Mo' Beam
West Sixth Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Pours like hazy orange juice. Head is white but dissipates quickly. Lacing is nice. Nose steeps with citrus essence as does the taste. Does not drink like a high Abv beer. Superb New England style ipa.

As the haze craze has swept America's craft beer to nearly complete saturation, a few brewers hone their juicy skills by working a recipe time after time, getting better with each revision. That's what West Sixth brewery did to near pin-point perfection with Lo Beam New England styled IPA. And now they set their sights higher with mo of what's good about the original.

Pungent citrus, catty herbs and a sweet pastry character wafts over the senses as Mo' Beam brings a more radiant tropical and citrus perfume to the nose along with a fresh herbaceous counterpart. Not far from soft butter, the beer's visual density is opaque and matte with orange and golden hues. Sweet on the palate, those pastry-like attributes are of delicate honey, cookie dough and a creamy counter part of meringue.

Malt sweetness patiently dissipates, reluctant to any fade that a standard IPA might have. The citrus and tropical character from hops bring a succulent tangy sweetness that's redolent with pineapple, passionfruit, mandarin orange, grapefruit, lime and lemon for a strong suggestion of tropical punch and sherbet dessert. Papaya, melon and bitter melon lead toward a hop bitterness that's laced with tropical fruit rinds, verbena, tea, spruce and fresh grassy herbs of chive and geranium.

Eventually, the ale arrives at a malty dry finish of increasing bitterness, grassy earthiness and peppery bite. A medium long afterglow of citrus, tea and a gin-like spiciness illuminate the late palate and offer a surprising sense of drinkability and refreshment that's rare in more soft or smooth IPA of the New England ilk.