Empyrean
Omnipollo

16oz can. Poured out a slightly cloudy, golden orange color with small, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left sticky rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of orange, pineapple, biscuity malt and pine. Sweet topical fruitiness with toasted caramel and a piney bitterness.

 

Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a one pint can on January 14, 2021.

 

Canned early December, which is disappointing but pretty standard for Twelve Percent brews. Poured into an IPA glass.

A: Thick, turbid gold with a semi-creamy white head that laces well.

S: There is definitely tropical fruit, sort-of generic in nature, with notes of citrus and cereal grain.

T: Somewhat earthy and citrusy here, with that same tropical fruit puree and a bit of clingy bitterness that I feel in a different way than most NEIPA's; bready dough and yeast character abounds as well. Subtle but present sweetness throughout.

MF: Mild hop bitterness as it opens up into the middle of the mouth; the malt body carries this into medium-to-full body territory, with mellow carbonation. A bit thicker than I prefer.

O: Nothing terribly wrong here. I don't know if its the age but I don't get the Nelson and Galaxy 'pop' that I expected, I would say the Citra is dominant at this point.

Pours a big foam in the narrow-waisted IPA glass, and the brew is quite cloudy. Lush and sudsy in the mouth. Quite sweet is the next impression. Hugely aromatic. Taste is all orange with a distinct bitter and acidic bite. Mellows out somewhat in the aftertaste but I'm still reluctant to take yet another gulp.

This is quite sippable if you like something strong and sugary. The aromatics make it worthwhile, but it's like distilled orange marmalade. Brewed by Twelve Percent in North Haven, CT. From the 16 oz can purchased from City Beer. Dated 12/01/20 on the bottom.

Here I go again on my own; goin' down that hazy road I've always known. Sip after sip, beer after beer, it's all the same. When a brewery doesn't know what to sell, then sell the haze. With the popular hops of Citra, Galaxy and Nelson, Omnipollo's Imperial New England-styled IPA is simply the next stop on this hazy road.

Turbid in its pale matte taupe appearance, the beer pours like loose yeast slurry. As it builds a creamy dense head, the citrusy, herbal and cereal scent rounds the nose like citronella, hemp and bread dough. Sweeter on the tongue, its richer pastry breadiness coats the tongue in a soft cloying fashion.

With the hops growing on the middle palate, the full and fruity taste comes in waves. Tropical notes of pineapple, passionfruit and papaya strike first and then with a citrusy complement of orange, grapefruit and lemon. With hints of peach, apricot and mango rolling around on the palate, the fruit punch character is complete. Trending rich with cereal, the late palate is malty, starchy and generally lacking balance.

Full bodied and bready from start to finish, the smooth finish of the beer is a result of absent bitterness for balance, refreshment or complexity. It's basically a starch-heavy, cereal heavy tropical fruit punch with a splash of vodka-like spice. Any measure of dryness or hop bitterness would have made this a wonderful beer.

I got a can of this beer off the single shelf from my local beer store just around the corner. It poured a hazy orangish with white head that is leaving some lace. The scent had dank citrus peel notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with sweet citrus start that turns a tad sour and bitter at the finish with boozy highlights. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had good carbonation. Overall it is a solid beer.