Frank White Pineapple IPA
J. Wakefield Brewing

 

 

 

Surprisingly drinkable and terrific for a hot day in summer. Yummy.

Canned a month ago.

L -- Hazy orange body with three fingers of solid white head produced with moderate pour. Great retention and lacing
S -- Definitely getting a lot of pineapple alongside clementine, sweet floral, lychee, lime zest. The pineapple is a little overwhelming though and makes it somewhat artificial
T -- Pineapple, orange rind, subtle earthiness, lemon/lime sorbet, bit of this weird compost pile thing too that I sometimes get with NEIPAs
F -- Soft and drinkable. Medium carb
O -- Eh, especially given the price point I would not go for this again. Still, I could see how some would enjoy it more

74/100

I guess this is supposedly retired, but I have the contents of a can which is dated 7/18/19 poured into my glass right now (though it says this is 7%, so maybe there's a recipe change?). Time to make that edit, I suppose. Anyway, this is my first J. Wakefield solo endeavor, and I'm pumped to give it a shot. I previously have only had their collaboration with Finback called Smooth Beats Miami, which is a coconut IPA that I freakin' love. This here is a similarly-tropical idea, and I'm hoping it lives up to my (perhaps somewhat-unreasonable) expectations.

Pours a beautiful hazed-over golden-orange color with a dense, thick dollop of foam on top. Great lace and solid legs befit the nice-looking beer in my glass, which dazzles with its striking opacity and depth of hue. A very nice first impression, in my opinion. Super pumped to get into this one. I have had some pineapple-infused hoppy beers in the past (I believe most recently I tried Pineapple Guppy by Pipeworks), but none of them have really stood out to any great extent to me. Pineapple sours tend to be good but either too acidic or too sweet, as well, and that seems to be an overarching issue with using this fruit as an adjunct: balancing it with the base beer. Let's keep that in mind when carrying on to the nose.

Upon first pour, I was almost afraid to smell this beer. I didn't want to be disappointed, you see. I was fearful that I would encounter an unbalanced affair. Luckily, my fears were pretty much immediately allayed as I sniffed and picked up a bit of pineapple crossed with light mango, guava, and passion fruit-like tropical notes that balanced the entire affair in one fell swoop. Wow, this smells amazing! I get the feeling JWB knew this could easily get out of hand and they intentionally kept the pineapple as a "supporting" note rather than leaning into it entirely for the flavor profile, and that seems like an idea that paid of in dividends if my thinking is correct. This is creamy and luscious, with a surprising amount of oat-like grain popping out as well if I really get into the glass. Which is something I want to do right now. I want to get in this glass. Seriously, this rules.

On the tongue, I get a kick of bitterness and pine before the tropical papaya and pineapple flavors cover my entire palate toward the mid-palate. The transition to the finish in this beer is very supple and satisfying; it begins with the aforementioned sweet and tropical elements before closing out dry and almost tangy with a hit of catty, dank hops. Fruity and juicy without being overly-so... this is excellent. Truly a great exercise in balance!

Feel is rich and bubbly, complex yet straightforward enough that I recognize this as the immensely-flavorful fruity IPA it is while still noting its attention to detail where such an aspect matters. I wish I had picked up a few more cans of this, but I look forward to seeing more JWB in my area. I'm a fan, for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HBS 4 LIFE