Sun Surfer
Platform Beer Co.

07/06/22 draft @ Gilly’s Akron

 

I KNOW NO ONE WILL TAKE ME HELLA SERIOUS BUT YALL NEEDA CHECK YOUR CANS WHEN BUYING FROM HERE.

Only reason I'm trying this is because a customer returned a leaking pack with YET ANOTHER low fill.

The adjuncts are not present at all. Tastes grainy with slight hop bitterness. Overall not terrible but Platform uses zero quality control. Trash brewery dude, this kinda shit happens way too much and you notice it in the industry. I cant give any beer from this place a good comment cuz I know somewhere out there someone is buying underfilled cans, ones not carbonated enough, etc. I rate the beer as unbiased as possible but im always left thinking was it just this can? Good or bad. Absolute worst brewery I know as a whole.

L: A clear golden color with a nice, thick white head that fades into lacing as bubbles rise to the surface.

S: Agreed with dank and herbal. Maybe a little tropical there, but my nose ain't great.

T: It's mostly hobby and herbal, but I do think I get some of the fruity sweetness and slight tartness from the fruit. It's bitter, but tolerable. Lime and a bit of bubblegum are good descriptors for my initial tastes, but the fruit comes out more over time.

F: Medium, bordering on light body. Mild and easy. Filling.

First time I had this was over the summer, sneaking sips at the park while listening to a Pearl Jam cover band. Think I appreciate it a lot more this time.

 

Thanks Richard and Alanna!

A: honey colored with a white head.

S: dank and herbal.

T: lightly fruity, with a touch of herbal notes, and lightly tart.

M: medium light in body with

O: overall this is a bit if a miss for me, it doesn't know who it is.

 

Purchased as a six-pack from Walmart for $9.99. Poured into a nonic pint glass.

L - Hazy amber with a one-finger ghost white head. This one's got legs!
S - Passion fruit and pineapple are strong. A bit of lemon and oat towards the end.
T - Deep citron and passion fruit notes up front. Guava, lemon, and mango coat the mouth, and finish with a banana-floral twist. Mildly bitter, and quite malty at the end.
F - Dangerously drinkable - almost like that of Bud Light Lemonade. Refreshing, not very filling, and mild in carbonation. Very tart towards the end. Full-bodied.
O - Platform Beer Co. rarely disappoints, and this beer is no exception. Yet another fantastic IPA coming out of the gates! Tropical as promised, but not overbearing; actually hits home with the tropical flavors instead of defaulting to being a hop bomb. Light, fruity, yet full in body. Arguably the perfect summer ale. Will purchase again if I see it. Highly recommend.

 

At one time, I disiked Platform. Then I loved their "specials." Then I saw that there place on the West Side was a dump (don't need to go there). And then I heard that they sold batches that went wrong as "specials," but that could just be an ugly rumor (the haters got to hate). I still like a lot of their stuff.

This one is unusual. It pours a clear light golden. No hazy mess here. The aroma is a strange, slightly fruity, slightly IPA hoppy (very slightly). The taste is dry and bitter with a hint of fruit with clean finish.

Recommended if you are looking for something dry and unusual. I doubt I would buy it again but I wouldn't refuse one if offered.

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of guava, some light citrus. Taste is also of guava, a bit of mango, juicy, mild bitterness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent and highly crushable beer.

 

Good brewer, pretty good beer ... Definitely hits the pineapple and citrus notes .. would be an above average session beer for a hot summer day .. overall a bit too flat and "juicy" for me

I got a 6pck of this beer from my local Kroger store. It poured a slightly hazy golden with thin white head that is not leaving much lace. The scent had fresh fruit salad notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with tropical fruit presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a solid beer.

I did a brewery horizontal earlier in the year with Platform that cleared out my backlog so now it is simply a matter of keeping up with new releases and ones that previously escaped my survey. It does not hurt that they also go to the furtherance of The CANQuest (tm)!

From the CAN: "Sun Surfer Hawaiian Style India Pale Ale"; "*Notes* Pineapple * Guava * Citrus"; "Grains[:] 2-Row[,] Melanoidin[,] Flaked Oats[,] Oat Malt[,] Honey Malt[,] Hops[:] Chinook[,] Ariana[,] Callista[,] Yeast[:] American Ale[,] Adjunct[:] Pineapple Puree[,] Pink Guava Puree[,] Plato[:] 2.75[,] IBU[:] 39"; "Beer In the Moment (tm)".

I was curious as to the addition of those adjuncts, so I Crack!ed open the vent & CANducted a slow, gentle C-Line pour into the awaiting glass, holding my breath in hopes of achieving clarity as I went. Eureka! I got a brief finger of foamy, soapy, rocky, bone-white head with low retention, but c'est la guerre. Color, however, was a gorgeous liquid sunshine-like Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) with NE-quality clarity & The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Midas & Mammon could not show up fast enough! 8=O Nose revealed that the adjuncts, NOT the hops, were the star in this one. It was redolent with tropical fruits, but it did not have the requisite bitterness for the style. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was much akin to the nose - very fruity, very tropical, but not very much like what I would expect in the style. Pineapple was dominant, followed closely by guava. It was on the semi-dry finish that I experienced a light grapefruit bitterness, but I felt like it was too little, too late. 8=( YMMV.

Pale gold with a little head that quickly fades, minimal spotty lace. Looks pretty ho-hum, more like a light lager.

Aroma is good, mildly tropical, though none of the fruits listed on the can. Lime zest and bubblegum sweetness, tiny bit of caramel malt.

Mildly bitter with more lime zest, hop flavor fades fairly quickly, leaving a simple malt base to linger. Not much tropical character really. Light bodied and well carbed, easy to drink but lacking in character.

12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours golden with decent clarity and bubbles racing upwards; creamy white head that falls slowly leaving great thick retention and sticky lacing. The aromas have subtle tropical notes. Pineapple, guava and coconut are there. Lots of crackers and fresh bread. Malts are there. The flavors follow the nose. More pineapple, guava and coconut. Hints of orange and lemon. Lots of fresh grass. More crackers and bread in the mix. Subtle sweetness. Moderate to low bitterness. Finishes juicy. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is on the fuller side of light-bodied with moderate to active carbonation. It's sharp, fluffy, smooth and easy to drink.

This is an alright IPA. It does have a "Hawaiian" vibe going on, but it still drinks like a real beer and not a fruity beer, which I appreciate. It might not be anything super crazy, but it's very refreshing. Not bad.