Fedallah's Hearse
Holy Mountain Brewing Company - Interbay Brewery + Taproom

Poured from 16oz can into my 8th Wonder chalice. There doesn't appear to be a date stamp on the can.

Appearance: pale golden hue with a moderate haze and two fingers of frothy ivory foam atop.

Smell: sweet malt with some nice passionfruit and mango aromas. It's teetering on the edge of cloying, but it's not quite there, and the tropicality is good.

Taste: malt is sweet and a little bit toasty; the hops are kinda herbal in nature with that passionfruit from the aroma thrown into the mix. It's not too bad, but maybe not my favorite IPA out there.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: this beer is so close to me liking it, but the sweet and herbal nature of the flavor kind of opposes itself in a way that doesn't wholly work.

2023-02-03
16oz can served in a curvy Fremont glass. No date on the bottom, instead it's stamped with a dot matrix version of their logo and the phrase "WHITE WHALE HOLY ALE" -- that's right, they bought the date stamping equipment and use it for garbage instead of useful information. Probably my least favorite thing about this brewery for which I have a lot of respect. I almost never buy their IPAs in packages because of this, but this time, at a reputable beer place, the employee assured me it was reliably fresh.

Pours clear brassy golden with a big, fluffy, two-finger head, settles slowly into uneven clumpy masses and thick chunky lacing. Smell is pine resin and lemon zest, pretty much straight up.

Taste is old school WCIPA hoppy -- pine and citrus bitterness -- with a little bit of a floral sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium, smooth, clean. Overall, this is a really nice beer and it's hitting the spot.

16oz can

Pours three fingers of white head into my Willi. Retention is very nice and after a few minutes over half the head remains, eventually settling into a very sturdy sliver. Lacing is great, very thick. Body is a slightly darker-than-normal shade of gold. Crystal clear, with a modest amount of bubbles coming up. Looks super good.

Nose is very assertive - spicy, zesty, grassy, there’s a lot of Galaxy here. Over time some tropical fruit and dankness come out. A little edgy for me at times, but I respect the power!

Damn, yeah this is a west coast through and through. Flavor has a lot of that bitter, astringent Galaxy zest, even a little catty and herbal. Dankness comes out after a few minutes. I’m realizing I’m just not a huge fan of Galaxy, but again, I can appreciate this for a clean west coast with a lot of hops.

Carbonation is medium. Body is pretty light. Bitterness is elevated, this has a significant kick to it. Virtually no sweetness. This mouthfeel enhances the astringent nature of the hops. Regardless, this is a west coast without compromise and I respect that.

Drinkability is decent, all things considered.

This is truly a beer I wouldn’t order, but I can admire for its unrelenting aggression.

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a light to medium golden amber with a three finger white head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, citrus and lightly juicy hops, lemon, grapefruit and mild light stone fruit. Flavor is pale malt, citrus and dank hops, lemon, grapefruit, catty dankness. A little pine in the citrus rind and dank finish with fine West Coast bitterness. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Interesting difference between the aroma and flavor of this one; the aroma seemed like old fashioned caramel malt, but the flavor is brighter and drier. There is fruit in the aroma, but the flavor concentrates on citrus rind and dankness, which lingers after the taste. Solid bitterness in the finish, which is welcome. Nicely done and great can graphics.