Calypso Single Hop Imperial India Pale American Wheat Lager
Evil Twin Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great burnished golden-brown color; excellent limpid shine, crowned by thin but persistent ecru swirls of head. Big, dry-sticky aromatics follow, first asserting wheaty sugars and mild, blanched breadiness; there are some difficult-to-place herbal qualities lying behind those carbohydrate plumes, however, with notes of cilantro, pickled tea-leaf, dill-weed, and some slightly-bitter forest-floor-rot, akin that one note sometimes expressed by the more dankly-herbal Pinots. The flavor, meanwhile, is not quite as expansive or expressive, with the Calypso's bitter marjoram components predominating. There is, nonetheless, a presiding and refreshing dryness, thanks to the wheat-base and lager yeast—as well as a bit of that expected grain-fruit attendant to lagering—and this dryness nicely cuts the aforementioned bitter majoram and grass-jelly taste-elements, at least to a degree. The textures aid in this endeavor, too, with excellent buoyancy and bubbliness, a medium-thin viscosity, and a touch of lager-bite all elevating the cleanliness and keeping the "Imperial" bent from becoming imperious.

Tasty experiment—and a nice litmus of Calypso's complexities—but also lacking that balance, and smack of a little something else, that would render it truly great. Even amongst hoppy Imperial Lagers—one of my favorite styles—this Evil Twin effort is a minor cut below.

 

22oz bottle - so this is another overt 'meeting of styles', an IPA blended with an AWL (FWIW). Fuck - poor decisions all around, eh?

This beer pours a hazy, medium copper amber colour, with a near teeming tower of puffy, finely foamy, and sort of creamy dirty white head, which leaves some sudsy layered lace around the glass as things eventually subside.

It smells of zingy mixed domestic citrus rind, gritty and grainy pale and wheaty malt, a touch of earthy yeast, and further leafy, herbal, and weedy hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, a separated wheaty graininess, more muddled orchard fruitiness (pear, orange, and underripe red apple), hovering malevolent yeast, and a consistent earthy, piney, and leafy hoppiness.

The bubbles are quite active in their probing and game-setting frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and so-so smooth, as both of the titular inputs' typical astringencies put down their unwelcome roots here. It finishes off-dry, the grainy and now somewhat biscuity mutt-ish malt combining with the big hoppy citrus and green forest floor essences to fend off the encroaching inherent booziness.

Overall, this is a veritable kitchen sink of kitschy brewing, um 'character', as there is just too much going on here to really define anything in or of itself. Yeah - ok, this is indeed a hopped-up, boozy wheat lager (hah, almost got ya there, didn't they?), which ain't no great thing in concept, but in reality, I could easily drink up the rest of this bomber, if I could simply forgo using my words - all righty then!

Pours a cloudy amber with a full fluffy ecru colored head. Faint scent featuring grassy citrus hops and a candy sweet caramel to balance it out. Maybe a hint of sulfur that is very fleeting.

Flavor is malt forward initially. Some caramel sweetness gives way to a fairly strong hop bitterness. Sharp nearly astringent finish. Hop flavor comes across as grassy with citrus overtones. Mouthfeel is medium plus. Lingering sweetness.

Overall an interesting amalgam of a beer. I'm not sure what the lager qualities added to the beer as it seemed under attenuated. The wheat seemed to reduce clarity and increase head stability, but I had difficulty picking it up in the flavor. Enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a silly over ambitious style of beer! ... is what you might think until you try it.
Poured from a 22 oz. bomber into snifter.

Look - What an imperial american wheat ipa single hop ... fuck it this beer is golden wheat and beautiful!
Smell - has a sweet grain /. hop smell to it. Maybe slight more booze should be expected.
Taste- I mean it is spot on for every single descriptor in is name ! Has a great wheat taste, a nice hop bitter, and a super smooth finish that you'd expect from the combo.
Feel - feels like a slightly more hoppy wheat beer. Which ends up being spectacular (especially in that finish) . I don't know for certain but I feel like they hit the perfect carbonation on this one.

Overall. It's a damn good beer. I've read some of the lesser reviews, and I hate to say it , but you're wrong.
This is true to whatever style it decided to go after with all those styles in the name. And for that it has to be noted job well done.