Norwegian NE IPA
Finkel & Garf Brewing Company

i like this yeast strain, and have not seen it yet in this hazy ipa context i dont think, which is a pretty cool way to deploy it, and i think they picked the hops pretty well to marry into the ester profile of this distinctive strain. there hasnt been a whole ton of innovation from these guys of late, so it was nice to get to try a whole bunch of their new beers in one session. this is cloudy as expected, pale and heady from the tap, with a slightly vinous nose from the yeast, a little white pepper spice, wet earth, and some strong citrus from the hops, a bit green in the dry hop for me, like vegetal in some way, but thats common in these, and its not a big problem for me here. sometimes these taste a little samey to me, so i really appreciate the uniqueness of this one with the kviek yeast, which adds a real rustic element. the cashmere hops are exceptional in here too, they have kind of been my muse recently, and their brightness is on display well here, meyer lemon and green gummy bear and fresh pineapple. its cool with the yeast, and its rad that this has some higher bitterness too to help it finish. dry and frothy feeling. its a nicely built beer with enough of a creative twist to stand out, i just wish some of the greenness would drop out of it, this is close to being awesome. im sure they will dial it in on the next batch. cool take on the new england style.

7-27