Hansel Sour IPA
Beltway Brewing Company

 

I got a late start on NBS (Week 774) & I did not finish up my DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure as planned. 8=( Further, I promised that NBS (Week 775) & now, Week 776, would be dedicated to the wonderful beers sent to me by @jkblr who seems to have a real handle on my drinking habits. CANsparency is key in these things! As a result, I am going to CANcentrate over the next few days on eradicating everything that would have CANbined to form the finale of the DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure. Sit down, strap in & hang on. It's gonna be a wild ride! I have been waffling back & forth with Maryland, at least for the moment, so it's time to visit some of the other victims, I mean, honorees.

From the CAN: "We're pretty sure there's nothing more to life than making really, really, ridiculously good beer. We aren't like every other kid, you know, who dreams about being an astronaut. We were more interested in what bark was made of on a tree. We could have built a center for people who can't read good, but we built a brewery instead to make really, really ridiculously good beer."; "But for serious, we care desperately about what we do. This beer is no different. It's not just an IPA. It's not just a Sour. We hear words like 'hoppy' and 'handsomeness' and 'sour' and 'incredibly chiseled features.' To balance the tartness we feature an array of hops including Falconer's Flight, Huell Melon, and yes, even Magnum made an appearance. We wanted to make an ambi-turner of a beer that has more than one look. We give you … 'Hansel."; "Because sour beers are so hot right now."; "Partner Brewery * Contract Brewery * Private Label Beers"; "Label art and design by: allen wayne Design. Identity. Creative."

I suppose that this is one of those Blah, blah blah IPAs to which 21st Amendment refers. Everything is an IPA unless it is an American Wild Ale. B. S.! I'm not buying it! Not with the prominence of "India Pale Ale" and "IPA" on the label. I am reviewing it as an AIPA & when it fails, the brewery only has themselves to blame.

I Crack!ed open the vent in order to begin a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. I watched as it foamed up nicely, forming two-plus fingers of foamy, soapy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with very limited retention. Color was Deep-Amber/Light-Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a very sour acidic funkiness, but nothing in terms of hops. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not watery, but not far past it. The taste had a definite tartness, very lemony, although I did not get the usual puckering factor on my lips. This strikes me as part of the problem with crossover style beers - they tend NOT to be the best of both worlds, marginalizing each instead. Finish was tart, not at all sour, and not really hoppy, either. This, IMHO, was NOT "Very Good" in any style. YMMV.

sour ipa is an interesting style, it is always really hit or miss for me, i think a nice fruity dry hopping can go nice with the right bacterial sour profile or bretty funk, but i also think the bitterness with the acidity can be a lot, and that too heavy a grain base can really muck up the style, its sensitive for me, so i tend to approach with caution. this one is pretty solid, its not too sour to drink a whole can of or anything, and the hops have a citrus forward complexion with resonates nicely with the clean lactic pucker in here, and the bitterness is very moderate. the malt base is a little richer than i think it needs to be, i like it adding body and not letting the acidity thin things out too much, but for me this had some cereals and some sweetness that didnt really belong, and with my can not being particularly fresh, i think all the malt made this taste a little older, not hold up as well as it otherwise might have, the hops dont taste faded to me at all. the best part of this one is the balanced acidity, its sour, but its not harsh and its not vinegar. well carbonated too, very lively on the palate. a surprisingly nice take on the style, my first beer from beltway too.

Can dated 3/2017 (3 months old):
Pours with a light haze inside of the column of dark golden liquid. A nice cloud-like head builds easily and fades at an average pace. Soapy collar does leave a little bit of lacing.

Nose has a little funky tartness going on, like rotting citrus rinds. I think the hops might have a more pine note to it, though with the sour aspect, this also adds an aspect of grapefruit. There's an herb biscuit like aspect on a deep whiff, behind the other noted aromas.

The taste starts with a lightly tart (sour orange and passion fruit), clean malt opening. Light and refreshing, I wished this aspect lasted a little longer. The bitter hops come quickly, and they are in contrast with the tartness. The piney to almost minty aspect of the hops creates this orange juice and toothpaste effect that isn't pleasant. This fades, thankfully, though it still taunts the sides of my tongue. The ending is more of a dull tangy pine bitterness with a little cooling mint.

I'm not sure if 3 months should be considered old - I could see me having a similar issue with this beer fresh. I'd actually wonder how this would work as either of the two competing concepts: sour ale or straight up piney IPA.

This beer has been "Un-retired". Was at the brewery a couple of days ago and picked up a 4 pack.. A unique, refreshing beer. Great color - clear - no sediment....light gold, slight orange hue. The nose is a little funky - a bit of an earthy smell - not unpleasant, but almost disappointing given the taste. Great taste - reminds me of a Surly Abrasive with a bit more pucker. Sour on the front end - grapefruitish - with a mild hop bite on the back end. Had the beer after dinner - great sipping beer. Mouth feel is solid - At times sours can taste a bit thin - this was weighty enough to really enjoy; reminds me of Pliny. This beer could have been brewed by Russian River - given that I live near Beltway, Iam excited that it is brewed here!

 

 

At the brewery on tap, pours a slightly hazy amber-ish with an off-white head. Smell and taste are an interesting combo of malt, hops and sour. A pretty tasty brew.

*From notes*
The beer pours some creamy white head that dissipates rather quickly. The beer itself is a cloudy yellow that makes it interesting to look at since sours and ipas aren't normally cloudy.

The smell and taste only have a slight tart note to it, which is a bit disappointing. The smell and taste seem to mostly be dominated by strong hop notes that come out orange and sweet but little else. The overall result seems to more strongly resemble orange juice than anything else.

The body is medium bodied with no carbonation. It has a very juicy feel to it but not in the way a New England style IPA has.

Overall, a beer that someone could go without.

 

Attractively straightforward head, finger high, clean white, even surface, retention is so-so, the lacing is thin and barely sticks. Mild gauziness to the liquid but otherwise clear and there’s decent shine to the orange amber hue, more yellow nearing the rims, minimal visual carbonation. The nose is sour and close at times to volatile, grapefruit citrus, quinine, papaya, pineapple, star fruit scents, some ash and charred wood accents, ends with a woodsy to peaty funk, whatever it is that is there loiters for some time. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied and equally tart and sour, you pucker from mouth entry to finish from the acidic feel. This all but strips the juiciness out of the white grapefruit, lemon citrus. The pineapple, green apple, papaya, nectarine fruit fares somewhat better but just somewhat. Tar, bark, black tea leaf, never musty something about just does not seem all that clean. Can’t really tease out a clear message from the hops nor from the malts, and that is an unusual predicament. I really like the can design.