Purgatory
Greenpoint Beer & Ale Company

 

This, like many other beers, was one from Greenpoint that I went through this week as part of my attempt at cleaning my basement stash out. The name and story behind this beer was funny as the beer got stuck between the kettle and fermentor but in actuality, this brew leaned closer to Heaven than Hell as it was dry-hopped, fruity, and sticky enough to nudge a smile on my face!

Not a bad pour to this as the beer was dank, apricot, and topped off with plenty of offsetting head that resembled bread. A soft ring of lacing lined the top of my Teku glass as there other spotty sections along the side of it. A soft aroma of tangerine, grapefruit, pine, and dank hops came through as the taste had more melon, stone fruit pith, and yeast in it. Soft, slick, and resinous, this somehow straddled the line between creamy and boozy, strong and weak, and dank and mellow; while never coming across as contrived. A bit less melon and less Mosaic or Motueka (if those were the hops) would have been appreciated, but as it was, this brew was more the pleasing to the senses!

Enough booze was in this in the sense that it was present but not a distraction at the same time. As this warmed up, I could feel an overwhelming sense of fresh-cut grass kick in, both in the aroma and taste. That was a big sign in spite of the accidental origins of this beer, that it turned out as natural as could be. Loved the end result and how easily it went down - even over time, this held up well and served as yet another example of why Greenpoint needs a bigger audience than it currently has!

 

 

Pours a hazy pale orange in color with a finger of white head that quickly dissipates. Aroma is a melange of citrus, tropical fruits and some pine. Taste has more of a focus on the citrus and pine notes but keeps a tropical element in the background. Finish is relatively dry with a touch of bitterness. Medium-full body and moderate carbonation. This has the pine, citrus, and some of the bitterness of a west coast IPA and some of the tropical juice and mouthfeel of a New England IPA. I like it.