Key Lime Pie Shakedown
Four Quarters Brewing Co.

 

I confess- I’m not a fan of milkshake IPAs.

I like the brewery- and the co-brewer not mentioned in the notes-Good Measure- at this time.

Cloudy light golden color with a 4F head.

Very lime aroma and some tropical fruit aroma- not strong, but good.

As expected- smooth mouth feel- but not like a milkshake. Perhaps that term is a misnomer.
I grew up in the 60’s with lots of milkshakes and this consistency is not a milkshake thickness, not even close.

Strong lime, and weird NZ hops -I’m not an avid fan. Some brewers get it right with these winey, fruity hops.

Moderate + hoppy finish.

I wouldn’t drink it again. Although it’s very well done.

I’m a US, Aussie, and European hops guy. Winey, fruity, milkshake IPAs are okay.

Worth checking out for a craft beer adventure.

I've had a few of these Shakedown beers, which are all milkshake IPAs with inspired hop combos + adjunct ingredients that either approximate a "hoppy liquid" version of a specific dessert or feature a single fruit addition. It's a cute, interesting idea that pans out properly about 50% of the time. I keep buying them because of the really cool sounding recipes though... I mean, c'mon, this has vanilla, lactose, key lime, graham cracker, and Motueka and Wakatu hops, which are two distinct NZ varietals with specific lime aromatic/flavor descriptors. That's a genius idea. Ideas are only as good as their execution, though, of course, so let's see how it all "shakes out." I'm hilarious, I know.

Pours a surprisingly deep orange color with pretty much full opacity and a nice, retentive head of eggshell-white foam that leaves behind extremely nice, consistent lace and also has superb legs. I'm genuinely impressed with the way this pours, though there are definitely some remnants of all of the adjuncts in here if you look at it while it's pouring.

The nose is odd but pretty much on-par with what a true "key lime pie beer" would smell like. It has a certain funkiness to it that I can only assume is the way the lactose works with the citrus element, but otherwise, there is a lot to enjoy here, and a decent amount of it is pretty complex. Whipped cream, zesty lime juice and peel, and even the graham cracker crust is pretty well-defined. This is gonna be one of those adjunct-y beers that I pour and, given all the ingredients, cynically expect to be a little more like a normal IPA instead of the whole "make an IPA that smells/tastes like a real dessert" deal, and then I'm just set totally straight by it being exactly what they said it'd be, isn't it?

On the palate, KLPS is heavy and thick with flavors of lime sherbet, vanilla, some sweet maltiness, and a nice hit of light tropical fruit. Perhaps Motueka flexing a little of its unusual character here; who knows? The vanilla, lactose, and graham cracker definitely give this a super-filling mid-palate profile that inhibits drinking any faster than a sip at a time, but perhaps that's for the best, as this gets somehow a little better as it warms. I probably would not get it again, but it's totally worth a shot if you enjoy this sort of things, and even if you're a convert to the world of "milkshake IPAs" (groan), you might enjoy it for what it is.

NO can date
Pours a med fizzy foamy head with med retention, hazy cloudy med orange color, tufts of lacing

Nose starts with a typical pithy NEIPA, some chalky mineral notes, pithy, tropical fruits more generic but a little grapefruit maybe papaya, some mango sherbet, lots of citrus under that, some key lime characters, lime zest, light cracker doughy malt, fruit juice

Taste again comes on with NEIPA, lots of citrus out front, orange and tangerine, with some grapefruit, and big key lime zest, and key lime juice, with a doughy malt and plenty of cracker flavors, light tropical notes, more mild chalky mineral and pithy notes, touch of alcohol warmth and some vanilla as well and creamy lactose, little doughy, mild flemmy, light alcohol, more vanilla and creamy notes, a bit more key lime juice, vanilla, and citrus zest

Mouth is med bod, fairly creamy, med foamy creamy carb, light warming alcohol

Overall interesting, fun beer, decent NEIPA and nice key lime on top, some good crackery crust like notes, enjoyable, not something I would get often though

 

 

This one pours a very hazy golden yellow - it really is pretty beautiful. This has a big fluffy head, and lots of lacing.

This one smells like bready graham cracker, sour lime, candied hops, vanilla, stone fruit, and grapefruit.

This is more actually "hoppy" than most milkshake IPAs, with a nice piney bitterness and a bit of grapefruit. There's a nice candied but tart lime character, and the graham cracker and vanilla are done well and don't come off artificial.

This is light bodied, a bit creamy, and with a very high level of drinkability.

This was done pretty well - it's high level for the style.