Faux Pas
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

 

Got from superspak in a trade. 16 oz can, no dating. Pours a semi-hazy golden color with a thick head of foam about 3 fingers tall. The nonic pint glass actually overflowed a bit.

Tons of Hef character with clove, bitter and sweet orange peels, alcohol heat, marshmallow/vanilla, and a nice whiff of banana bread. Smells remarkably like Great Divide's Collette. It's like a Hef meets a Tripel meets a Farmhouse. Cool stuff.

The flavor, hmm...well it's not sure if it wants to be an IPA or a Hefeweizen, and my palate is left dumbfounded. I'll judge it on its own merit, and I'll say it starts with lemon peel, then clove, then tea, grapefruit, black pepper, starchy grain, fusel alcohol. Some faint hints of banana runt and passion fruit float somewhere in there.

Feel is ultra creamy, with a mild carbonation, it matches the Hefeweizen profile nice but again is confusing with the IPA bit.

Overall, I didn't much care for this one. Its split personality left me slightly frustrated, I couldn't really pick which parts I liked and which ones I didn't.

 

Review below was conducted blind, with no knowledge of the beer, brewery, or style.

Absolutely opaque and lively yellow-orange brew, topped by a modest off-white head with essentially infinite retention. 30 minutes after the original pour, I've got about a full finger of foam hanging on and showing no sign of running away.

Aroma is incredibly juicy, in particular berries, pineapple, mango, and vanilla. Some bright herbs that check with mint or clove.

On the palate, I'm in for a shock: this thing is laced throughout with tons of yeast. Banana, light lemon, peach, pear, melon, mint, light herbs, and a peppery earthiness.

Unbelievably smooth and creamy on the palate, while still coming across as lively. Fantastic mouthfeel.

Crazy unique beer. Sky high ABV for a Hefe, and a uniquely American take on the style.

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass; no can dating, but is a recent release. Pours opaquely hazy golden/orange/amber color with a 2 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with awesome retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, papaya, mango, melon, guava, banana, bubblegum, wheat, and white bread dough; with lighter notes of pepper, clove, pine, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/tropical hops, fruity/light spicy yeast, and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, papaya, mango, melon, guava, banana, bubblegum, wheat, and white bread dough; with lighter notes of pepper, clove, pine, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Very mild pine/herbal/grassy hop bitterness and yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, papaya, mango, melon, guava, banana, bubblegum, wheat, white bread dough, light pepper/clove, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical hops, fruity/light spicy yeast, and bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/bitterness and spicy yeast balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing drying from lingering bitterness and spicy yeast. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and light sticky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 8.5%. Overall this is an outstanding NE DIPA! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical hops, fruity/light spicy yeast, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the very mildly bitter/spicy finish. This is basically just a Belgian IPA as a NEIPA. Extremely juicy hops and yeast complexity; balance malts, not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.