Science Magic
Brouwerij West

Science MagicScience Magic
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From:
Brouwerij West
 
California, United States
Style:
Brut IPA
ABV:
7.1%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.2 | pDev: 6.67%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
10
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 05, 2021
Added:
Oct 02, 2018
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
Our take on the enigmatic style of Brut IPA. Full bodied, with a crisp bone dry finish. Mecca Grade, malt raw spelt, citra, centennial and motueka hops.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by RaulMondesi:
Photo of RaulMondesi
Reviewed by RaulMondesi from California

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Well, I’ll give it one thing: it’s cleaner than Elizabeth Taylor in her Sunday best circa ‘My Life with Father.’ Now, that’s a good start, but is it tasty like supper at Del Monaco’s? As I size this bad boi up, he’s kinda looking back at me, thinking, “Want to rumble?” And I think I do, so let’s go.

Appearance is a straw blonde like Kim Novak circa Hitchcock whatever. Aroma? Taste? Super dead grass (I’m talking Super like Cigar trampled all over it). Again, very clean, but whatever that dead grass hop is is fairly prominent. And do I like it? I’m in-between. At the end of the day, it’s nice like a stroll down Montana Ave. And venture back? I think I would.
Oct 08, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.85/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
This is one of the rare hoppy beers that I picked up at Total(ly warm beer) Wine. Always nice when you can score a single can at these prices.

Pours something closer to a hazy ipa in the appearance, muddled gold here with 1/2" white head. The nose is largely an orange, grapefruit grassiness kind of hop bouquet. To my knowledge, this is the only Centennial/Moteuka combo I've ever had, and its a good one.

Taste was good, I kept liking the old school meets new school hop vibe going on here pushing similar notes to what was in the nose, really think Centennial should be used more given its multipurpose abilities and its relative affordability compared to proprietary hops. Hit that nice meld of bitterness and flavor. Decent dry mouth feel, not distinctly a brut ipa though, like I said, pretty cloudy. Motueka gives that little flash of more exotic fruits than Centennial. Alcohol was not noticeable. I liked this beer, but I also know of about 300 similar beers that are closer and comparable to me (prolly an understatement).
Mar 05, 2021
Photo of TheBrewsky
Reviewed by TheBrewsky from California

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Canned 11/28/18. Haven't had much experience with 'brut' IPAs, but I am excited to try nonetheless.
L: Pours that bright, hazy yellow in color that I have grown to love, at least when it comes to NEIPAs. Very hazy in appearance, zero clarity. About a finger of a loosely packed white head that dissipated quickly. Very generous amounts of lacing clings to the glass. Look-wise, it's right up my alley.
S: Flaked oats is the first thing I notice, providing a bready sweetness laying the foundation. Up next, I smell the usual citrus, namely orange, lemon and grapefruit. Mild notes of apricot and melon and grape.
T: Loaded with tropical and stone fruit. The passionfruit, papaya and mango flavor is dominant, but there is a good amount of that apricot/peach flavor as well. The white-wine grape comes through at the finish, which is dry and somewhat effervescent.
F: Soft and pillowy. Medium in body and in weight. This feel is right up my alley as well. No abv, carbonation is appropriate and not as high as other brut ipas that I have had.
O: As I've said before, I have little experience with brut ipas. Truthfully, this taste more like typical NEIPAs than other brut ipas, but that works for me. The NEIPA plus white-wine riesling grape flavor works well, and something that I am willing to try more of. I am very grateful to have tried. Cheers!
Feb 16, 2019
 
Rated: 3.97 by festizio from California

Jan 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by PprBurke from Virginia

Jan 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.42 by UCLABrewN84 from California

Dec 13, 2018
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Got in a trade with RaulMondesi. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 9/20/2018. Pours very hazy medium golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, orange juice, lemon, lime, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, light pepper/pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge tangerine, orange juice, lemon, lime, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, light pepper, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, orange juice, lemon, lime, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, pepper, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately cream/bready/grainy, sticky/resinous/rindy, and fairly crisp balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 7.1%. Overall this is an incredible IPA. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/resinous/drying finish; not overly aggressive. Kind of a cross between NEIPA and Brut. Amazing Citra, Centennial, Motueka profile. Extremely juicy, and fairly dank/earthy hop complexity; nice bready spelt/malt backbone, with minimal residual sweetness from crisp/resin dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as expected.
Oct 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4.6 by BrandonM7227 from Louisiana

Oct 19, 2018
Photo of fmccormi
Reviewed by fmccormi from California

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Straight pour from a 16oz can to a flared pilsner glass—AZ Wilderness’ Wilderpils glass. This has a canning date printed on a sticker near the top of the can which reads “Canned On 09/20 2018”, making this beer 20 days (just under three weeks) old at the time of consumption. Purchased from a cooler at the brewery, and it went straight into my fridge later the same day.

Appearance (5.0): This pours out two solid fingers of bone-white foam, capping a perfectly hazy, bright straw-yellow body with warm, golden undertones. The head dies down slowly, leaving a cratered meringue surface tied to the rim of the glass by thick, stiff foamy webs of lacing that circles the glass completely. This is absolutely gorgeous.

Smell (4.5): Ooh, this has a gorgeous orange hard candy aroma emanating from the can; from the glass, there’s a subtly balanced bouquet of navel orange flesh, fresh cut grass, rolled oats, common crackers, lightly toasted baking soda biscuit crusts, mango flesh, and lemon zest. A touch of cannabis comes out as it opens up, but more than that it leans into the dry, starchy scent of common crackers mixed with big, fresh mango flesh.

Taste (4.25): Okay, so there’s a lot of bright, sweet tropical fruit notes that feel watered down a bit like orangeade, allowing a disproportionate amount of tartness to come through with the fruit. A blend of Cara Cara and Seville orange flesh mixes with gooseberry, fresh cut grass, edible flowers and macerated garden herbs, and a touch of passionfruit nectar. The malt/grain notes observed in the nose are magnified here, but not at the expense of dryness: rather than fill out the beer with a doughy body, it’s just the starchy, dry shell of common crackers and cracked barleycorns propping up the hops and in turn absorbing some hop bitterness. That last characteristic of the flavor has the effect of augmenting the hop bitterness, pulling out just edge of a near-astringent yellow grapefruit zest note, while also fabricating this beautiful minerality reminiscent of a very good vinho verde. No sign of booze. Dry as hell.

Mouthfeel (4.5): This is surprisingly swishy and smooth for being so incredibly dry. The body washes in with a very silky, oat-like feel leavened by pithy hops and starchy grain. Carbonation, meanwhile, is firm and ubiquitous, but not coarse like champagne. It’s assertive, laying down an even and total blanket of tingling, less-than-pin-prick bubbles that foam up evenly and eagerly. After the hops and grain lighten the body as much as they do, it allows the carbonation to wash everything away quite cleanly. This is pretty goddamn crushable for 7.1% ABV. It drinks more like a gose in that way. The only thing that slows it down is just how aggressively dry the beer is, which is also what adds so much character.

Overall (4.5): I think what’s going on here is the accelerated dryness of the beer has the effect of punching up the bitterness, the feel, the drinkability, and the crispness of the grains, and really pumping up the unforeseen minerality of the palate. But, that’s just the stylistic, arguably gimmicky side of the beer. What’s also evident here is the excellence of brewing skills that went into this beer. You see it in the appearance, the feel, and the balance of hops, malt, and yeast byproduct (especially that minerality). This may be a new, trendy style of beer, but Brouwerij West hit the nail on the head like they’ve made a dozen other Brut IPA recipes and it’s just normal for them now. Very highly recommended, and I really, really hope we see more of these!
Oct 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by TinFang from California

Oct 02, 2018
Science Magic from Brouwerij West
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 10 ratings