Cyclops
Outer Light Brewing Company

A: cloudy; medium gold in color; less than a 1 finger ivory head that receded to a wispy cap; OK lacing;

S: orange zest and strawberry;

T: orange and pineapple through the middle; strawberry comes in on the finish; mild bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish; hides the ABV well; soft;

O: dangerously smooth;

this one is a beast, super thick, hazy, and strong, a little bit green, but also really good, just a small doses thing for me, the imperial hazy ones pretty much always are, such a commitment in the belly and for the palate, but this is well hopped and quite solid. milky thick from the tap, pale orange, average white head, dense enough in a low light bar to look a little sedimented and dull, but its active enough. the nose on it is interesting, seeing here that its hopped with citra and barbe rouge, which is probably what accounts for the unique and pungent fruitiness. i dont think ive seen barbe rouge used in a beer of this size before, always in more delicate types, such a unique hop, and i have to say it feels a little overrun by the citra in this, but also by the enormity of the whole thing, still, it makes its mark, just not as striking as it can be because this is also grainy and starchy to the max, green and biting and somewhat bitter as they go, malty without being sweet, almost flour-like, and totally palate coating with some oil hop character in the mix too. still, even with all that, there is a red berry and red floral summery complexion to this from the barbe rouge, and with the citra an almost ripe watermelon note, all there in the nose and then for a flash in the middle of the flavor before vegetal intensity powers over it, a bit harsh at the end and as it warms, sort of generically yeasty too, not as refined as their best beers, but the hops are unique enough in this that i like it quite a bit anyway. a little cleaning up would go a long way, take the burn out, lighten the texture a tad, and these barbe rouge hops would really sing...