Smash Street
Greenpoint Beer & Ale Company

Look: Golden, not too hazy, with thin white foam head.
Smell: Malty with grass and herbaceous aroma.
Taste: Malt comes in with a heavy yeast flavor, not much bitterness, not much hops.
Feel: Light feel, average amount of carbonation.
Overall: Not a distinct IPA, but still worth trying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brief initial impression from a 16 fl oz can purchased as part of a 4 pack at a Whole Paycheck in New York City (where this is purportedly a Whole Paycheck exclusive):

Has a subpar appearance owing to its lack of filtration and muddled murky body that lacks any cleanliness or vibrance to it at all.

Taste is nice, hitting the Nelson hops nicely but not fully committing to the potential of Citra. Pale malts keep it balanced.

Mouthfeel is smooth, wet, coating, and medium-bodied, with mild overcarbonation reducing its drinkability.

Overall, it's nice but not amazing work and while I wouldn't pay ~$17 a 4 pack again, I'll enjoy finishing the one I got. Enjoyable and pleasant, but not amongst the best in the style - not by a long shot.

B- / WORTHY

***
01.17.17 2nd impression:

APPEARANCE: Clearly unfiltered, with a dull orange body redolent of old orange juice and a quickly-receding head of off-white colour. Far from eye-catching, and definitely subpar for the style.

AROMA: Muted citrus. Has a tropical fruit bend - mango, maybe tangerine. Nicely resinous in terms of hop character, with some floral notes as well. Pale malts keep it balanced, and there's no booziness whatsoever. No yeast character. No off-notes.

Aromatic intensity is average.

Suggests a balanced coating brew of limited depth of flavour with a decent hop profile. Not the most fresh, juicy, or pungent aroma out there in terms of hops, but the hop selections seem nice enough.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Coating, resinous, medium-bodied, well-carbonated, smooth, wet, unrefreshing. Not stale in taste (contrary to what its appearance suggested), but not particularly fresh or juicy either. Like many IPAs and pale ales hiding behind the "East coast style" euphemism, I struggle to see how this is better for having been unfiltered; there's no lively American yeast profile and a clean juicy mouthfeel would suit it better.

Has a nice softness that plays well with the orange. Resinous throughout, with some mildly floral hop flavours. No hop oils, piney hops, aggressively citrusy hops (e.g. biting grapefruit or vivid orange peel), oniony hops, or yogurty hops. Drifts towards a tropical fruit profile, though I'm not sure how Nelson and/or Citra accomplish that; in any case, there are hints of mango. Slightly pulpy.

Balanced and enjoyable, with a very approachable presence on the palate and a nice hop profile even if depth of flavour is lackluster. Average duration and intensity of flavour.

Not gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, scratchy, or otherwise problematic.

OVERALL: I love that Greenpoint stuck to more classic hops (even if by 2012 standards, Nelson was actually considered a hot new "New World" style hop) instead of chasing the tropical profile with obscure Kiwi hops like so many East coast breweries seem to be. But neither Citra nor Nelson is vividly showcased in this pleasant pale ale, and while the mouthfeel is nicely executed and it's balanced and enjoyable, it can't run with the big dogs even in terms of New York City area pale ales (let alone the best expressions of the style nationwide and globally). I've enjoyed the 4-pack I bought of this, and it's better fare than its Whole Foods exclusive IIPA brother, Turbulence, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone at $17.99 per 4 pack, and price aside it's far from mind-blowing even compared to widely available standbys like Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale.

Let's ditch the unfiltered gimmick, commit to the hops, go heavier on the flavour hopping and softer on the dry hopping, and liven up the malt backbone. The result could be a great beer.

B- (3.38) / WORTHY