McKenzies Mill
Southern Pines Brewing Company

 

Pours into a small tulip glass a clear light golden with a thin white crown atop,nice clarity not much head.Sweet alcohol driven drunken fruit stands out most in the nose,more tropical in nature.More malt driven than what I was hoping for,caramel and booze with tropical-like fruitiness underneath but the jet fuel-like booze wins out.It's not a bad beer but there isn't enough hop presence for me to call this a triple IPA like the label says,just not enough of a hop presence for me.

This single-hopped (Mosaic) "Triple IPA" pours to a large, pebbly off-white head on a crystal-clear, vigorously effervescent golden body; head retention is brief and lacing is fair, consisting of coarse-grained hieroglyphs. The aroma is light-medium in intensity; it leads with a whiff of toasty malt that is quickly displaced by a very green vegetal character, reminiscent of tomato plants, that in turn quickly gives way to a vinous medley of dry white wine and more subtle sweet white table grapes, topped by surprisingly modest alcohol overtones- based on the nose, this could pass as a beer of half the ABV. Up front, the flavor is a sweetish white wine character that is buoyed by a mid-palate surge of slightly-nutty, caramelly poundcake malt that does a very good job of hiding the treacherous boozy undertow. The finish is a modest, warming hit of white grape and nutty malt, followed by the onset of a modest sweetish, boozy, vinous flavor that lasts for awhile. Mouthfeel is big for the light body, and is slightly warming; the texture is slick and slightly peppery from the somewhat-restrained carbonation. Between the vinous hops and the big, sweet malt, this one comes across as much like a sweet dessert wine as it does an IPA. Alcohol is hidden very well. (16 oz can, no code date)

Poured into a Duvel tulip. No readable freshness date.

A- Pours a light amber color with a 3/4 inch off-white head that retains well before becoming a thin ring around the edge of the glass and a cobweb pattern of surface foam. Resilient lacing leaves small clots behind.

S- Why does this beer smell like malt vinegar? That plus a bit of vegetal quality and an inevitable booze fume. Eventually I'm able to derive a bit of floral hop character.

T- ...And it tastes like watery malt vinegar. Mild bitterness and very little malt presence. The ABV is hidden very well but there's not much here beside that strange vinegary essence. As it warms, some decent hop flavors make their way to the front but it's too little too late.

M- Somewhat sharp from the hops and booze with medium carbonation and a lightish body.

O- This is one of the most perplexing beers I've ever tasted. If you put this in front of me without telling me what style it was, it's so off kilter I probably wouldn't be able to figure out it's supposed to be an IPA. One thing that's remarkable about this drink is that it is dangerously drinkable for how strong it is, yet the flavors that are there just aren't very enticing.

A: Pours a crystal clear medium golden yellow in color with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation and faint honey colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall foamy white head that reduces to a large patch of mottled thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of citrus/grapefruit, citrus/orange, tropical/papaya, and tropical/pineapple hops over the top of light to moderate aromas of caramel malts with a light amount of sweetness.

T: Upfront there is a slightly stronger than moderate flavor of caramel malts with a moderate amount of caramel sweetness. That is followed by slightly stronger than moderate flavors of citrus/grapefruit, citrus/orange, tropical/papaya, and tropical/pineapple hops which contribute a moderate amount of bitterness. While the hoppy bitterness lingers for a short while the underlying sweetness lingers long beyond the finish.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: Considering the strength of this beer, it is relatively easy to drink and enjoyable. Pretty well balanced between the sweetness from the malts and the bitterness from the hops. Nice combination of tropical and citrus flavors and aromas from the hops. Glad I grabbed and tried this one.

 

Look: It pours golden with an off white head. It has very little lacing.

Smell: It has some pineapple aromas with some funk and citrus.

Taste: It has a sweet initial taste that feature pineapple, tropical fruits, and citrus. There is a bit of floral as well. Some of the flavors are somewhat similar to a sparkling wine.

Feel: It has a moderate body with some alcohol warming. It has a bitter sweet finish which lingers quite a while on the palate.

Overall this is a very different type of imperial ipa with flavors that are sweet combined with a high level of bitterness. In this case, unique is good.

 

A giant triple IPA that is crystal clear and light gold. The white head fades quickly and leaves no trace of lacing behind. The aroma is massive citrus with oranges, grapefruits and maybe papaya. There is also sweetness detected with a healthy dose of piney hops. The taste is very sweet with a lot of citrus and a moderate pine bitterness at the end. There is barely a trace of alcohol in this monster triple IPA. This is a dangerously drinkable beer.