Rumblefish
Flying Fish Brewing Company

 

Pours a nice dark orange with a smallish head and some nice lacing. Smell is crisp west coast hops- citrus. A little spicy alcohol. Taste is hops throughout. Piney, earthy, a little dank, bracing. Not much malt character so a little unbalanced but that's probably the idea. After so many NEIPA's I'm really enjoying going back to the og west coast style. Lighter bodied than you'd expect and a little boozy but very drinkable. Pretty solid DIPA

Flying Fish Brewing Co. "Rumblefish"
12 fl. oz. can coded "4019 08/28/22 08:12:27" and sampled on 06/14/22
$4.29 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: The Rumblefish has poured a clear copper colored body beneath an inch and a half of off-white foam. The head appears to be holding up well despite the fact that there are only a few strands of tiny bubbles rising upwards within. The aroma suggests sweet caramelish malt and citrusy, floral, and lightly piney hops. It's not the brightest hop aroma but most double IPAs are similar in character. On to the taste then... the malt is grainy and caramelish without being overdone and I have to give them credit for that as a lot of breweries tend to push it just a little bit too far. The hops remain the same as they were in the aroma but they're fuller, and again, not overdone. Could they be more intense? Absolutely, but there is a nice balance against the malt base and I appreciate that not every beer has to be in-your-face; this is nicely balanced and I welcome that. The hops in play are Ahtanum, Citra, Chinook, and Cascade by the way. I'm getting notes of orange, apple, soft grapefruit, flowers, pine, grass, and dusty earth. It's got a solid bitterness but it doesn't come across as such given that there's so much malt present. The alcohol has a clear presence but it's more in the "to be expected" category than distracting or harsh. It finishes with some golden to medium-caramelish malt fading to leave behind bitterness, dusty earth, and pine. In the mouth it's medium-full in body, gently crisp, and then smooth and creamy. The head did indeed hold up well, and it's left some nice lacing about the glass.

It's far from the worst offenders, but this starck white head is troubling. Observed after a pint can's contents have been emptied into a clear glass Imperial pint mug, the best that can be said about the head is that it didn't prevent the entire can from being emptied. The stark white fluff that receded unevenly and without glass lacing aside, this is an attractive beer. The color is light copper-amber, bright and somewhat translucent. The aroma is faint, just a little bit hoppy. It t drinks fairly well, if lightly. There's a little sweetness, but it's not malty, just sweet. There's just enough layers of hops to make this work. All at once, they seem to be earthy, piney and yet give a hint of citrus. That combination would be excellent, were there a better malty counterbalance. As it is, it's a nicely hopped IIPA that represents the West Coast style very well. There's a certain taste reminder that the ABV exceeds eight percent and it detracts from the overall taste. Overall, this is a good choice if you like Imperial/Double IPAs without a good malt counterbalanced backbone and a taste hint of alcohol. This captures the West Coast style fairly well.