Thirteen Months of Sun
Two Roads Brewing Company

 

 

 

Wow what a great coffee IPA the beans and juicy mango and pineapple like hops blended so perfectly to make an enjoyable experience. Sad I can't get more had to pick it up in Boardman OH. If you see it check it out great representation of the style!

Old world meets new world as the cultures of craft beer and Ethiopian culinary arts collide. Two Roads Brewing teams up with Evil Twin for a hazy IPA with hints of coffee and exotic grain for a uniquely African beer.

Pale gold and suspended in a fairly heavy haze, Thirteen Months Of Sun builds a luminous ivory crown. Its scent is the common fruity combination of citrus, stone fruit, orchard fruit and berry while its early taste is slightly toasty, savory and playfully caramelized.

As the hops amplify across the middle palate, the sweet caramelization of grain gives a rounded and stewed impression to the fruitiness of orange, red grapefruit, peach, apricot, mango and cantaloup. As the taste turns toward finish, the uniqueness of earthiness penetrates the fruit and creates a slightly soilish grit akin to rye spice, presumably from the coffee instead.

Medium bodied and captivating to the senses, the use of the special ingredients is restrained and controlled to only nuanced levels and never in domination in taste. The hazy IPA finishes medium bodied and fairly malty with a slight peppery spice in aftertaste to take an edge off of the pastry crust and caramelized focus.

You know, this is a can I passed by quite a few times at my local store without even giving it a second look. When I saw what this was actually about and the breweries involved in the collab, I knew I had to have it. This sounds like it could be one of the strangest beers ever, and I personally can’t wait to dig in

Pours a hazy burnt orange with 3 fingers of soapy off white head that slowly fades to a cap and leaves decent lacing

The aroma on this really has me considering just what the hell it is. The coffee comes through, but it’s more of an afterthought in the way it supports notes of juicy cantaloupe, orange, caramel, pine sap, lime, and crackery malt. The coffee is slightly acidic and earthy

This has an absolutely robust taste, there’s just so much going on here and it’s all quite good. On the front end, I’m tasting rather sweet bready malt, piney hops, pineapple, orange, and more of the earthy coffee. The swallow takes an even more interesting turn, dialing the coffee up to have a nice astringent bite, along with bringing flavors of pithy grapefruit, overripe cantaloupe, dank piney hops, and caramel malt

A surprisingly light medium body pairs with gentle carbonation for a smooth and balanced beer. Finishes mostly dry with minimal sweetness

This was one of the most interesting beers I’ve had in quite some time. The coffee was subtle but added great complexity to the NEIPA base. I hope they brew this again, other breweries should take notes

Requested a pint pour from a tap here in Philly and was given this. It has the look of orange-pineapple juice; color, murkiness and low carbonation are characteristics. The smell is a little to the earthy side. The taste is a complex and somewhat unique one. There's some juicy hop contribution, but citrus, malt and pepper appear on the tongue. There's also something else in there that's peculiar and not in a bad way. Glass lacing is very little and the finish is neither dry nor smooth. An interesting concoction that was nice to try.

 

16oz can. Poured out a cloudy, golden yellow color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left minimal lacing on the glass. It smelled of sweet caramel, citrus, grapefruit and hay. Didn't get much coffee taste or aroma. Sweet caramel taste with a mild piney bitterness.

 

 

 

This is a freaking exciting, inspired, and wildly-innovative brew, and I'm superbly excited to be the very first rating and review of it on this site. As the description says, this is a collaboration between Two Roads and Evil Twin, as well as with Henok Fentie, one half of the enigmatic and cult brewing/design duo Omnipollo, who just so happens to originally be from Ethiopia. It utilizes teff, a staple Ethiopian grain, as well as some Ethiopian coffee in the mix. Not sure what hops are used, but we can try to guess as we unravel this unusual idea.

Pours a deep orange, opaque-bodied beer with a thick, chalky head of off-white foam that leaves behind incredible, tiered lacing. Looks a bit like Sip of Sunshine by my recollection, and the legs and lace are just about the best that I've seen in recent NEIPA memory, so I'm gonna go ahead and say this is a nice-looking beer; one that impresses right off the bat with zero pretense.

Nose is mixed red berries, some dank earthiness, light spice, roasted coffee, tangerine-like citric acidity, and a bit of pine. All of this is mixed up with some grassy, almost "spiced" qualities and huge tropical elements ranging from mango to pineapple. This is quite the bouquet, and I'd be silly if I didn't think Mosaic had a hand in it somehow. There's this specific "off-the-wall" yet surprisingly coherent element that screams Mosaic to me, anyway. If I had to guess another hop, I'd say this reminds me a bit of Amarillo or Simcoe in a sense. Whatever is going on here, it's awesome. I'm impressed.

On the tongue, TMOS is just nuts. It barrels forth with complex flavors ranging from lightly-acidic and rustic-tasting coffee to immense tropical fruits, with a lot happening in between. There's definitely a distinct grassiness and strong pine undercurrent going through this, but some lighter flavors of grapefruit/tangelo, ripe mango, and pineapple make themselves known as this opens up. Jesus, so much going on, I'm almost overwhelmed. Light earthy coffee in the finish with a bit of a roasty swallow that melds with distinct pine in a very oddly-satisfying way. I would definitely drink this one again! It's complex but approachable, with a feel that seems right at home in the NEIPA realm; soft, detailed, and mildly-carbonated, with more than enough bitterness and complexity to keep it from being bland and stale. This is an awesome, characterful IPA from some world-class brewers. Get on it!