Mean Green
Northampton Brewery

 

Poured from a 16 oz can packaged last week, into the test glass
A - Sunflower gold color, nice clarity, with a gentle pour, Haze drops in at the end. Carbonation is gentle, feeding a thin ring that leads to excellent cirrus lacing.
S - Piney, with some orange and papaya.
T - Follows the nose well, but the weight shifts more toward the tropical side, add pine apple to the mix
M - Medium in body, sweet start is quickly balanced out with that piney bitterness, well executed in this aspect.
O - A well done DIPA with the nod to the west coast, this offering is quite good

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had this on tap at the brewery. The beer had a murky orange-yellow appearance with thin retention but thick lacing on the sides. Hop aromas filled my nose when I smelled the beer with mostly a spice orange-peel aroma mixed in. Taste was mostly a bittersweet lemon citrus flavor with a sour aftertaste. I did like the mouthfeel of this drink; nice and crisp. Overall, I liked the aroma dimension the most to this drink.

 

 

 

I've had this a few times, seems to be a regular tap.

Pours pale bright orange, slightly hazy, small white head but retains decently.

Smell/taste - Some decent hop flavor, earthy, grassy and some citrus, huge baked bread and pale malt is tasty but overpowers the hops a bit. Decently bitter, nice finish.

Good mouthfeel, good amount of carbonation.

Decent at $4.50 a pint. Could use stronger hop flavor.

On tap yesterday at Northampton Brewery. Served in a snifter. Pours out an opaque dark amber with minimal head that is gone by the time I take the first sip. Light lacing at the top but none after about half an inch. Tiny cloud in the middle of the beer with no ring around the side making it look like juice. Aroma is mostly hops and a strange cocoa/caramel like smell. Hops are mostly earthy and floral, different from most DIPAs I have had. The caramelly scent throws me off and feels out of place in this style. Aroma has good strength at least and doesn't fade. Taste is also lots of hops with a large amount of bitterness. I get a hint of alcohol every now and then. Hops are earthy and floral and I wouldn't mind a bit of citrus/fruit in here with them. The caramel hint seems to take over and throw off a DIPA taste. A strong malt backbone helps balance a decent hop profile. Alcohol becomes strong later on. Mouthfeel just didn't do it for me here. Could use more carbonation and substance. A huge bitterness coats the tongue with no warmth. The small body doesn't go with the big flavors and I like a decent amount of carbonation in hop bombs. Drinkability is decent. Good taste with a decent price. I want more from a DIPA in body and hop flavors. Worth a try for a different type of DIPA.

Had a half pint of this with lunch today.

Look was of a slightly cloudy light orange brew topped with a white one finger head, decent lacing.

Smell was distinctively of clean pine and subtle citrus, slightly astringent.

Taste was of more intense grapefruit and lemon flavors with a pine aftertaste and a bitter bite to the end. Good pairing with the turkey panini I had.

Feel was good, carbonation kept it refreshing and not too weighty. Drinkability was a little less due to the astringency, good brew. Would have again in the half pint.

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub, described as "insanely dry-hopped" on the chalkboard.

12oz glass presentation. Minimal head over slightly cloudy dark golden brew, with average lacing. Aroma is pungeant citrus and pine. Taste starts with sweet pale malts, quickly defined by the dominant hops character. Mouthfeel is a tad thin perhaps, with drinkability good for the style as a result. Not a bad offering.