy/bready/grainy. and sticky/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.3%. Overall this is an awesome NEIPA. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/resinous/drying finish; not overly aggressive. Awesome Citra, Simcoe, Centennial, and El Dorado profile. Very vibrant, juicy, dank, and earthy hops; with a nice sized wheat/oat/malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected of all breweries.

 

 

3rd Review. Gets an almost 4, despite being odd.
a) As noted massive, puffy, shore foam mottled, yellowish head over a hazed yellow body.
s) Grapefruit dominant, with big citrus, pine, grass, hemp, hops.
t) A bit muddled and odd which makes the taste also ran.
f) Light, tang and tickle, nice kissy feel.
o) Too grapefruit & citrusy as most over hopped haze bombs are these days, so in mid-pack.
Grew on me as it warmed, but too citric.

This one was only decent. Canned date 10/17/19 so it was quite fresh. Pours a great looking hazy yellow-orange color with lots of fluffy white head and some nice settling rings of lingering lacing. Smells of some ripe grapefruit, mango and tangerine. Also some floral hops, vanilla and malt. Taste follows the nose, but fairly muted hops with a little too much malt in the foreground. Balance felt off. Sadly almost reminded me of a lager. Mild thin mouthfeel, decent carbonation. Probably wouldn’t try it again.

On tap at Village Tavern in Geneseo, NY.

This one pours a slightly hazy golden orange color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like grapefruity hoppiness, citrus and mango, pine, and grassy hops.

This is much less hazy and gloopy than all the contributing breweries would indicate, but it's still a nice little IPA. There's your usual grapefruit and citrusiness, some light bitterness, some grassiness, etc - this is much less intense than all the collaborative breweries would seem like.

This is light bodied, and much more drinkable than expected, with a creamy smoothness on the back end.

This is unremarkable when compared to the usual ouevre of the collaborating breweries, but tasty in a vacuum.