Dreamrise DIPA
Relic Brewing Co.

Relic has been pretty hit-or-miss for me but I guess we'll see how they handle a double IPA.

Pours a semi-solid golden yellow color with some fine hazy suspended particles throughout if held up to light and examined closely. Head is thin and doesn't form too well overall, but the lace looks extremely consistent and the way the bubbles stick to the rim of my glass is quite nice. Overall, I can forgive the lack of head retention due to the other factors that impress me here on the outset.

Nose is dank and green-onion forward with some light citrusy and pine notes along with some slight lemon candy and grassy elements. I get a bit of mango pulp, papaya and tangerine in there but mostly earthy and dank onion-y notes. Hmm... not exactly what I expected or was looking for, but I kinda like it anyway. It's even sort of juicy with some orange pulp here and there. Interesting and surprising nose here. Not fully buying in to it but I like it on its own merits.

Flavor is where this starts to take a bit of a dive. At first, it comes across with a slight pine sap/resin kind of flavor before transitioning to crackery malts and bright citrus. The finish is weirdly sweet and doesn't seem to have any kind of definite endpoint, though, which leaves me hanging in a pretty bad way. I don't really like the inconclusive finish on this beer, and it's one of the weirdest issues I've had with a DIPA recently. Something about this is just too sweet and candy-ish... like lemon or orange-flavored hard candy with no bitterness or complexity in the finish. It just feels incomplete to me.

The feel is a little bit weird too, with a too-heavy aspect to it that makes it stick around too long on the tongue despite the flavor not warranting that kind of longevity. I want to like this more but it feels like it needs a little work to really get it to the next level. Hope they brew it again and work on it, cuz there's something really nice here, especially going off the very solid nose and good-looking pour.

A: cloudy; medium gold in color; 1 finger white head that receded to a splotchy cap; nice lacing;

S: dank with pineapple and orange in the background;

T: very dank- marijuana-ish; mild bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: a nice showcase for Eureka;

 

 

 

 

My first Relic. Freezer 16 oz can dated 5/14 ... One month to my taste. Cloudy dark gold/straw color and aroma of Eureka hops pop all the way to end. Loved the bitter snap of the first mouthful. Slight overly fruited and the malt gives it a slightly creamy/chewy feel. I'll have to cruise the cooler for more fresh Relic's. So many choices out there. Great era for local beer........

 

 

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On tap at 2 Bros. Pours a hazy burnt orange color with an inch of flufffy head. Some lacing. Fruity and dank aroma. Orange, grapefruit, blueberries, and lemon. The taste is more of the dank hops followed up by pine and the fruits. Grapefruit, berries, orange, guava and pineapple. Grapefruit and dank hops at the end with a bitter finish. Fair amount of alcohol heat. Dry mouthfeel. Another Relic Imperial IPA worth seeking out.