Flip Phone Holster
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

16 oz. can. Hazy pale orange. Smells of sharp acidic fruits (passion fruit and tart orange) and a little alcohol. Tastes a little less acidic, but still dominated by sharp fruits. Moderate sweetness and slightly chewy malt backbone. Light earthiness in lieu of bitterness. Almost creamy finish. Medium heavy, maybe not quite. Tastes a little boozy and a little chewy, but drinks nicely. A little abrasive, but otherwise tasty.

 

Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass. Opaque, hazy, golden yellow color. Thin white head lasts and leaves good lacing. Nose is tropical fruits and floral. Taste is also tropical fruit with a little sweetness. Finishes on the dry side with a dried pineapple/mango flavor with some hop bitterness. Medium bodied and juicy with good carbonation. Solid offering which I've come to expect from Other Half.

Picked this up at Other Half recently, as it was part of a large haul from my favorite brewery. Loved the retro appeal of this name and the collaboration, as I've never had anything form Hidden Spring before, but this turned out to be just a tad above pedestrian by the former's loft standards. If you want an IPA that's fun, nicely crafted, and easy to drink, this would easily fit that bill but this didn't break any new ground with me whatsoever...

The pour to this was lovely as the liquid was a muted gold with plenty of light coming through and no sediment in the liquid or at the bottom of it either. Plenty of head topped this of as it settled nicely and left behind a thin ring at the top of my pint glass, followed by beautifully thick and layered rings below that and tons of splotchy spots the rest of the way down. Dank hops, star, jack, and sticky tropical fruit filled the muted nose as the taste was just as subdued and exotic. No hops in particular stood out here as the Mosaic, Strata, and Cashmere were felt in equal parts with the end result being a brew that was plenty soft, slick, juicy enough to be enjoyable. The carbonation was light and the aftertaste was lip-smacking without an overt sugary sweetness or pulpy fleshiness to it.

Plenty of alcohol to be had here but I never tasted it and it was on par with the flavors inherent in this beer, as a subtle, pithy burn stuck around in the aftertaste before slowly fading away. This was one of the few Other Half beers that I've reviewed on here that didn't have anything written on the bottom of the can, although i still found this to be fresh and enjoyable. Fans of them like me won't be disappointed here but with so much in their portfolio, this didn't measure up to the better offerings.