Escaping Gravity
Roadhouse Brewing Co.

Hazy light yellow pour, small white head is thicker on the outside than the middle. Nose sees coconut open the door and a tropical group come through.

Taste sees coconut still in charge, slightly under ripe guava, watery citrus, light malt. Mouthfeel is light to medium. Finish sees coconut and citrus losing their punch to a more traditional malt flavor. I like it, but something is off kilter for me here.

 

i have long ago planted my feet in the anti flavor camp, like dont put a bunch of fruit terpenes in your ipa and try to trick me into thinking its some new school hop and process, which is what so many are doing right now, but in this instance, i love it, and i will eat my words, but also respect to these guys for just telling the consumer what it is, a hazy ipa with added tropical fruit elements and of all things, coconut cream, which i didnt know when i first got this, but i certainly knew after my first sip! what an absolutely wonderful beer, beautifully dosed, compatibly hopped, and downright fascinating, this is the new school hazy i am interested in, innovative without being forced, incredibly well executed, and uniquely only 5% abv, which seems like the new standard for these guys, wonder if they are pushing hard in utah or something, but all of their new stuff has been right there lately. anyway, this is supremely delicious, summery, and drinkable, and its maybe my favorite ipa ive had so far this year, no kidding! first of all it looks great. backlit super pale yellow colored and consistently hazy without being thick or sedimented or yeasty, and the head is inches tall, bone white, packed tightly with tiny bubbles, stiff, and the retention is excellent. the nose on this is hops and coconut more than added guava or mango or anything, although there is some sweet citrus and pineapple character apparent, and i think part of the success here is the way the hops and fruit addition marry up, im sure its not whole fruit, maybe its terpenes, but its sensibly dosed and the hops still lead, an accent, like salt on meat is all, and i think thats the sweet spot, but the coconut here is awesome too, really obvious, coconut cream specifically, fatty and rich, maybe thats where some of the haze comes from, not too sweet but kind of sensually decadent anyway, i love coconut! grain is light to my nose, wheaty and maybe even some unmalted wheat, enough to keep it beery, but its in a support role, this is not cloying at all despite all the character it has, and it tastes every bit as good as it smells. the coconut is epic, totally makes this for me, identifiable and creamy but its not too much, great with the pale malt in here and the citrusy hops, i get lemon and lemongrass, a little green melon, sweet orange, and nothing overly dank or anything, its so bright! the fruit part hits pineapple, meyer lemon, passion fruit, and mango to me, not sweet, and woven in beautifully, totally behind the hops and coconut, which is the primary synergy. its quicker than expected to finish, with only really trace bitterness left, the resolution on the swallow is insane, almost a lagered quickness about it, wildly uncommon for a hazy ipa, and i think the lightness and lightness of abv is part of that, really nice for summer. i could pound on this, straight up drink a dozen pints, its absolutely fantastic beer, frankly shockingly good, one of a kind, and one ill be sourcing all summer long, sharing with friends, and thirsting for more of. as good a beer as ive ever had from roadhouse too, massive props for this, its a total winner!