Elbow Fives
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

 

This was another beer that I picked up recently at Gary's in Wayne, as I never had anything from Crooked Stave before. Beers like this are a dime a dozen in this neck of the woods and although this wasn't bad, it didn't quite measure up to what I've become accustomed to in recent years here.

The pour to this was alright as the liquid was golden, cloudy, and reminiscent of a New England IPA. Enough head topped this off as it quietly settled, with most of the lacing remaining in a thick, rocky ring about a quarter of the way down from the top of my pint glass. Sweet stone fruit, white chocolate, weed, and booze were in the nose as the taste contained all of those to a greater extent. I'm not terribly familiar with Azacca and Sabro but there were enough of these hops present as the fruit, bitterness, and heft from the alcohol were all in line with each other, with some resinous remnants on my lips and hints of spicy tea in the mix as well.

This felt stronger than it was in actuality, but there was enough alcohol here to make this an Imperial IPA. Sweet and bready malts gave this the body it needed while the carbonation was nearly nonexistent, as the aftertaste was dank and a bit like vegetable soup in nature. Canned on 6/12, this held up well over the last three months as there were only a few dark bits of sediment at the bottom of the liquid right before I finished this off. This was a textbook example of what an Imperial IPA should be, with some relatively unfamiliar hops. Worth a go once for a slight change of pace from what we're used to here in the northeast!

 

16 oz can, dated 6/12/20. Pours super murky dark yellow with a medium rocky white head that slowly goes to a thin film that laces the glass.

The aroma is minty with green hops.

The flavor is sweet wheat malts with a little fruit and some minty tea like hops that have a resiny finish. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, a decent hazy DIPA.