Elara
Modern Times Beer

RB transfer

16oz can from Hops and Bottles. Hazy orange golden, foamy head. Full on tropical fruit aroma, melon, papaya. Taste offers a light bitter edge to the fruity flavors, coming in thick and juicy. Smooth and creamy.

 

 

 

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: New England IPA
Glass: Pure Project 14-oz. Teku glass
Price: $12.99 for a 4-pack
From: Windmill Farms in Del Cerro (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: Nov. 2, 2020
Consumed: Nov. 3, 2020
Misc.: Canned on Sept. 2, 2020

Was surprised it took me this long to track this beer down. Wasn’t happy about the Sept. 2 canned on date, but went with it anyway. Online description called for, “Bursting with notes of mango, papaya, and fresh apricot, this IPA will be a staggeringly effective countermeasure for the enduring heat. Stuffed with heaps of Mosaic and Amarillo hops, it’ll make for a pretty fantastic way to close out the summer.”

Poured a pale semi-hazy color with 5-to-6 fingers of rocky white head. Calm setting underneath. Perfect layered foamy lacing. Excellent retention. (Sight - 4.75)

Smelled mango, guava, papaya, tangerine, orange citrus, apricot and hints of melon. Definitely more Amarillo than Mosaic. Even better out of the can with Amarillo and orange citrus coming through. (Smell - 4.00)

Taste wasn’t quite as good as the nose, but still really good. In order got mango, guava, papaya, tangerine, orange citrus, Amarillo, melon, grass and lesser Mosaic. Not the lately “Modern Times yeast” problem that I’ve noticed recently with Critical Band, Space Ways and Alien Radio. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Normal finish. (Feel - 4.25)

This was outstanding overall. Not sure if being more fresh would’ve helped that much or not, but still outstanding. (Overall - 4.00)

4.07 | 91 | A-

 

Had Elara in Humboldt straight from pint can split with friends, and then poured from pint can, bottom stamped "BLACK LIVES MATTER" and (apparently) canned on "09/2/20," into nonic pint.

Pours moderately hazy beautiful deep orange-gold with 1 & 1/2-finger foamy off-white head, with excellent retention, leaving splotchy lace down the glass. Big aroma of hop resin to start, moderate citrus and dank tropical fruits joining. Begins with good carbonation, some hop resin and dry malt, then some sweet citrus and tropical fruits, before a drying, citrus rind-bitter finish.

After the NEIPA pour, we move west, as the aroma is on the sharp citrus and dank tropical end of the fruit spectrum, and the dominant flavors include hop resin and biting citrus rind.

There’s generous foam atop a thin orange tan beverage. Modern, new, hazy aroma: check and check. Lots of peach pulp on the nose here. Lots. Expressive yeast, with more peach purée and some pineapple juice rounding things out.

I am admittedly a bit disappointed with this beer, but I think the fact it was canned at the end of September and I am drinking it mid December may be responsible.

Poured from a can into a tulip glass. Hazy yellow color with good white head and decent lacing. The smell is subdued but mango and pineapple are there. Taste follows this with a bit of orange and tangerine. My guess is this would be significantly better from tap.

 

Canned 10/21/20, bought from a room temp shelf at Trader Joes about a week before now, so it is only 1 month old. I like this a lot. Nice head, nice lacing, hazy but not totally opaque. Crack the 16 oz can open and pour into a tulip glass and instant fruit bomb on the nose. Fruity taste although I cannot differentiate which fruits they are and which side of the trees they grew on and whether any skins slipped into the mix, but I was thinking pineapple and citrus. Fine carbonation. Very nice, clean mouthfeel. Debating 4.25 to 4.5 overall.

Can poured into a Modern Times Beer glass

A: Pours golden orange amber with a frothy pale khaki head that settles to a firm layer and laces nicely.

S: Kinda earthy, tropical and stone fruit, slightly grassy, a hint of pine, bready malt, and caramel sweetness.

T: Citrus, orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit, tropical and stone citrus, fruit, papaya, mango, passion fruit, apricot, peach, and a touch of melon, a little pine, earthy like black tea, grassy, bready malt, and caramel sweetness.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation.

O: This one comes off kinda dull. You get the flavors from the hops, but they just don't pop. I'm almost convinced there's some Idaho 7 hops in there, even though they claim only Amarillo and Mosaic. I think if they brightened up the malt bill a bit this would have worked better.

 

Can dated 8/20/20. Pours a golden opaque with 2 inches of fluffy head. Nose is pineapple and grassy hops. Nice well balanced taste, hoppy up front, then mango and tropical with a trace of hops finish. Probably one of the better modern times I've had, could have rated higher if it was fresh...

 

 

Pours a very cloudy, opaque golden color with a finger width foamy head. Head retention is good. Lacing is very good. Citrus aroma. Maybe some mango. Pleasant but light. Some juicy aroma with citrus, mango, and some mild grainy soapiness at the end. Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.