Breakwall
Big Lake Brewing

 

Started off looking so good but then was disappointing in the aromas and flavors. Pours a smooth yellow-orange color with lots of rocky white fluffy head and a fair amount of lingering lacing. Smells rather faintly of some muddled fruity hops - faint grapefruit, lemon and tangerine. Also some faint aromas of some malt and bread. Taste follows the nose, but again the flavors are quite muted and any hoppy bitterness is overpowered by the malt sweetness. Smooth, mild mouthfeel with good carbonation. Just not well-balanced and the hops seemed to have faded. Tough to tell how old the beer was since there wasn’t a canning date printed anywhere.

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass; no can dating, but is a recent release. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn/pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.6%. Overall this is a delicious hazy IPA. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Great Citra/Mosaic profile as expected. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy balanced hop complexity; nice pale/wheat malt backbone, with minimal residual sweetness from lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example as expected. Very similar to Lake Haze.

 

 

Seems like more of pale ale than ipa, but still good.