The Crone
Relic Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Poured from a pint can into an appropriate IPA style glass from Relic. Creamy white head with excellent retention and lacing. The body of the beer is light apricot in color, fairly opaque. Lots of fruity goodness on the nose. The first sip is all about the aroma, with pineapple, apricot and mango rolled together with the familiar hops kick at the end. Great example of a NE IPA!

 

A: The beer is very hazy yellow in color. It poured with a quarter finger high white head covering the surface that died down, leaving lacing on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of white grapes are present in the nose along with hints of honeydew melons.
T: The taste follows the smell and has lots of flavors of green grapes along with notes of honeydew melon. No bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This IPA has pleasant flavors of green grapes and melons.

Serving type: can

 

 

Appearance - pours hazy yellow color with nice fluffy white head lots of spotty lacing around the glass.

Aroma - Nice balance of light malt mixed with some orange and a little citrus peel. Equal parts lightly sweet and bitter.

Taste - Taste is more tropical fruit forward, nice mango and pineapple. Hints of citrus peel with just a touch of malt at the end.

Feel - Medium bodied pretty soft carbonation with a clean finish.

Overall - Really well done IPA, nose is a touch weak but the flavors are solid and it is very easy drinking.

Canned on 9/7/18

Pours a hazy burnt orange with almost two fingers of thick, foamy white head; decent retention and semi-thick lacing walling the glass.

Aroma opens with a fair bit of malt, both soft and slightly herbal in character; as it develops, I’m getting more grape must, white wine, orange peel, and maybe some wild berries as well; very soft overall, but good detail once you get to it.

Taste has a nice balance of malt and juicy white wine tones that are never too pronounced; hop resin finds its way in on occasion, as does wild berry juice, but both are overwhelmed too frequently as an interesting astringency fades in via the white wine notes.

Mouthfeel is light-bodied and with low discernible carbonation; it’s crisp and rather consistent across the palate , making it very easy to put back, even if it feels thin at times.

An interesting beer, but I’m not quite sure it comes together; the white wine and grape must dominate almost exclusively, and it overwhelms the complexity often; certainly not bad, but just comes off as a bit unrefined at times, even though it does remain drinkable.

Another week, another round of new, interesting IPAs from Relic... I'm loving this trend! This one was canned on 9/5/18 and features Huell Melon and Hallertau Blanc hops, which were first introduced into the brewing scene a few years back (alongside Mandarina Bavaria hops). They were marketed as "new-school German" varietals that had Noble hop parentage but which feature complex, intense fruity flavors of various stripes fit for newer styles. Since then, the NEIPA designation has really made waves, and I've been looking forward to seeing these few new hop varietals make their way into modern recipes in greater number.

This pours a beautiful deep orange color with two-finger head of sparkling white foam. The lace and legs this beer displays are really wonderful, with lattices of sticky suds clinging to the entire glass as the head dissipates. The body is the typically-opaque looking New England thing, of course, but there's a bit of charm to it; around the surface, I can see small bubbles peeking out from the depths, formed from barely-visible rivulets of carbonation. Good looking stuff!

The nose is pretty unique, honestly. Though it starts right off the bat as fruity and tangerine-forward with some melon-like undertones, I start to pick up more herbal, floral and spice notes as it acclimates to being in my glass. There's a grassy note along with some light bubble gum-like esters and a bit of guava as well. I think I liked the scent of this a little more right after I poured it, but some of its character gained over time is certainly intriguing.

The flavor is surprisingly malty and crackery, with spicy and floral hops peppering the finish with a light melon and berry element. It's very mild and extremely drinkable, with smooth carbonation and a round, engaging body. Grassy, dank hops and some light citrus peel appear toward the mid-palate, reminding me a bit of Earl Grey tea in a sense. A very peculiar little beer, here. I'm glad I have another one, as it's a fun drink, but it's probably not worthy of a four-pack purchase. I think the silky mouthfeel which accompanies the low bitterness and mellow hop blend is probably the best part, along with the really nice balance. Not too much of any one thing, and there are plenty of decent elements, but it's a little less emphatic than I'd prefer.