Pine Zips
Fonta Flora Brewery

Look: It pours hazy dark orange. It has an off white head. Head retention is good.

Smell: It has a strong aroma of stone fruit with pine. There is a bit of sweetness in the nose with some spice. There is an apricot element to it.

Taste: It has a strong mixture of stone fruit and pine. There are strong spicy rye elements very close in support. The apricot of the stone fruit gives it a sweet element and the pine has the bitter element.

Feel: It has a medium full body with a bit of harshness in the bitterness.

Overall, an excellent combination of elements in both the aroma and the flavor. The bitterness is a bit harsh for me.

 

I am trying a can of this beer at my bestie's house in Charlotte, NC. It poured a hazy orangish with white head that is leaving some lace. The scent had pine notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with pine needle bas and subtle bitter hop finish. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had good carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.

My wife's favorite beer - she has it shipped from NC annually. To me, the taste is mind-blowing every time I drink it. Not mind blowingly good, but just a wow finish because the pine hits you hard. Everytime I crack one, I am shocked at how piney it really is. Certainly a polarizing beer, but one I enjoy. Like drinking a pine tree.

Pours a hazy oranhe with soapy head.

Smell is floral and quite earthy with notes of pine, citrus and honeysuckle.

Taste is floral and piney, with an intense bitterness. Notes of citrus, honeysuckle and melon, with some earthy and perfumey hints.

Mouthfeel is medium, well carbonated.

Ovrall, a nice, floral IPA, a touch too much earthiness for my taste.

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 2/26/2019. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy deep golden/amber color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, spruce, evergreen, peppercorn, pine, cracker, spicy rye, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/earthy hops, pine needles, and moderate rye/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, spruce, evergreen, peppercorn, pine, cracker, spicy rye, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness; and rye spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, spruce, evergreen, peppercorn, pine, cracker, spicy rye, white bread dough, biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops, pine needles, and moderate rye/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.5%. Overall this is an excellent spiced IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops, pine needles, and moderate rye/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/resinous/drying finish. Not aggressive, and not overwhelming on any aspect. Great classic Warrior, Amarillo, Chinook profile. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops/pine needles; with a great balancing bready rye malt backbone. Mild residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example. Reminds me of Short's spruce beers, but about half as intense on the pine tree character.

 

 

 

A: Pours a lightly hazy golden copper in color with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and moderate medium golden yellow + burnt orange + honey colored highlights. The beer has a four finger tall dense pillowy foamy light beige head that slowly reduces to a medium to large sized finger thick cap surrounded by a large patch of very thin film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of toasted + bready + caramel + spicy rye malts with a light to moderate amount of grainy + caramel sweetness. That is followed by light to moderate aromas of herbal + citrus/orange + pine/resin hops. Finally moderate aromas of fresh pine needles.

T: Upfront there are just shy of moderate flavors of toasted + bready + caramel + spicy rye malts with a light to moderate amount of grainy + caramel sweetness. That is followed by moderate flavors of fresh pine needles. Finally there are light to moderate flavors of herbal + citrus/orange + pine/resin hops which impart a light to moderate amount of assertive bitterness which lingers slightly.

M: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Slightly crisp upfront with a hint of dryness in the finish.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol. Enjoyable assuming that you enjoy a piney IPA - I could see this pairing very nicely with some Italian food (I'm thinking Arrabbiata).

 

Medicinal flavor, couldn't finish it.