I Made This Map Myself
Burial Beer Co.

The road to IPA success lies in the careful selection of hops an a collaboritive agreement on the perfect malt base to which apply those hops. Burial and Other Half have mapped out such a taste in an Imperial New England-styled IPA that follows the the path of Citra, Motueka, Idaho 7, Incognito and Nelson hops.

Golden taupe and held in a visually heavy pastel appearance, I Made This Map Myself immediately teases the nose with a blossoming bouquet of fruit, floral aromas, herb, hop spice and perfume. As the flavors creep upon the early palate, they do so impressions of cereal, cream, honey and an overall shortcake character.

As the hops unfold on the middle palate, the complex hop profile bleed into one another for a non-descriptive blend of orange, grapefruit, mango, passionfruit, pineapple, peach, honeydew, pawpaw and grape for a complete fruit cocktail of flavors. Seeming like sherbet on the tastebuds, the creamy sweetness develops into a late and herbal balance of gin-like botanicals, hemp, spruce and fresh cut grasses.

Smooth, creamy and hoppy throughout, the IPA finishes fruity and smoothly bitter with a semi-long aftertaste of fruit peel, herb and spice. Whatever road that this beer is on, its worth the trip.

16 ounce can in an hour glass.

It looks like liquified oatmeal with a 1f white beer head. Lots of lacing.

Orange citrus and oatmeal aromas.

Tropical and stone fruit mix with lemon and orange. Lots of oats.

Thick and chewy feel. A bit harsh and heavy.

A pint serving of this mess is too much for me. The heavy liquid booze bomb just doesn’t drink well.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy honey color with a one finger head that settles in for the duration; splashy lacing

Smell: Overwhelming pineapple with perhaps a touch of grapefruit

Taste: Pineapple forward bringing strong tropical currents with grapefruit pith building through the middle; a balance between the sweeter pineapple and more bitter grapefruit brings home the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; creamy

Overall: Two powerhouse brewers of the NE IPA style collaborate and they get a pat on the back for the result

Canned on 7/7/21; consumed on 7/30/21

Pours a turbid, egg yolk-gold body capped with just over a finger of fluffy, eggshell-white foam; decent head retention leaves a half-finger of creamy cap along with an expansive, frothy collar and a heavy splotching of webby/spotty lacing spread around the walls of the glass.

Aroma immediately impresses dank, sweaty grains upfront, steadily eclipsed by an amalgam of bright tropical juices and a gritty hop undertone hinting toward wet moss and raw shrubbery; overripe papaya and guava develop into the back end of the bouquet, while ripe gooseberry contributes another fruity-dank layer to the close.

Taste shows sweet peach contrasting the citric elements of tangerine zest and earthy pineapple rind upfront; mineralic and mossy tones develop over the mid-palate before creamy lychee and spiced mango bring a resurgence of lush bittersweetness to the finish.

Mouthfeel delivers a medium body and a subtle, moderate carbonation edged out by a largely taut and mineralic texture over the mid-palate, glossing past a coy bittering and general grit into the back end; a prickly hop twang comes through for a brightly resinous finish, with distant juicy characteristics lingering.

Extensive (dry-) hopping sees this one become busy to the point of occasional muddling, while a noticeably forward mineralic tone plays eccentrically with the hop profile, and yet all-in-all, this NEIPA has its moments, with an array of intriguing fruity and dank combinations shining through with little excess and even intermittent direction.