Full Fathom Five
Bluejacket / Arsenal Restaurant

 

CAN:

Hop profile is fine but doesn't dazzle. Underripe low myrcene mango, tangerine, papaya, vague tropical fruit. Hop pungency/depth of hop flavour is severely lacking for an IIPA. 2-row, wheat, and probably oats mellow it out at the expense of the hops landing as hard as they ought to.

Underwhelming but drinkable. I find no obvious faults, but there's ample room for improvement.

HIGH C / AVERAGE

 

I've been impressed with this brewery so far, so let's see how the DIPA goes. No can date
Looks like DNEIPA, med foamy frothy 1/2 finger head with fair retention and lots of sticky lacing, very hazy cloudy med to darker gold-range color

Nose is super juicy, lots of citrus and tropical fruit, orange juice, under-ripe mango, little papaya, plenty of pineapple and some generic tropical, light doughy malt and creamy flaked proteins

Taste brings a lot more of the juicy hops, pineapple out front, with a little musty tropical, maybe guava even, papaya, candied mango, as well as the big citrus, orange juice and sweet orange peel, fair soft malt, flaked proteins and water softening minerals without going overboard on the chalky character, little doughy malt, a bit pithy, touch of bitterness, finishes a touch sweet with a bit more bitterness hinting towards medium but never quite there, lingering all the good fruits as well as some grapefruit, soft juicy finish as well and just a flash of smooth alcohol

Mouth is med bod but very soft and juicy, med to a bit lighter frothy carb, just a hint of warming alcohol

Overall very nice DNEIPA, mineral additions were well done, malts and flaked proteins as well, hops were quite nice without being "green" and spicy, the bitterness on the finish is an interesting touch as it brings it back towards regular DIPA but gets a little nagging over the juicy characters

The can suggests 48°. Possibly start colder for a full flavor.

Cloudy golden color-1.5 F. I couldn’t seem to get a fuller head.

Aroma: mild pine, citrus.

MF: quite smooth, medium+ body.

Great taste: full Galaxy and Citra: citrus, pine, other fruit.

Moderate hoppy finish.

Excellent beer.

This is my first experience with Bluejacket who operate out of Washington, DC. It's a Galaxy and Citra hopped NE-style DIPA named after a portion of a Shakespeare verse, though I originally experienced these three words as the title of one of Jackson Pollock's absolute best paintings. As Pollock is one of my favorite 20th century artists, I felt compelled to grab a can of this one and to peer into its depths (get it?) to see what I could surmise. I will say right off the bat that this can tells me to drink it fresh but does not have a born-on or best-by date, which is a big pet peeve of mine. How the hell do i drink this fresh if I don't know how long ago it was brought into the world? Anyway.

This pours a goddamn opaque orange color with a good depth to it despite the intense haze. I've had some translucent and borderline-opaque NEIPAs before, but this really evokes that classic Trillium aesthetic, right down to the poor head retention mixed with excellent lacing. It's definitely a looker if you're into the murk, but I do think it's more vibrant than some of these types of beers tend to be.

Galaxy and Citra is a really nice, contemporary mix of hops that pretty much has a "tried and true" aspect to it, and right off the bat in the nose I'm hit with a wave of bright orange, herbal dankness, passion fruit, papaya, and ripe mango. Pretty much par for the course, but it's great for what it is. Pretty much just bursts forth with plenty of juice and leafy goodness. I do pick up some oats, biscuity malt, and a touch of the 8% ABV in this one, as well, but for the most part... it's hops all the way down.

First sip is a bit plasticy, almost too much, and it somewhat coats the palate with resin that doesn't appeal to me much. Sure, there are flavors of tangelo, mango, marijuana, and herbal hoppiness, but this somehow doesn't come together to me at all, which is disappointing. It feels like the hops actually compete with one another, and something about the yeast profile feels like it's too involved with the whole ordeal (can be an issue when using some of the more "expressive" British yeasts usually prominent in hazy hoppy beer styles). Yeah, this one unfortunately just doesn't drink well at all. Slightly sweet in the mid-palate, numbing ethanol, and some bitterness that carries through the entirety of the experience. Doesn't feel right to me, honestly. Maybe I'm just being picky, but this style has been done to death so I have to draw the line somewhere. This kinda thing is a dime a dozen (well, way more expensive than that, but you know what I mean) these days, so... nah, this is a pass. Unfortunate, because I love the name and label art, but I'm not into it.

 

L: Had this beer on-tap at Growlers to Go - Short Pump, poured into a pint glass. Had a yellow-orange color and a super cloudy consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: An enticing aroma of dank hops, citrus fruit, a grassy quality, malt, and tropical fruit.

T: Tasted of a small amount of malt (fleetingly so), some tropical fruit (passionfruit, in particular), a good amount of hops (just right), a tinge of the grassy quality, and some citrus fruit (orange). A light, effervescent, easy to like flavor. It's definitely sweet, but balanced out by the hops content. Tasty stuff.

F: A well-carbonated beer with a smooth, creamy finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A well-crafted, delicious beer. Drinkable.

Thanks to Swedes21

 

 

 

 

Draft at the source.

 

 

Pours an amber color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has citrus and tropical hints
The taste follows the nose with a citrus and tropical flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good IIPA