Party Shirt Fridays
Common Roots Brewing Company

This is definitely an IPA that has its place. Pineapple in Aroma and taste. Nice little beer to have while grilling or hanging outside.

Common Roots is a brewery that has gotten so much better over the past 16-20 months that they almost seem like a totally different brewery than the one I initially encountered with some of the beers they shipped to the MA market in 2016-2017. With that in mind, I grabbed a single of their pineapple IPA, Party Shirt Fridays, to review on an appropriately warm and balmy evening. Perhaps it will provide some seasonal levity?

The pour is a hazed orange color with a lighter and more lithe complexion than some other NEIPAs of this general appearance that I've had. The head is thin but retentive at about a quarter-finger, which has some support from an awesomely consistent lace pattern left behind by the quickly-diminishing finger of foam.

The nose here is pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, guava, and a touch of tangelo with some dankness and raspberry-adjacent notes provided by the Mosaic hops. By the way, this is Citra/Mosaic hopped with some lactose, so the whole picture is a little more complex than just calling it an "India pale ale with pineapple" as they do. That said, the juicy and unique pineapple character does definitely come across strikingly in the scent, but there is some unusual funk as well that feels weirdly rustic. It's not bad, nor is it even out of place, but I didn't expect it, so I'll just mention it. It honestly reminds me of the kinda note you'd get if fermenting with some cleaner Brett strains, which can typically pull out some pineapple-like esters anyway, Makes you wonder.

On the tongue, this is big on ripe pineapple and papaya with some light malt in the mid-palate. The finish is more citrus-based, which is likely to do with the Citra hops, and there's some dankness and light earthy funk that I always tend to associate with Mosaic. The dry feeling still has me thinking this might have a touch of clean Brett in the fermentation, but perhaps my mind is playing tricks on me. The feel is nice and dry for the most part; breezy and citric in the mid-palate into a hoppy and crisp conclusion that really works well. I'm not sure I would drink a four-pack of this, but it's totally worth checking out!

Purchased from elixir 16 (in beautiful downtown troy NY)!

Poured into a pint glass

Look -
Hazy golden orange with small floaters-thin head dissipates quickly into a lite lace pattern across the surface .

Smell -
Definitely smell the pineapple, followed by mango and some citrus fruits.

Taste -
Strong pineapple, orange, lemon, sweet berry and spice.

Finish-
Bright and sparkly, smooth on the tongue, sweet and tangy in the finish (probably from the lactose).

Overall
A fine NEIPA but a bit to sweet for me (lacto and pineapple is a bit much).
I probably won't go out of my way to find this one again.

Really like this a lot. Smooth. Great summer beer. Not crazy fruity, and not overly powerful. First Common Roots I’ve had and they are pretty close to me. Makes me want to try more of their stuff. Will get more of this to throw in the fridge. I am relatively new to the world of IPA’s and I like everything about this one.

 

 

This was a big miss for me. My first brew from these guys. Have had one pineapple beer before (Sculpin), which liked. This just tastes odd, would not get again.

 

 

 

 

 

Opaque dirty gold in appearance, with a few floaties. A foamy and soapy white head disappears quickly.
Smells immediately of passion fruit. Sour, sweet, and juicy. Tons of mango and apricot as well.
Passion fruit dominates the palate. Sour, sweet, juicy, tropical, and fruity. A passion fruit smoothie in beer form. There are also notes of mango, apricot, tangerine, and lightly sweet, doughy, sugar cookie malt. Finishes lightly dry with no bitterness but a hint of orange zest. A very subtle chalky, yeasty off flavor develops over time, but it isn't overpoweringly offensive.
The mouthfeel is creamy and soft, lightly carbonated, smooth and supple.

A fantastic passionfruit NEIPA. Hits all the marks that I would like to see. I wish I had bought it fresher. If the hops popped a bit more and there was no subtle poor aftertaste, this would be a perfect beer. Even so, it is still superb.

i didnt expect to like this as much as i did, but i should have known it would be good, i have liked every beer i have had from common roots so far, i just wish i could get their stuff more regularly! this is done with passion fruit and lactose, but its not too much of either, its still hops first, which i feel like is so rare in these hazy milkshake types now, where the sweetness and whatever adjuncts are in them dominate. here its citra and mosaic smelling incredible fresh and almost being as bright in the taste as in the smell, with the natural tartness and sweetness of the passion fruit right there too, mouthwatering in the nose and really compatible with the hops in the flavor. the tang of the passion fruit cuts some of the sweet from it and the lactose, and its tropical flare brings out some pineapple character from the mosaic and some sweet orange peel thing from the citra, a nice add and a perfect dose. i dont think it needs the milk sugar, they never really do, but its not overdone and this doesnt drink too desserty or sweet or anything, just has a fuller creamy feel to it, plenty of wheat in the mash i would think, but great carbonation too that keeps it moving along. this is almost never my first choice of beer in terms of style, i prefer the regular hoppy beer from common roots, but they have done a fine job with this, better than most in its field...