2 Hop (Exp 06277 & Centennial)
Faction Brewing

wow. this is absolutely incredible beer. perhaps the best hoppy beer i have had so far this year, and on a brief but robust recent trip to california, it was easily my favorite thing i had to drink. it starts off unassuming enough, i had never heard of this experimental hop before, and we all know what centennial is like in a pale or ipa type, so i was ordering this more for the brewery, who i have heard great things about and enjoyed in my limited experience, than i was for the beer itself, on its own merits. looks the part, pale and a little hazy, no darker than straw colored, with an inch of lasting white head, still unassuming. even the nose, which has the fresh milled woodiness of centennial behind a fancy fruity hop aroma, did not blow me over. it smells fresh as can be, somewhat delicate, but not as distinct as it becomes in the flavor. some lemon to the nose, some kiwi fruit maybe, its juicy, but i dont even know what i am in for yet. the first sip, wow, it just floors me. i have never experienced this hop complexion before, and for all the citra and mosaic and amarillo beers that are all starting to taste the same out there these days, this is the answer i have been looking for in hoppy beer! i am reluctant to give all the credit to the experimental hops though, obviously the brewers were on point here, and clearly the centennial is prominent in the flavor, but this new hop aspect has my full attention! to even ascribe specific fruit superlatives to this would be an exercise in futility, its so complex and layered that notions like pineapple and tangerine and melon are so lackluster and inadequate that i am entirely unwilling to use them to describe what i taste in this magical pale ale. soft white grape for sure though, and this herbaceous freshness, almost desserty without being sweet, almost japanese in a savory but delicate cuisine sort of way, balanced and minimal yet astoundingly original, complex, and put together. i remember the first time i tasted mosaic, and was thinking to myself that it had to be the next big thing and it was. whatever you are, young 06277, i believe in your impending ascension to the forefront of the hop world! it has to blow up, its so amazing. as distinct as a sorachi ace, somewhat more delicate and refined. this beer is a wonderful testament to the synergistic intersection of agriculture, brewing prowess, and fairy dust. in love with this beer, stoked for the future of 06277, blown away by faction right now, and cant forget to acknowledge the gretzky-like assist of the centennial hops here. this is all time pale ale!