Soundings Batch 04/11/17
Rising Tide Brewing Company

 

 

 

Terrific juicy, hoppy IPA from RT. Nice!!

I've been a fan of Rising Tide for quite a while at this point, probably nearing on 5 years or so... jeez, where does time go? So, yeah, whenever I see a new release by them, I typically give it a shot without even thinking about it... they're very trustworthy and have an excellent taproom in Portland, ME to boot! This is an experimental hop series, something that's kinda all-the-rage these days. Playing with different hop profiles and lupulin flavors/aromas is fun for brewers and usually the end result is something I can at least appreciate and think about on a beer-judgment level. This one utilizes Mosaic, Simcoe and Azacca hops.

The pour on this is somewhat hazy, and medium-yellow/gold in color. Very, very fine particulate floats suspended throughout the body, and the head here ends up really nice and compact after an initial huge showing. Lace is spectacular as well. Quite nice looking if you don't mind the hop haze. I, for one, do not, so this is a big win for me!

Nose is interesting, for sure. Mango and papaya up front with some candied melon, pine sap and spruce. The pine mingling with the tropical elements is interesting as they kind of mesh together amorphously instead of being clearly delineated up front. I feel like, more often than not, the heady evergreen notes of Simcoe punch through the tropical and citrusy/melon character of Azacca/Mosaic. If you like Simcoe-forward notes in your IPA, this will work for you.

Flavor is along the same line with some slightly juicier fruit notes toward the mid-palate. Fruit gum, papaya, pineapple and even apricot come across on the tongue alongside a crisp and easygoing malt backbone. Slightly prickly bitterness toward the finish with more pine and spruce from Simcoe. Slight grapefruit rind and light melon in the aftertaste. Maybe even a bit floral at times to my tastebuds.

Feel is slick, oily and quite lean with a rather easily-drinkable stature. My cans don't have a listed ABV, but it's probably 5.9% like the other batches have been considering I doubt the grain bill really changes at all. At 5.9%, this is pretty much right in line with other 6%-ish IPAs in terms of body. Just enough to feel like more than a hoppy pale ale but less than an imperial. Alcohol is not really noticeable as bitterness and characterful hops wash it out. Nice stuff here, glad to check it out!