Haze County
Hops & Grain Brewing

RB Transfer

Thanks again to leftpaw for bringing this out in July 2018 around the pool.

Pours an amber hazy cloudiness, 3/4" white head, which is nice, but a definite pretty face/ugly body, which immediately makes you think of Nia Jax. A little bit darker than your average ipa if you're not counting black ales. The aroma was not the tropical fruit bomb the commercial tug job spoke of. Grapefruit, yeah, mango, nah.

Taste was a little bit different, even though there was a grapefruit nose, it didn't really kick that grapefruit hop bitterness despite the 65 ibu claim. Definitely not a crisp, light or dry body, mouthfeel or finish. Has a sweeter juiciness that strays further from the light. Its oily. The tropical fruit notes do start to come in, but its like they were never part of the traditional beer ingredients, its like just adding straight up juice to a finished beer. Laughing at the "sustainable" marketing on the label. Between that and the "deliberate and expressive use of hops" I don't know what is funnier, in an unintentional way.

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a hazy orange amber color with a one huge billowy head of puffy white foam. The head has a good level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave a great level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is very heavy of a orange juice smell with some other tropical fruit aromas of a tangerine, mango and pineapple. Along with these smells comes some aromas of a herbal hop as well as a bit of a some light grapefruit and a little bit of a musty and hay smell. With a touch of a apricot and a tiny bit of herb, one is left with a very sweet and delicious smell overall.
Taste – The taste starts off with a big sweet tangerine and orange taste that has other sweeter flavors of mango and papaya blended within. Along with these tastes comes some doughy flavors as well as a little bit of a grapefruit hop. As the taste advances even more sweetness of a fruity nature comes to the tongue, being of a pineapple and more mango and papaya. Some hop flavors of a herbal and earthy nature come to the tongue more toward the end, and with some hay and yeasty tastes that come along, one is left with a very tropical and citrus sweet, and moderately/more lightly hopped (for a doble IPA at least), but very smooth and enjoyable, taste to linger on the tongue
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is slightly more chewy with a carbonation level that lower. For the tastes of the brew the feel is great and makes for a slow but hearty sipper.
Overall – While not a hop powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination, the brew does have a nice slightly more fruity and sweet taste that is well blended and balanced. Overall a very tasty brew.

On tap. Cloudy orange color with cream colored head. Smells of grapefruit. Smooth feel. Very juicy, citrus flavors with some earthiness as well. Surprisingly not bitter for a DIPA.

4/1/19 canning date

A: Pours a nearly opaque pale orange. Tall and frothy tan head. Excellent head retention with lots of lacework left on the glass.

S: Smells like pure tangerine and orange juice. That is not an exaggeration.

T: More of the same. It's identifiable as a beer now at least :D Huge amounts of tropical fruits, tangerine mango and citrus galore. Even get some spicy and dank pine. Quite sweet and juicy throughout. No sign of bitterness whatsoever.

M: Smooth and oily.

O: Crazy juicy beer that unfortunately goes a bit too far. Very sweet with no bitterness to balance. It's good, it just needs a little tweaking and it would be a lot more drinkable.