Presidential DIPA: Ulysses
Night Shift Brewing

 

 

Serving: Can
Canned: Apr-7-2017


A:
Pours a hazy bright gold with a couple fingers of soapy white head. Decent retention; spindly lacing. (4)

S:
Grapefruit rind, strawberries, bruised herbs, pine. (4.25)

T:
Rich, thick, dank, resinous hop bitterness. (4.25)

M:
Medium body with active carbonation and a lingering hop-shellac finish. (4.25)

O:
This is a sticky, hop sap beer if there ever was.
It looks, smells, tastes and feels awesome, which is all you could ask for. Big, dank, bitter, sappy and marginally fruity with some animal cracker malt holding it together. It is fairly fruity smelling but the brunt of it is bitter 'green'-smelling hop cones. The flavor is entirely within this area. Lots of sticky weed, bruised pine needles and citrus rind oil rounding out a generally big, enjoyable beer.
I really enjoyed this one and would gladly have it again. (4.25)

Thanks for the can Kevin!

A- Poured from the can to a goblet with a hazy golden yellow body and a creamy white head. The cap ascends to about half a finger, admittedly in a very wide glass, with fairly good retention. Thin patches of lace follow each sip.

S- The aroma is strong and can be sensed from several feet away with juicy hops bursting from the glass. Upon closer inspection, strong dank herb and cantaloupe notes are joined by mango, pineapple, candied citrus, grapefruit, papaya and floral hops. A hint of bread and cereal grains as well.

T- As one might expect in a DIPA, the hops are the star and drive the entire experience forward. This brew is just downright dank on the taste buds with a very popular plant coming to mind. Right after that fades massive grapefruit notes come in alongside those of oranges, clementine seeds, mango, kiwi, lemon, pineapple, pine resin and floral hops. A touch of sweetness, bread, cereal and crackers in the backdrop. Huge grapefruit bitterness.

MF- Puffy and slightly creamy medium-heavy body with a touch of slickness and very high carbonation. The finish is slightly warm and very, very bitter.

I gotta give them some credit here. The hop profile chosen comes off as fairly unique and the bold, intense bitterness is balanced by those dank and fruity hops. Instead of being a juice bomb it is more balanced between all of the different hop profiles and it pays off.

16 oz can. Hazy golden orange with thin bubbly head, soapy lace. Ripe fruit aroma. Big flavors, semi ripe tropical fruit flavors, pale malt sweetness, weedy piney hops. On the sweet side, even for the abv, but enough hops to make it right. Really solid DIPA.

 

 

 

Pours a lightly hazy pale orange in color with a finger of white head that dissipates to just a thin film. Aroma is a bit muted but a green onion/grassy note does come through. Taste is very heavy on the green onion/grassy notes With some green melon and smooth mango in the background. Finish is balanced, it's dry but neither bitter or sweet. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Pretty solid beer. I'm not the biggest fan of the green onion notes but there are enough other good things going on here that I'm left with a favorable impression of this beer.

 

From a 16oz can, dated 04/07/17. Served in a spiegelau.

Pours a mildy hazed deep gold with a solid finger of soft, tight, pillowy white head. Retention is excellent, leaving a solid wall of slippery lacing.

Strong nose of pineapple, mango, rich, bready malt and flowery funk.

First taste is an aggressive mashup of grapefruit, lemon and pine sap, quietly followed by softer notes of tropical fruits, pineapple, orange, mango, kiwi and lemonade. Not as balanced as the nose led me to expect, faintly crackery, maybe, but after a couple sips it just disappears under the hop haze. Finishes resinous and drying as all get out, with one last blast of pith, pine and something vaguely floral.

Feel is crisp and dry, medium bodied, brightly carbonated and somewhat boozy.

BA's of a certain age will remember the old Hawaiian Punch commercial: 'Hey, how about a nice Hawaiian punch?' It's like that.

 

Golden orange in color. Cloudy in appearance. Dank. Lots of Grapefruit pith, candied orange rind and resinous pine. Nice level of sweetness really helps to balance out the large amount of bitterness. Virtually non existent malt profile. Medium bodied. Slick feel. Long, bitter finish. Pretty good.