India Pale Ale - Galaxy Mosaic
The Kernel Brewery

 

 

BD: 07.01.14
BB: 07.05.14
Opened: 07.04.14

A: Nice 2 fingers of fluffy white head which dissipates to a film that leaves very nice lacing. Nice golden color that is mostly transparent, excluding the sediment that I carelessly poured in.

S: Nice and mellow. Some biscuit, then tropical fruit, melon, cantaloupe, light citrus, and a dash of resin. Very nice and the flavors really compliment each other. Well built. This smells like it would be perfect for a summer's day.

T: Just a bit of resin and bitterness. Behind the bitterness is the sweet fruity flavors. Very nice again, and very well balanced. Lots of nuance. The hops are the showcase, and the malt supports them and then gets out of the way. Well built.

MF: Excellent again. Creamy, with a little carb. No trace of alcohol.

O: Best brew I've had from Kernel yet. Very very well done. I'm curious what it would have been like fresher, but this drank absolutely fantastic.

As the hop-curious The Kernel Brewery treks along the American hop varieties, this time landing on the tropical-tasting Galaxy and Mosaic to complement the common citrus threads and biscuity malt backbone.

"Galaxy Mosaic" kicks off with a deep russet gold pour that seems more honey-amber through the center and hazy straw nearest its margins. Its classic dry-hopped haze sheds an off-cotton column of froth that's somewhat arid a liquefied. Its strong retention laces the glass beautifully with concentric rings at each sip.

Bursting with juicy fruit presence, the nose explodes with ripe citrus and tropical fruits and a highly perfumy and herbal tone late that strikes the olfcactories as honeysuckle. Supportive sweetness of thin caramel and honey seems to give a plumper, riper and more vibrant scent to the beer while offering up a cobbler-like scent with its pound-cake scent.

Any early sweetness is short-lived as the taste of honey and caramel are soon awash with hop dominance that ensues across the middle. Smooth and tangy acidity is of ripe ruby-red grapefruit, mandarin and blood orange, and light lemon. Its tropical melange comes alive with pineapple, mango and passion-fruit even as its biscuity sweetness ushers the ale to a quick and clean finish. Softly herbal, the ale closes with the bitterness of chive, fresh-cut grass and mild pine resin, even though a slight catty impression remains.

Its malty-dry body sheds its early sweetness quickly even though a honeycomb structure of bready malt remains- just enough to support the hop flavor and bitterness without attempting to balance it. Its dry and warming finish is unwavering and leaves the palate highly refreshed and satisfying.

I rather like the slightly more malty body in this otherwise classic American IPA- its not laden with specialty grains, yet gives the ale a supple heartiness with nutty and toasty flavors and feels.

Bright yet cloudy lemming yellow and Orange coloring. Malty on the nose, bitter but not pungent, pine resin, lupilin, and herbal aromas. The flavor is all herbal, mildly bitter, barley malt, pine needles, parsley, rose petal and a cannabis leaf. Very smooth on the tongue, bitter but barely astringent, easy and light.

 

 

 

Murky beige to yellow. Doesn't look good.
Strong hit of hops to the back of the nose. Tropical fruit aroma.
Rich citrus fruit flavours. Hoppy bitterness with sweetness in the background.
Medium body and easy drinking.
A very refreshing brew. Wonderful.