Fort Point Pale Ale - Riwaka Dry Hopped
Trillium Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Unique flavor from the riwaka, strong on the lupulins. Not for the faint of heart, but really delicious for those who crave something different..

$10 16oz pour at Fort Point.

Presents murky gold with minimal head, lace, or retention. Earthy tropicals in the nose with some faint chemical following through. Medium bodied with a slickish, tacky mouthfeel. Unripe peach, orange on the palate with earth on the palate. Finishes dirty with lingering dishwasher chemicals in the nose.

 

Cloudy, opaque dirty gold. Tight bubbled head which settles to film. Wide streaks initially for lace, but this diminishes dramatically by the end of the tasting.

Strong tropical fruit of pineapple, mango, and tutti-fruity. In the background, I pick up some evergreen needles.

The taste starts mild with a normal pale malt softness. This quickly transforms into a lighter earthy tongue I wasn’t expecting. Fuller bodied with a muted carbonation level. The finish is relatively crisp and fairly short given big flavors.

 

 

 

 

Excellent appearance; soft, muted yellow haziness; nice, foamy, white head, long lasting. An interesting aroma blending citrus and wood / weedy herbal tones. Light, refreshing citrus juiciness to the flavor; a touch of lemon and white grapefruit; moderate overall bitterness. Medium-heavy body; a little thin and watery but not too bad; very light touch of creaminess; slight acidic feel overall.

A very pleasant pale ale. It seems a little weak in someways yet doesn't obliterate your senses with overpowering hazy India pale ale attributes like many full-blown IPAs do (this is a pale per the brewery). Balanced and tasty.

Pouring temperature: n/a; canning info: n/a

 

 

A: Pours a extremely hazy/murky bright glowing pale golden orange in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and moderate apricot + peach + pale golden yellow + bright yellow + bright orange colored highlights. The beer has a three finger tall dense creamy sudsy foamy white head that slowly reduces to a couple of small patches of thin film surrounded by a large patch of slightly mottled very thin film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of juicy citrus/grapefruit + citrus/kumquat + citrus/grapefruit zest as well as moderate aromas of citrus/grapefruit pith + tropical/papaya + stone fruit/peach hops over the top of light aromas of biscuit + wheat malts with a light amount of sugary sweetness.

T: Upfront there are light flavors of biscuit + wheat malts with a light amount of sugary sweetness. That is followed by slightly stronger than moderate flavors of juicy citrus/grapefruit + citrus/kumquat + citrus/grapefruit zest as well as moderate flavors of citrus/grapefruit pith + tropical/papaya + stone fruit/peach hops which impart a light amount of bitterness which fades away fairly quickly leaving light lingering citrus + citrus pith + tropical hop flavors.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Hints of soft/fluffiness mid-body and a light amount of dryness in the finish.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol and a pleasantly refreshing light mouthfeel. Very enjoyable and does a great job of highlighting the Riwaka hop.

 

 

 

Picked up a 16oz single from the Blue Door Bottleshop in Hendersonville 10-7-22 for $8.00. No canning date; consumed 10-9-22.

Beer poured hazy golden orange with a nice white head with the original pour.

Nose is very nice, fresh citrus and tropical fruits are front and center.

Taste is a light pale malt base in which orange, papaya, grapefruit, and a touch of peach hops are incorporated expertly. Finishes with a nice pithy bitterness; 6/10 on my scale.

Mouthfeel is stealth, incredibly light and near perfection as this is incredibly refreshing.

Overall i now see why the pretty penny is being charged for this brew as it is definitely a world class IPA!