Open Mic
Illumination Brewing / Funk Brewing

 

Full disclosure I am not a hophead and do not usually care for Mega hopped bitter beers but I can definitely respect this one...
Got a few of the 16 oz cans of it.
Nice thick foamy consistency which I like in any beer.
This is definitely not cheap swill.
The sedating or hypnotic effect from the Hops will put you on the couch if you have too much of this...

Canned on 11/7/2018. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a hazy honey-orange color with a huge, gelato-like, bright white head and thick, soapy lacing. It smells of orange, lemon, grapefruit, onion, and (I swear) V-8 juice. It smells a little like a Bloody Mary. I'm not sure whether that's intended. The taste features peach, tangerine, lemon peel, grapefruit, straw, and mildly bitter hops. As the glass warms I also taste and oaty sweetness. It's lite and crisp with moderate carbonation, and drinks very easily at 5.5% ABV. Overall, this is a pleasant IPA that has lots of flavor and drinks easily. I could be a great summertime beer and would be a great beverage to accompany burgers, dogs, grilled chicken or sausage.

another hazy ipa in a a pint can from a brewery trying to get in on the action. this one didnt really do much for me, although it tasted not quite all the way fresh, which could account for some of the muted hop flavors in this, and the bit of oxidation i got on the nose. it smells like limes and straw, green and bitter, with an almost noble hop aspect to it, not the usual dry hopped fruitiness that has made the style famous, id love to know what hops are here, and i like it for being a little different there. the malt base is oat heavy, and they can really be tasted here, almost at the expense of the hop climax, as they are big and earthy all the way through this, like porridge or something, dense in the feel too, and as much as i like one of these having malt flavor not from crystal barley, its a little much i think, it doesnt match the flavor of the hops all that well, and it seems overly heavy for something at this modest abv, i didnt find this particularly drinkable, even with good carbonation on it. i have to hold off on being too harsh until i can try it and guarantee that its fresh. thats one of the downsides of this style, it has a short shelf life most of the time, and there is a lot of fading and faded beer out there. i can tell this one is a little unique, but it didnt totally resonate with me this time. ill be back for more...

 

 

Picked up a single from the Craft Beer Quick Stop cooler on 1.25.19 for $3.39. Canned on 10.1.18. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured a cloudy orange with a nice white head with the initial pour.

Nose is fresh oranges, very nice.

Taste is orange forward over a light malt base. Finish is moderate orange rind, 3/10 on the bitterness scale.

Mouthfeel is light and fairly refreshing.

Overall a pretty nice beer.

Poured into a grip shaped goblet: color is straw, murky but not too dense or milkshake looking; head is off white presenting a finger thick and dissipating to whispy top with some lacing on the glass.

Smell is subdued, leans to a pale ale like maltiness, hops are slow to warm but notable aromas of peach and light mango, and touch of grapefruit zest.

Taste is less malty, some oat neutrality to the malt base, hops are peach, light tropical fruit, limited citrus. Hop flavors seem to dominate the barley/oat base.

Mouthfeel is starting to lean bitter with its warmth, tongue is drying out but then the oat smoothness starts clean it up some.

Overall this was a brew i was intrigued to try - I enjoy adding oats to homebrews and still want to create an oat heavy brew. That said the oat character was noticeable but limited/restrained. Hard to tell if the age of the can is allowing the hops to overbitter and limit oat flavor and presence.

 

 

 

Hops were a little amped up on this one, certainly didn’t get the silky texture you would think from using oats, it is very chewy & malty on the body, hops are oily and bitter without depth or complexity

 

 

Ranks below avg. to the other quality offerings from Funk (i.e. Citrus, Silent Disco)

 

Started promising with nice citrus smell opening the 16 oz can. Taste isn’t as good. Somewhat piney and earthy while lacking depth. Found this as a single can at Wegmans and it’s not the freshest. Not too bad but I don’t think I will look for more. Can says Funk Brewing Chicago IL and date in bottom of can is 8/22/18. Drinking almost four months later.