Braxton Labs Edge of Mysteries
Braxton Brewing Company

Canned 4/25/2020

This is the Citra variant

Looks like pineapple juice, super hazy with a creamy 2 finger head into a pint glass, little lacing.

Smells of subdued citrus, more of a melon thing going on

Tastes of orange-pineapple, very juicy, definition of an hazebro. Solid in that regard if that’s your thing. Yeast in suspension leaves a bit of funk.

Medium to full mouthfeel, tangy yeast bite, a bit too much for me.

All around a great NEIPA, again if it’s what you’re looking for give er a go. Glad I got to try this beer

I'm trying a 5oz taster of this beer off the tapper at the brewery. It poured a hazy golden with white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had hints of dank basement. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with dank citrus hop presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a fantastic beer.

Single 16oz can from Party Town
Milky golden/yellow color with a finger thick white head, good retention.
Fruity citrus aroma. Taste follows suit with a medium body and creamy mouthfeel.
Like it!

 

 

Average

Such a well-balanced ale that it inspired me to review/analyze NEIPAs in general.

First, I've now had 50 NEIPAs, which puts it as my 15th style with the most uniques. (For a style that first got its style on BA last year, that is pretty good.) Even better is that NEIPAs have now 14774 entries on BA. This surpasses my favorite style saisons by over 10%... and saisons have been around a lot longer. If you are bothering to follow my analysis, I'll add one more tidbit: 80% of my NEIPAs are rated at or below the BA average. For me to say that I like a NEIPA, I consider it a big deal.

I like Edge of Mysteries... mostly because it is skillfully balanced.

It Looks slightly above average. (The best NEIPAs have a foam that lives only the length of s short session.) But Edge's Smell, Taste and Feel are a totally integrated piece of work; playing well together at each interval and creating a consistent impression of craftsmanship. The fruit medley that starts in the nose, is true to the palate from beginning to end and cleanses it with just enough bubbles so all the work that went into integrating the grains and the hops stays intact.

A bravo performance. (And coming from a malt-head like me, consider that high praise.

Minted on the can less than two months ago is the stamp of 7/17/20. Fresh makes it impression here. My only regret is that I only bought one from Tavour.

In tasting Edge of Mysteries, I somehow thought that this is a brewer skilled beyond its years. Further research supports my hunch. First of all, Braxton's business model is "work on more off-beat styles as it makes the portfolio better." Braxton avoided what I call the "IPA easy-temptation" and worked on learning other styles as a niche to develop their cash cows, and then got into the IPAs for the American palate. This is a smart, tactical niche that other young brewers should think about. And for this, I give Braxton lots of OA Hugs... and also for providing good reasons to go to old river downtowns and helping revive them.

A: The beer is very hazy pale yellow in color. It poured with a narrow white collar around the edge of the glass and a thin film of bubbles covering the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of pineapple are present in the nose along with notes of lime.
T: The taste follows the smell and has lots of pineapple-like flavors. No bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied and very juicy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I really enjoyed all of the pineapples in the smell and taste of this beer. It almost seemed like the beer was brewed with pineapples as ingredients, except the you didn't get any of the sweetness that you would normally expect from them.

Serving type: can

A grapefruit juice soaked sponge vaporized in your mouth. A slightly spicy citrus sea foam sticks around for a few seconds after each swig.

 

great hoppy taste - grapefruit after taste - good new England ipa

 

 

Look - yellow slight tannish orange hazy color with a slight white head
Smell - Orange Grapefruit citrus scents with a slight spice
Taste - a lot like the scent but more taste then scents. White grapefruit with a little bit of orange maybe a slight lemon.
Feel - medium body and carbonation
Overall - Pretty tasty NE

New England IPA with Citra hops. Poured from a can into a New Belgium tulip. The pour is light orange in color and quite hazy with a finger of fine white foam. Average attenuation and good retention. Bright nose with strong notes of fresh oranges, grapefruit, and flowers.

Medium body with a firm feel and a pleasant citrusy flavor. Up front there is a faint sweet bready note, then I get flavors of oranges, lemon, peach, and herbal tea. The oranges and lemon persist through the back of the palate and linger a bit on the finish. Overall, another excellent New England IPA from Braxton Labs. Lots of fruity, refreshing hop flavor without piercing bitterness.