Supercell
Fieldwork Brewing Co.

Here comes yet another super dry Simcoe hopped beer from Fieldwork. I rip on the "60 slightly different" hoppy beer trend from the usual suspects, and this is the mixed bag, they are really similar, but they're also generally very good to excellent.

Pours a golden yellow color with exemplary clarity and 1/2" white head. Aroma is pine needles and seven up.

Taste is typical, more like prototypical. The same aroma characteristics develop immediately on the tongue, there is a slightly neomexicanus feel to the Moteuka hop combining with the pithy dry Simcoe. Everything green on this one, pine, leaves, grass, lime. The malt body, or lack thereof is nice because it allows the hop bitterness nuances to really come out, this isn't one of those all grapefruit bitterness ibu bombs, would guess the ibus drop around the 65 range though.

Does an immaculate job of hiding the alcohol. Man you could get messed up quickly on this because it is so crushable yet lurkingly strong. Solid solid superlight titanium strength like stuff.

 

Pours a clear golden yellow with a nice white head that laces the glass. Nose is earthy with light citrus. Taste is very very earthy. A lot of grass, a bit of pine maybe some dirt in there ? Minimal to light citrus. Smooth crisp and dry mouthfeel with a nice bitter pungent finish. It is interesting. Not a juice bomb so if you're expecting that then you're out of luck.

Fairly clear, light orange beer with a fluffy white head. A few spots of lacing are left behind. Very citrus and dank theme to the aroma. There is also some malty sweetness in the nose. The taste is sweet with oranges and pineapples followed by an aggressive bitterness of pith, pine and dank. This is a pretty well done DIPA that screams West Coast.

On tap at their Berkeley location 3/1/17. For some reason this batch is labeled as 8.4% ABV rather than the posted 9% ABV.

L: Bright golden orange. Slight haze enough to not make it translucent. Pure white light head that continues to coat.

S: Mild citrus with tropical notes. Passion fruit, pineapple, guava and mango are noticeable. Nice resin dank to it as well.

T: Light carbonation. Mild citrus with noticeable pineapple. Bits of biscuit. Hops and dank resin.

F: A nice balance between complete haze and syrup. Goes down extremely smooth. Full body but again balanced.

O: Very enjoyable DIPA. Refreshing and goes down extremely smooth. Has many of the great qualities of other Fieldwork releases yet remains unique. Would definitely get again.

 

 

From a crowler filled at the Sacramento Fieldwork taproom, dated 10-8-16

Appearance - Pours crystal clear and golden yellow in color with a white, half finger width head. Sub-par retention, resulting in a thin, broken layer of suds across the surface. Not much for lacing outside a spot or two and some razor-thin broken lines.

Smell - Light aroma, but what's there evokes thoughts of pineapple, orange, grapefruit and, as it warms especially, pine.

Taste - Follows the nose. Not much punch, but the flavors are citrusy and tropical, mild as they may be. Orange, light lemon zest, a touch of pineapple zing. A hint of pine and spice. Traces of 'white bread' malt. Finishes with citrus zest and a touch of pith bitterness; orange, lemon and grapefruit all seem to come through in varying ways, though nothing that really shines through.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with moderate, slightly bitey carbonation. Slick on the finish, making this a damn near chuggable brew, even at a hefty 8.4%.

Overall - Really good, but not great. The flavor character is there, but come off a bit subdued. A wonderfully easy drinker, though. Delicate comes to mind. If there's one thing this beer does, it showcases the potential of the Simcoe hop. If they could find a way to amplify the flavor, this one could be a monster.

 

Clear straw gold color with nice lacing. A subtle nose that does not suggest the big taste that will follow. A funky piney flavor with something I can't quite place. An underlying bitterness throughout and a long finish.

 

 

 

A second underwhelming Fieldwork brew in the same day. To be clear, they've set a very high bar for themselves based on the numerous great beers I've already sampled from them. Draught pour at Davis Beer Shoppe. Faint citrus nose precedes a fairly one-dimensional mute citrus DIPA. Mouthfeel has moderate astringency and some bitterness. On the thinner side for DIPA. Good but forgettable, won't revisit.