Collective Project: Wet Hop
Collective Arts Brewing

 

 

 

 

Very uniformly hazy pale yellow pour with a bit more than a finger of foamy white head that fades to a murky sea foam.
Aroma is a bit subdued but orange, orange rind, hint of grapefruit, some grassy/leafy hoppiness. As warmed a bit more malty sweetness.
Taste a bit of cereal malt, citrus, lemon zest, some mineral note - slightly of aspirin on swallow, with grassy bitterness. Verges on tart.
Medium mouthfeel - bubbly - almost over carbonated, lingering lemon/citrus bitterness with no discernible sweetness.
Not bad but not my favourite Collective Arts offering.

Appearance: Poured with a solid thumb of head that did produce some mild lace and stayed around long enough. The body is a partly cloudy yellow that I'd expect from a terrible wit, but for and IPA leaves me hopeful. Steady carbonation.

Smell: It definitely requires some time to warm up, as initially I was catching maybe a slight orange hint. However, as time went on, tangerine, a mild spruce and a hint of mild malt made itself known. Potency could be a bit better for an IPA, but given this is more subdued then the norm, that earns points in my book.

Taste: Starts with mild bready malt with mild tangerine and lemon zest, it falls into a bit of a basic bready lull in the middle and then a steady and nice and easy push of leafy hops with only the barest touches of spruce and grapefruit that round things out nicely.

Mouthfeel: The fact this is an IPA that doesn't blast my face off and leave a ridiculously bitter/oily aftertaste earns huge points in my book. I don't think I've ever encountered a beer that is this hop forward, yet somehow doesn't feel like I've been assaulted by bitterness. The carbonation has that plain gap in the middle, but I like that it accentuates the peculiar hopping, which is what I'd expect this beer to have. It starts to get slightly filmy near the end, but that's a minor complaint compared to that mixed citrus and mild forest aftertaste.

Drinkability: On the lighter side of medium bodied, which I found surprising and settled down exceptionally well. Oddly enough though, it seems to lack a certain crispness near the end that I though might be present, but it's still refreshing. I can't shake this sense that something is missing though, but given I can't figure out what it is, and I'm thankful it isn't overwhelming bitterness, I don't think I'll complain.

Final Thoughts: This was an IPA that I genuinely enjoyed, and if everyone experiences normal IPA like I just experienced this "Wet Hop" IPA I can see the appeal. That said, I've found most other IPAs to not be the pleasant ride this one was. If someone at Collective Arts reads this, please try to brew something like this again. I would not remotely mind a repeat of this, or something done with some other kind of fresh hops. Two thumbs up.

 

Pours a densely cloudy straw colour with a tall frothy white head with good retention. Looks nice; aroma fairly mild with grapefruit hops and ... club soda? Taste follows with some grassy citrus hops with a too strong mineral flavour of club soda. Mouthfeel is almost full & smooth but over carbonated & slightly metallic from what again tastes like sodium bicarbonate. As the carbonation dies down the soda taste fades a bit & some smoother fruit flavours emerge; perhaps tangerine with a hint of banana. I have really enjoyed Collective Arts Project IPAs # 2,3, & 4 but this wet hop is not as good. Happy to try it but I'll stick to their other IPAs.