Hazy&Juicy&Hoppy&Fresh. - Mosaic & Wakatu
Hi-Wire Brewing

 

 

 

I dig this gimmick: a long title used to showcase various hop varietals in NEIPAs.

The beer pours a very hazy yellow, like a weis. The head is white and wispy and dissipates fairly quickly.

Smells of the mango nodes of mosiac. Hop-heavy, as per the style. I can't say I know what I'm looking for in Wakatu hops, but it might be the pineapple juice nodes I'm picking up? Either way, the hop profile is interesting. Not top shelf, but well done.

Tastes like it smells: an interesting hop profile that works pretty well but not perfectly, and then nothing to really balance it out. The result tastes a tiny bit like beer but mostly like some artificial punch. Which isn't to say that it's bad or not well-brewed. It just is what it is.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a can into a tall tulip glass. Hazy yellow color with thin but fluffy white head and good lacing. Citrus smell and taste - a bit subdued on the smell. Sweet orange at the beginning. A bit bready ar the end. Not sure of freshness, but overall a decent beer.

Opaque sunset orange with a thin fluffy white blanket dying to a bubbly uneven film leaving wobbly lace.

A firm froth fills the medium body that finishes tingly paper dry, featuring citrus and light dankness that is green and weedy, adding complexity and spiciness. A moderate touch of pungency and some biscuit cap it off.

 

Wearing out that ampersand button once again, the Hi-Wire brewers keep the keyboard button manufacturers in business once they found a whole big bunch of Mosaic and Wakatu hops. The New England styled IPA that celebrates these hops does so in a most exotic, succulent and tantalizing way.

Pouring on the pale side of gold, the burnt yellow depth of appearance precedes a frothy, stark white froth that builds above. A tease of green herbs, white wine, gin-like botanicals and a pleasant grassiness accompanies hints of citrus and margarita for a unique and hoppy perfume. Gentle sweetness graces the tongue with soft suggestions of fructose, light honey and pastry dough.

The malt steadily recedes as the ale crosses middle palate for a lessening of sweetness and a less bready texture. In its place, the hops build upon the tongue with the brightness of lime, gooseberry and passionfruit. Bold suggestions of green mango, papaya and pink grapefruit follow until the taste hits the back of the tongue. Trending spicy and bitter with peppery hop resins, a strong taste of matcha tea, sassafras, light hemp and hay trails into a gin-like finish once again.

Medium light in body, the beer seems lighter in texture due to a subdued pastry malt influence late and the herbal nature of both alcohol and hops. Seemingly like margarita, the hops' natural acidity helps to clean up the ale for a linger of spicy hops and herb.

 

 

16 oz can poured into a Spiegleau IPA glass. A hazy yellowish orange, with a two finger fluffy white head that retains its froth for the majority of the glass. The aroma is hoppy, mainly pine with some citrus and very mild dank. The taste is juicy, citrus (orange/tangerine/lime?) and pine, with a bit of bitterness. Tastes fresh, though there was no canning date visible. Low amount of carbonation, somewhat soft, with a medium amount of heft. It's worth a go.