Plant Based Drippin
Local Craft Beer (LCB)

Straight pour from a 16oz can to a tall, narrow pint (Green Cheek nucleated flute). No canning date, but I purchased this at the brewery just under a week ago. Seems to be a recent release—maybe three weeks or so? Hard to say. Hopefully it’s reasonably fresh.

Appearance (4.0): This pours a fucking murky dark tan, with deep orange highlights, if that’s what you call them. It’s capped with a thick, almost nitro-like head two fingers tall, which slowly dissipates to a rocky, custard-colored puck surrounded by tight, wide lacing. The body is as hazy as “hazy” gets—maybe a little too much—but it fits the substyle and the lacing is no joke.

Smell (4.25): In the nose, this beer really leans into bright citrus: crushed pineapple, mango sorbet, limeade, and an orange oil-laced dankness. It’s all draped over a sturdy sugar cookie scent that gives some idea of a pilsner, white wheat, and oat grain bill. As it opens up, more of a spicy dankness comes out, suggesting a couple of different strains of cannabis.

Taste (4.25): This leads with an exceedingly bright, juicy feel that resonates with sweetened key lime, kumquat, a touch of gooseberry and a nicely bitter floral, grassy character, before transitioning into a big, slick smoothie feel—orange sherbet, crushed pineapple. The hop bitterness comes back around at this point, with big, resinous pine notes, with an herbal note blended in, suggesting rosemary. It’s all given a nice, tingly feel thanks to the tastefully not-quite-hidden booze present in this beer. That said, it never comes off as harsh, boozy, or burning at all. The grains come through with such silky smoothness, offering a mélange of sugar cookies and oatmeal with cream, that neither the hops or booze turn harsh.

Mouthfeel (4.5): As suggested above, smooth and creamy all the way through. The body is definitely on the full-side but not quite heavy, with a thick and creamy feel. The carbonation is fine and evenly distributed, laying down a slick blanket of light, tingly bubbles that foam up subtly but lushly, before washing out. The booze, as mentioned above, never fully manifests—it remains restrained. Very drinkable for 8.5% ABV.

Overall (4.25): This is a very, very good NE-style (D)IPA. I’m not sure it stands out as unique or superior to the bevy of other hazy hop bombs available at a shocking number of breweries now, but it’s a very solid entry. Definitely worth it if you happen to find yourself in Tehachapi. If you’re anywhere else in SoCal with a decent beer selection, you can probably find something comparable or better for the same or a lower price, but if you’re a perpetual beer tourist or hophead like myself, it’s worth trying.