Hopnip
Abnormal Beer Company

Clear amber brew with abundant foam in the big Stout glass. Aroma of herbs with a basil nose. Crisp and slushy on the tongue. Just a touch of malty sweetness and more sharp in the finish. Fresh and clean tasting. Minty with hints of basil. Also some taste of cornbread, some resins, and a distinct bitter aftertaste. Quite aromatic to the end. From the 16 oz can purchased at O'Shea Brewing. Dated 04/15/24.

elite level cold ipa here, done in collaboration with almanac, as well as yakima chief, simcoe and hbc 638 hops in this one, crisp and light on the grain, the hops pop to an insane degree, and this is immediately unique, high end, and memorable. neat coming together of breweries for this, and its a super modern ipa, near dry, all bursted and boosted and thiol and terpene forward and all of that, but not cloying and annoying, really great. sunny yellow, not clear but not dense and hazy either, looks light despite being apparently unfiltered, and the head is high and white and airy from the tap. my nose is excited, heady bubble hashy resiny weed, rainbow skittles, floral honey, cantaloupe, valencia orange, and less of the usual grapefruit pith and pine from the simcoe, maybe its the experimental varietal driving this, or maybe theyve gotten a different expression of simcoe coming out, either way im into it, bitterness seems middle of the road, grain is there too in a support role, fresh, mellow, clean barley character, not quite bready, lighter than that. i taste most of what i smell but now also a little more tropical character, guava and papaya and mango, but still not sweet, sticky and oily though, which pops more to me perhaps in this cold ipa context, the rest of the beer is fast enough finishing that the hops kind of stand along on the palate after each sip. lemon without acid, elderflower, lemongrass, green pear, ripe peach, it just keeps on coming, and it evolves a lot as i drink it. wish i had a bunch of this, im not sure i totally understand it yet, but now its gone. definitely stoked on this hbc 638 hop, ill be on the lookout for more with it, and stoked on this collaboration, a really good ipa thats bold as heck but also really drinkable, the right amount of bitterness, distinctive, awesome! abnormal indeed!