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Brazos Valley Brewing Company

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a very lightly hazed orange amber color with a one finger head of white foam. The head has a good level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave a little bit of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is heavy of a dark fruit smell, with lots of craisin like aromas mixed with some cherry as well as a bit of plum. I was surprised at how big and authentic the cranberry smell was ! When mixed with a bit of grain and an almost hard candy like smell, a very inviting and enticing aroma is formed.
Taste – While the nose was huge of cranberry, the taste was not. The taste begins with a bready and slightly sweeter taste with a good showing of tangerine and trocpical fruits mixed with some sweetness of cherry. There is just a touch of a grapefruit and herbal hop upfront with these just growing slightly stronger as the taste moves forward. As the taste advances the sweet fruits fade a bit all while a slightly bitter cranberry taste and some light grass and hay come to the tongue. These tastes take the taste to the end, where they leave one with a very lightly cranberry, and dank, but weakly hopped bready taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew was thicker and chewier with a carbonation level that was slightly lower. A bit higher carbonation and a thinner body may have been better to accentuate the cranberry and fruit of the brew making it a bit more approachable and enjoyable.
Overall – Besides the look and aroma this brew was not all that fantastic. More cranberry and sweetness, as well as a better hop hit are merited for a brew that is a “cranberry IPA”.

Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a finger width foamy head. Head retention is mild and lacing is good. Malty cranberry aroma. Bigger cranberry taste. Slightly sweet but definitely bitter. Smooth. Not soapy or astringent. Light bodied with moderate to heavy carbonation.