The Mage
Relic Brewing Co.

 

 

 

I remembered having this a few years ago and being blown away. Trying it again to see if its as good now. It is excellent. One of the best Relic offerings. To me, its almost emblematic of everything they do. Its a dangerous double, in that it tastes so good and is so easy drinking that you forget your drinking something boozey as all get out. Now thats not to say its boozey tasting. It isnt. You know its a heavy beer but its quaffable af. Resist the urge to glug, here. The flavor is wild with tropical fruit and even a little bubblegum here n there. Theres a note of earth there too, slight dank or just a mild grass bitterness that settles on your tongue, a subtle, yet vital component here. To me this beer shows the superiority of mosaic over simcoe. You're getting that earthiness but without being overpoweringly dirty. Id like to see this as a single ipa version in six packs just so I could drink more of it.

This was the first beer that I ever had from Relic and I know I traded for it quite a while ago. I thought this was a New England IPA when I poured it out and it wasn't just because of where it was brewed. Easy to drink and relatively typical of the style, there wasn't anything to dislike about this but nothing in particular stood out to me as well!

To me, the label looked like something out of Dungeons and Dragons and that is probably a theme among their other beers with names similar to this. That was the most unique aspect of this beer as the pour was a typical muddled Goldenrod with plenty of fluffy head to top it off. Some citrus and star fruit in the nose but there are hints of lychee, onion, scallions, and grass as the taste was quite turbid, dank, and spicy. A crisp mouthfeel and underlying lime bite came through as this warmed up as this was quite slick and went down easily. Hints of mint came through in the aftertaste as this felt like a breath of fresh air in the aftertaste, even if the beer itself wasn't quite that...

Just the right amount of booze was in this as it was complementary to the flavor profile without overpowering it or not being up to par. A bit of orange cream sweetness tied everything in together, reminding me of the better brews that I've had from Greenpoint and Other Half here in my neck of the woods. Good stuff that was undated on the bottom of the can, held up well, and never felt like an Imperial beer throughout my session with it. Nice job by Relic on this!

It's becoming more and more rare that double IPA's balance more rounded fruits like passion fruit and melon which is why this entry from Relic is so genuinely surprising. I love the deviation from the norm and buy these wherever I can find them.

16 oz can poured into a tulip pint.

Appearance
Hazed-out, cloudy pale-blonde. Short creamy white head. Cool can.

Nose
Peach, passion fruit, tangerine, papaya, mango, lychee, and candy sugar.

Taste
Overripe grapefruit, musky mango, and tangerine. Touches of peach and passion fruit. Dank, piney, and earthy. Some Aspirin bitterness.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, juicy, crisp, smooth, and lightly bitter.

Overall
That's really tasty and highly drinkable. Overripe tropical and citrus fruits mixed with an earthy dankness.

 

 

 

Relic is one of my favorite New England brewers. Consistently enjoyable, flavorful beers.

Cloudy golden color with a 4F head in Spiegelau IPA glass.

Floral,citrus,pineapple aroma.

Medium body.

The aroma. transitions well to the taste. Pineapple and citrus. Very smooth.

Hoppy but not overdone finish.

Balance is key in a DIPA. Relic definitely understands this.

I first had a can of this beer with my buddy on a hot summer day last year around this time, back when I was still a bit unconvinced by Relic's penchant for pretty awesome hoppy beer. Mind you, this was before beers like Silent Shroud, Midnight Muse, and Parade of Bones threw my perception for a loop. I mean, as someone who was disappointed by their Sorceress DIPA going back to 2016, I'm pretty well-versed in their incredible dedication to improving their craft in a relatively short period of time. To that, I will absolutely drink!

This was packaged exactly two weeks ago and pours as a stupidly-hazy NEIPA. Moderately golden and orange-yellow in color with a solid and unwavering head of fluffy white bubbles measuring about a half-finger. Not much lace here, but good legs and excellent retention make it pretty undeniably nice looking in my glass. Would have liked a bit of lace show, but you can't always win 'em all, and Relic has been impressive enough lately for me to just give them a pass here.

The nose is... really dank. Grassy, pine-y and undeniably, well... yeah. I get some catty guava, herbal notes and light grapefruit in there as well, but this really is just about the dankest smelling beer I've consumed in recent memory. A bit earthy with light florals as well.

On the tongue, this has the oat-laden feel of a great NEIPA with strong tropical and citrus flavors combining with a hit of pine toward the finish. Like in the nose, this has some earthiness to it toward the mid-palate, bringing out some unique elements and highlighting the "dank"/green profile pretty handily. It comes across much juicier on the palate than in the nose, with guava, mango and passion fruit notes leading the charge. Grapefruit zest and low-intensity bitterness close out each sip. Super juicy, very drinkable, and dangerously strong. Good carbonation for the "NE" approach to DIPAs, with a follow-through of oaten malt that keeps the whole experience pillowy. I feel like a lot of Relic's recent IPAs have really handled this kind of thing well... they're using unique hop combinations for slight variations on a main theme while keeping their beer enjoyable and affordable. I can't complain about that.

 

A: cloudy; medium gold in color; 1 finger white head that receded to a wispy cap; no lacing;

S: earthy citrus;

T: tropical fruit with a solid malt backbone behind it; mild bitterness on the finish;

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

O: good, but not special;