Mr. Marmalade
Around the Bend Beer Co.

Bottled 6/30/16; drank 8/8/16 @ the Yarchives.

Semi-opaque dark orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a huge eggnog head; thick, frothy lace.

Orange jelly, sweet mango & mild booze heat notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Dry orange citrus, mild honey & faint caramel flavors; faint booze heat emerged as this warmed.

A pleasant, slightly sweet & boozy DIPA. Not amazing, but above average.

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted in a snifter from draft at the Vine on May 20, 2017. Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a 12 oz bottle on June 11, 2017.

 

The body varies between clear and hazy depending on how long it's settled before pouring. It's orange with a delicate, thin white head and fine ambient carbonation. Orange peel, sweet orange jam, toasted bread and bread crust, and ambient sweetness are on the nose. The taste initially leans more heavily on the malt notes, specifically bitter burnt bread crust and toast, and with the high ABV reaches a somewhat harsh intensity. Then a sudden shift happens on the finish towards orange and honey, but not enough sweetness to overcome the bitterness. Body is medium weight, the sweetness and carbonation work in tandem to make this pretty drinkable despite the alcohol and bitterness.
What a dichotomy between malt and hops and alien sweetness. The toasty malt and hops pack a wallop of bitterness, to the point that I find distasteful, especially in an IPA, but the latent sweetness kinda makes up for it, at times being downright succulent. I won't say it's balanced, neither in flavor nor bitter/sweet, but it at least stands out as an interesting brew.

 

 

 

Aroma is fruit, citrus and mildly sugary sweetness. The flavor is citrus, fruit, mildly sugary sweetness, grapefruit, malts and a lingering hoppy/hop resin finish.