Tahiti Substation
Brouwerij West

 

it’s back!

Tahiti Substation pours a dull, murky, light straw yellow, reminiscent of lemon meringue with a soapy, off-white head that quickly dissipates leaving nearly no lacing. The smell is big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, passion fruit with a hint of biscuity malt and slight piney resin. The taste, starts with an odd pepper flavor up front that fades into a plethora of citrus fruits and a slight hint of doughy malt with an earthy grassiness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the second installment of describing three delicious NE style IPAs by Brouwerij West.

This one is my favorite. Starfish was a close second. I wanted to like Fa Really equally, but I think the hops are too typical of West Coast IPAs and they simply do not complement the malt base as beautifully. I will likely score it in the low four range.

L: Poured from a pint can into a Guinness pint glass, it produces a huge billowy snow-white head that consolidates into very large bubbles. The body looks like dilute orange juice with no pulp. Visibly almost identical to Starfish, but the lacing looks more jovial.

S: This one is a touch less bready, and a little more zesty. Tangerine, lychee and papaya take the lead, but are cut by prickly white pepper and basil, then followed-up with Fuji apple, yellow peach, passion fruit, pineapple, mango and honeydew finishing with a really smooth, mellow barley malt presence.

T: This one is certainly the tartest and spiciest of the three, and in my opinion, also claims the most delicate malt/hop balance. Upon sipping, I first taste the soft sweet grain base, which is immediately followed up by zesty pepper and tangerine rind, but it gets sweet again in a tart/fruity way, flaunting honeydew, yellow peach, mango, tangerine juice, pineapple and the apples before a finish that can only be described as creamy. Like... walnut milk?

F: Once again, the feel is unexpectedly heavy for the style and ABV. However, this one has significantly more of a zesty bite than Starfish. I personally think it could still use a little more kick, or I'd give it full marks.

O: This is without a doubt an exceptional beer. I should mention that I picked this up over a month ago, and it still tastes almost identical to the first can, which is very impressive for an IPA. I'm beginning to get the impression that filtration decreases a beer's shelf life.

 

 

 

 

 

Got in a trade with RaulMondesi. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, no can dating. Pours very hazy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, orange juice, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, apricot, pineapple, red apple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus zest, slight pepper/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge tangerine, orange juice, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, apricot, pineapple, red apple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus zest, slight pepper/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Pretty much zero bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, orange juice, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, apricot, pineapple, red apple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus zest, slight pepper/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt flavors. Minimal dryness and no cloying sweetness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and creamy/silky/grainy mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this is a fantastic NEIPA! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt flavors; extremely smooth and refreshing to drink, with the minimally bitter finish. Amazingly soft feel, one of the softest I've had. Extremely juicy CItra/Azacca hop showcase; with perfect spelt/malt balance. Not overly sweet/heavy. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Very similar to the Alligator on flavor/mouthfeel.

A: Moderate hop aromas of citrus and tropical fruit.

A: Orange color, opaque, redolent of juice, with a thick, uniform head with decent retention.

T: Citrus and tropical fruit, with light wheat, mildly sweet, followed by a moderately light hop bitterness through the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and a juicy, soft mouth-feel.

O: Super tasty; the beer has a great tropical fruit character, lightly sweet and juicy. However, the beer needs to be consumed as fresh as possible, because the tropical fruit complexity is fleeting and dissipates quickly.