Tiny Batch Edition No. 2 - Baby's Got A Temper
Tiny Rebel Brewing Co.

Bottle-conditioned, coming in a 330ml slim brown bottle; BB June 2013, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: dark amber in colour, with just a wee touch of haziness, as the yeast sediments are left mostly in the bottle, coming with fairly soft and constant carbonation, showing a very decent quality of bottle-conditioning, while a thin layer of off-white froth stays loyally on the top.
S: big, aromatic, and juicy, the nose is full of aromatic lemon-peel, perfumy lychee-like, flowery and peach-estery fruitiness, with a touch of earthiness, barley-candy sweetness lurking at the back; creamy malts, gooseberry cream, warming alc. and a mild touch of vanilla-sweetness come through following a very good swirl. Not much sign of oak-ageing effects, apart from that very faint touch of vanilla-ish note. Overall very very pleasant and colourful, richly malty but even more pronounced in the hop department, while a healthy dose of acidity is always close-by.
T: very soft on the palate with just a dose of carbonation, initially the attenuated malts are ensued closely by plenty of lychee-ish, flowery and lemony hop flavours; the mid-taste is dominated by the slightly acidic and tangy side of hoppiness, while softly caramel malts reveal themselves in a rather understated way. The aftertaste is chewy-tannic, a bit like old lychee shells mixed with lightly toasted tea leaves, not so much bitter but pleasantly hoppy and rather balanced on sweetness-acidity. As the drink goes, the bitter side of balance tends to gear up a bit more, only ever slowly, sip by sip.
M&O: the carbonation is always on the soft side, just enough to keep the palate fresh, the body is actually very moderate, all in all showing a wonderful balance in the flavour profile. Still I can’t quite figure the “Oak Aged” part of this “2xIPA”, but as a high octave IPA I think a wonderful job has been done overall. Definitely would love to try another bottle if it’s ever available…!

Specs -
Bitterness: 62 IBU
Malt: Pale & Munich
Hops: Columbus & Citra
Special Additions: Dry hopped with Citra and Columbus then aged on oak

Poured from a 330ml bottle into an Orval goblet glass.

Pours a mid-amber colour with not a huge head but good lacing.

Smells extremely fresh (because it was when I opened it). You can really smell those hops coming through, quite piney and fruity but above all fresh like a breezy summer day.

Tastes at first quite mellow and smooth but a bitter sharpness builds up as you taste. Mostly quite citrusy and fruity, though those pale malts ease off the citrus. Very nice and refreshing with a good lingering and lip-smacking bitterness.

Overall a really lovely beer, I wish I had more. Can't wait for their future Tiny Batch releases.