Sudden Brainwaves
Other Half Brewing - Center Street
- From:
- Other Half Brewing - Center Street
- New York, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
- ABV:
- 8%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 4.03 | pDev: 7.2%
- Reviews:
- 2
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 30, 2019
- Added:
- May 14, 2018
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Sudden Brainwaves Imperial Blueberry Honey Oat Cream IPA (8%) collab w/ Northern Monk Brewing, is crushed with blueberries and NYS honey, a ton of oats and some lactose sugar, then smashed with Mosaic hops.
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Reviewed by JerzDevl2000 from New Jersey
4.25/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I've had over 250 beers from Other Half since they entered the proverbial fray and the reason I keep coming back to them is that I expect to find something from them unlike anything that I've ever had before. That was the case with this as this fruity, sweet brew kept me on my toes throughout my time with it.
Can't quite figure out what part Northern Monk had in concocting this but I can say that this was quite the enigma from the get-go. Deep blue in hue bordering on indigo, it had enough head topping it off and left behind well-defined rings of lacing that bled down to the layer below. Juicy blueberries, sweet honey, and sweet lactose filled the nose as the taste added vanilla creamsicle, local honey, and oat body to the mix. Full and potent, there was so much going on here but this felt like an entry to the county fair that won the blue ribbon because of how well it impressed everyone. Not too tart, nor too strong, nor too bitter, this held up well over time in spite of the sediment that it contained...
This wasn't a weak beer but it never felt as strong as it was in actuality. The vanilla cream sweetness was able to hide many of this beer's shortcomings but only to a certain extent. Bright and fruity, this was enjoyable but just a few steps short of being truly great. Canned on 5/10/18 with "SUPER FOODS" written below that, this took a super food (the blueberry) and utilized it in the nearly the best way possible. A second go-around might have been super but as it was, this was an American Imperial IPA that equally functioned as a wondrous dessert beer.
Dec 30, 2019Can't quite figure out what part Northern Monk had in concocting this but I can say that this was quite the enigma from the get-go. Deep blue in hue bordering on indigo, it had enough head topping it off and left behind well-defined rings of lacing that bled down to the layer below. Juicy blueberries, sweet honey, and sweet lactose filled the nose as the taste added vanilla creamsicle, local honey, and oat body to the mix. Full and potent, there was so much going on here but this felt like an entry to the county fair that won the blue ribbon because of how well it impressed everyone. Not too tart, nor too strong, nor too bitter, this held up well over time in spite of the sediment that it contained...
This wasn't a weak beer but it never felt as strong as it was in actuality. The vanilla cream sweetness was able to hide many of this beer's shortcomings but only to a certain extent. Bright and fruity, this was enjoyable but just a few steps short of being truly great. Canned on 5/10/18 with "SUPER FOODS" written below that, this took a super food (the blueberry) and utilized it in the nearly the best way possible. A second go-around might have been super but as it was, this was an American Imperial IPA that equally functioned as a wondrous dessert beer.
Reviewed by CNoj012 from New York
3.46/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.46/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This beer pours an opaque blueish purple color with a 1.5 finger, sudsy head that is off white with a light purple hue. Retention is below average and there is next to no lacing.
Smell is super lactose heavy. Blueberries are the co star and there are hop notes of grapefruit and mixed berries in the background.
Taste is very similar. The blueberries lean tart and there is a bit of bitterness from the hops, but they just can't stand up to the sweetness of the lactose.
Feel is light side of medium and smooth with low carbonation.
Overall this beer is a big time miss for me. Panna e Fragole is a top 5 OH beer for me, so my expectations were very high, but this beer is not in the same stratosphere.
Jun 11, 2018Smell is super lactose heavy. Blueberries are the co star and there are hop notes of grapefruit and mixed berries in the background.
Taste is very similar. The blueberries lean tart and there is a bit of bitterness from the hops, but they just can't stand up to the sweetness of the lactose.
Feel is light side of medium and smooth with low carbonation.
Overall this beer is a big time miss for me. Panna e Fragole is a top 5 OH beer for me, so my expectations were very high, but this beer is not in the same stratosphere.
Rated by beer456 from New York
4.42/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Very different for OH
May 20, 2018
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