Ice Giant
Ecliptic Brewing

 

Thick foam on the clear amber brew in the Maredsous goblet. Lush and spritzy going down. Aromatic with lemon peel, green melon, and pine. Tastes of unripe apricot with a double dank finish. Some herbal notes and even a hint of pineapple. Distinct bitter aftertaste in the West Coast vein. The Lager yeast may restrain the hoppiness a little, but I'd call it the classic big-hop American IPA we've gotten used to in recent years. From the 12 oz single can purchased at the Community Coop. Dated 11/15/23. May have to look for a sixer at the beer store.

Can dated 11/1/23. Dominating citrus nose, coming up from a dense white head. Body is a clear light amber. Taste is highly hop-forward, with citrus and a background dankness. Very dry, with a trace of an off note in the finish, but otherwise a good example of a cold IPA. ABV is 6.5%. Recommended as a good option for the holidays as a change-of-pace from conventional IPAs, but likely not so attractive for drinkers not used to strongly flavored beers.

12oz can

Pours two fingers of white head into my can-style glass. Retention is average. Lacing is very nice. Body is somewhat cloudy, with a modest amount of bubbles coming up. Looks pretty good.

Nose is very peculiar, a very odd hop varietal. Lots of grapefruit and citrus rind, not really my preferred profile. Doesn’t smell quite as crisp as a cold IPA should smell.

Flavor is even weirder. Grapefruit and clementine hit on the front end, finishes with….rosemary? Extremely herbal, to an unenjoyable point. Not sure this works all that well.

Carbonation is medium-low, somewhat watery at times. Body is light-ish, but definitely not as crystal clean as it should be. Bitterness is medium-low. Not sweet, but definitely not crisp either. Ok mouthfeel, not great.

Drinkability is fine.

Overall this is just really herbal for me, and the mouthfeel has more of a classic west coast feel, than a cold IPA feel, doesn’t really remind me of a cold IPA at all.

Look: Opaque light orange with a frothy white head that balloons up and holds well, slowly pulling back to reveal nice lacing left behind
Aroma: Oranges, kumquats, floral notes, resinous hop oils, a little skunky Cannabis, cereal grains, and bread
Taste: Starts out with a punch of floral hop notes that include sweet box, gardenia, black locust, and Japanese snowbell. This is quickly followed by resinous hop oils, citrus, and some dank that all intermingle through the close
Mouthfeel: Full but light, clean, medium-high carbonation, and pretty dry on the finish
Overall: I dig it. This is another Cold IPA from a brewery I enjoy and respect however, this beer’s overall profile isn’t like many/most Cold IPAs I’ve had as it centers around heavy floral and resinous hop aromas/flavors rather than fruit/berry-heavy. Almost reminiscent of the IPLs of the past but tasty and quaffable regardless

12 oz can from a 6-pack purchased from Safeway in West Salem OR.
$11.99
Pours a clear deep golden coloured body with a lovely thick creamy white head.
Aroma is of noble hops and some biscuit malts. Pretty simple really and to style.
Taste is mainly pilsner type malts and noble/pine hops..its refreshing but hard to describe.
Mouth feel is very nice . Well carbonated and not too sticky in the end.
A good Cold IPA