Spaced Out
Alvarado Street Brewery

16oz can thanks to Steve. Hazy, milky golden with small frothy head. Big fruity, citrusy aroma, with tropical notes. Super juicy flavors too, more tropical and citrus notes, like a big fruit smoothie. Really nice.

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: New England Double / Imperial IPA
Glass: Clear shaker pint glass
Price: $7.00
From: Lama Dog Tap Room & Bottle Shop in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Purchased: June 19, 2020
Consumed: June 20, 2020
Misc.: Collab between Alvarado Street and Moonraker; Canned on June 9, 2020

Went back to Lama Dog for some more Alvarado Street and Humble Sea. This was a collab with Moonraker. Damn, that’s a lethal combo. Alvarado Street’s website calls it, “A rebrew of last year's collaboration Double IPA with Moonraker. Using a blended yeast strain to drive tropical aromatics and flavor compounds, we've then used both cryo and traditional pellets in the dry hop for an uber bright, fruity & dank hop character. The addition of Oregon estate heirloom barley from Mecca Grade Malting and a sizable portion of Spelt gives it a pillowy, chewy texture.” Mentioned hops were Mosaic, Ekuanot and Amarillo.

Poured a golden hazy color with 2-to-3 fingers of frothy white head. No noticeable bubbles underneath the head. Excellent spiderweb lacing. Outstanding retention. (Sight - 4.50)

Smelled Amarillo, tangerine, orange, apricot, Mosaic, mixed berry, rose blossom, floral, bubblegum, mango, guava, sappy pine and green pepper. Not as good from the can. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste was not as quite as good as the nose. In order got Amarillo, green pepper, Ekuanot, hints of jalapeno, tangerine rind, black pepper, body odor, onion, garlic, Mosaic, mixed berry, rose blossom, floral, mango rind, guava, sappy pine, grass, apricot, peach skin and bubblegum. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Oily texture. Average carbonation. Abrupt, dry finish. A little bit of hop burn. (Feel - 4.25)

May have overrated this slightly, but probably excellent. (Overall - 4.25)

4.17 | 93 | A-

Can poured into an Alvarado Street Brewery beer glass

A: Pours hazy golden orange amber with a frothy off white head that settles to a firm layer and leaves some beautiful lacing.

S: Spicy herbal and piney notes quickly give way to a wave of tropical and stone fruit, some citrus, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness, with a hint of alcohol that can poke through as it warms.

T: Ripe tropical and stone fruit, peach, guava, papaya, mango, apricot, nectarine, and a little melon, peppery spice, some pine, citrus, tangerine and lemon lime, faint earthy herbal notes, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

M: Full chewy body, moderate carbonation, soft on the palate.

O: I'm not normally big on Ekuanot hops, so I wasn't sure I would like this one as much as others on here, but I should have known that when you combine Alvarado Street and Moonraker the results are going to be fantastic, no matter what they use. Damn good brew.

Once again, this was a beer that I traded for ages ago and took a while to get around to. Loved the label but what was even more impressive were the ingredients that went into this. Can't say that I've ever had an IPA, let alone an American Imperial IPA, that was quite like this as it had one of the fullest bodies for that style that I've ever come across. If you want balance, heft, and an unexpected surprise on your palate, then this would be a great choice to reach for!

Dank in pour and aroma, the smell also contained barley and spelt to give it a bold and yet unfamiliar smell that took a bit of getting used to. Lots of grain, chewy malt, and earthy yeast filled my pint glass up as the taste reinforced the heft that my nose felt during my first whiff of this. Soft but enduring tropical fruits came into the mix as this warmed up with the full array of mango, papaya, guava, and white peach coming into the fold and melding together beautifully, Subtle citrus slickness, earthy pine, nectar, and candied sugar combined with the undertone of overripe rind to draw me in and hold my attention to the last sip, as this beer was in near-perfect proportion and balance as anything I've had in recent months.

The amount of alcohol was spot-on as well since I could taste a bit of it and the warming I felt during my session was complementary to the wide array of fruit flavors and malts used to make this. Really impressed with this beer as it was equal parts familiar and exotic while never seeming contrived in any aspect. A lack of sediment and sense of freshness only added to the sensory experience that this offered me. As another reviewer on here said, this featured the best of Northern California and I second that, down to the last drop!

This pours a murky, cloudy muddled straw with generous foam. Gentle citrusy aroma that bursts from the glass. It's big and vibrant, full of juicy goodness on the palate. Stunning brew. Doesn't drink like a dipa, with a creamy, velvety smoothness... until the boozy burn hits you on the back. Fantastic.

 

 

Pours a beautiful hazy orange with fine, soft foam.

Smell is juicy and a bit sweet, with notes of oranges, mango and pineapple sorbet.

Taste is intense and juicy. An absolute tsunami of oranges, mango and peach juice rolls over your tongue, and in its wake comes a perfect, soft bitterness and hop bite and just a hint of licorice. Long finish makes your tastebuds dance with joy.

Mouthfeel is perfect. Soft, pillowy and smooth, with good carbonation.

Overall, a real corker of a NE DIPA. Great flavor and perfect mouthfeel.

 

 

 

 

 

Canned 7/30/18, consumed 8/3/18

L: Hazy, cloudy dirty straw color with a small head that left a small amount of lacing.

S: A really thick, strong blend of tropical and citrus fruits. The more sniffs the more enjoyable, a nice departure from a lot of brews with mild/light aromas.

T: Delicious, primarily tropical fruits with a nice small amount of danky, piney/grassy hop notes, not as thick as the aroma, very well balanced.

F: Smooth but not creamy, low carbonation, medium, really can't tell it's a DIPA, low easy bitterness.

O: Pretty great hazy DIPA all around. I would say it lives up to expectations considering the collaboration.