Peel Your Face: Yazoo Collab
Blackberry Farm Brewery

 

i have grown to trust this brewery no matter what, so hen i picked this up on a whim and sort of forgot about it for awhile, i wasnt concerned until i just realized it was an ipa instead of something wild or belgian that could hang in the cellar semi-indefinitely. i thought i might have missed the window, letting this sit warm down there for a couple of months before realizing it was an ipa, but boy was i wrong, this is as fresh and fruity and awesome as ever, and another brilliant beer from blackberry farm, this time in collaboration with yazoo. its only mildly hazy and still really glowing in the glass under an inch of airy white belgian looking head, orange or even rust tinted, lively and sexy with a nose to match. not saison yeast and not belgian, not wild either, but its sort of in between and not at all flavorless, not funky but with an interesting complexion that is hard to place because its set well behind all the fruit and hops in here, but i am thankful for it anyway, it adds a cool dimension to this and makes it really unique. the oranges are acidic and zesty and bitter more than they are ripe and sweet and fleshy, but some of that is there too, the blood orange the most intense to my senses, flavor included. the hops are even a little behind the fruit, which usually is a problem and might be a product of its short cellar time, but i like it in this context because the fruit is so natural and there is still plenty of bitterness to this. the hops have a little vegetal sort of spice to them, northwestern like cascade or something to me, a little more old school but definitely behind the fruit. it finishes clean and dry for how much fruit it has, with an ipa sort of bitter bite at the end, a flash of that yeast again, and a rush of carbonation that never quits even though we take our time drinking this bottle. an awesome beer to celebrate the birth of a good friends baby, it felt fancy enough for the occasion, but somewhat lowbrow for these guys too. i love the name obviously, and the beer is killer. unique considering everyone is making a citrus ipa these days. yum!

 

 

 

Pours an effervescent gold with 2+ fingers of pearl colored head. Stays hazed, good head retention & lacing

S: Yeasty, bready, a little citrussy

T: Orange peel & a little sweet orange mixes with dryness up front. Blood orange bitterness as this warms, peel as well, tartness comes through. Nice orange flavor across the board comes through in the finish, along with dryness & a little tartness

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation

Pretty good, nothing I would drink all the time, but well worth a go

Golden in color with a white head that disperses slowly. The nose is citrusy and hoppy and sweet. The taste is also citrusy, but with a slight sweetness that reminds me of gumball head. Good beer from my home state.

In the current craft beer climate, it takes a lot of courage to make a moderate beer; one of balance, one of understated nuance, one of a somber nature. But that's exactly what the beer makers at Blackberry Farm and Yazoo did in their collaboration that's all about the orange, but is also all about restraint.

Pell Your Face gets all up in your face with the radiant, perfumy, and highly floral nature of all-things-orange. Coming off highly citronella at times, the scent rises above a frothy white cap and a burnt orange glow. Its taste is supple and malty with nuances of honey, caramel and faint biscuit that bounces off of the front of the tongue with an exuberant carbonation expression.

Yet as the flavors roll across the middle palate, the beer sheds is light bulk of sweetness and allows its hop and fruit additions to shine. The entire succulence and brightness of orange comes with its intense citrus flavor, backed by grapefruit and lemon support and just enough of a bready malt substrate to give the fruit a juicier, more ripened sensation. Bitterness gently unfolds on the finish while bringing an herbal medley of lemon verbena, sassafras and blossom pedal character to a tea and juniper sharpness.

Medium bodied but trending ligher and drier, the beer's texture is hindered slightly by its restrained bitterness and its associated resinous drying effects. But what's left is a floral bitterness that registers in a medium length after palate and a spicy orange bite. So many orange flavored IPA face a fate of furniture polish, but the collaborative efforts here bring the best of IPA and orange flavor but without that association- not an easy feat.

 

 

 

 

Poured into a snifter from a bottle. A very hazy golden color with a thick and frothy white head. Prominent oranges on the nose, along with peppery spice, dough, and grass. The orange was front and center on the palate, all the way through. This tasted more like a hoppy Saison to me, with funky, peppery, and floral notes. My perceived bitterness was low, even for an NEIPA - maybe this was mainly late hopped? Dry finish. Nonetheless, it was very tasty and recommended but not as an IPA, rather a fruit-forward, hoppy Saison.