Maui Gold
Around the Bend Beer Co.

 

 

Served from the can in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Sounds like the something the bishop from Princess Bride would say. Anyway, this stuff pours a clear brass topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises grass, light potting soil, citrus pith, pine needles, and a hint of biscuit. The taste brings in more of the same, the potting soil still present but offset enough by the rest to allow me to overlook it, and a touch of the promised-on-the-label pineapple, though it's more of an afterthought than anything. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, a nice enough session IPA, though perhaps a bit more of that pineapple would have helped matters further.

Taste: pineapple citrus, spicy grassy hops, tropical fruit notes. Floral, citrus nose. Gold, hazy, with tall foam head ring of lace. Medium body. Zesty and bright and not overly hoppy. 66 IBUs

I got this off the single shelf at the Montgomery Binnys and tried it at my old neighbor house. It poured a clear copper with white head that is not leaving much lace. The scent had citrus flare. The taste is nicely balanced and easy to drink with tropical citrus presence. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a decent beer.

12 ounce can into pint glass, no can dating. Pours lightly hazy medium golden yellow yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of juicy pineapple, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, passion fruit, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, light pepper/pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of pineapples, citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops, and moderate bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of juicy pineapple, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, passion fruit, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, light pepper, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of pineapple, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, passion fruit, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, pepper, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of pineapples, citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops, and moderate bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance. Moderately increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, bready/grainy, and sticky/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is good. Some lingering hop astringency, but not too overwhelming. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is a very nice fruited session IPA. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of pineapples, citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops, and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and pretty refreshing to drink; despite the increasingly bitter/resinous/drying finish. Not overly aggressive. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Nice balance of juicy pineapples/Citra hops, some dank/earthy notes; with a nice malt backbone for the ABV. No residual sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example.

A - Dark orange body, transparent with a short white head. Thin line lacing.

S - Opens up with a fat fruity nose, pineapple foremost, hints of dank weed and lemon zest.

T - Sharp bright open, undefined fruit, followed by a powerful pungent bitterness that slowly trails to a cracker malt note, then a sudden drop off to close.

M - Brisk, moderate carbonation, strong dry finish.

O - The nose promises big fruit. The taste is more straightforward IPA bitterness. The result is less than I hoped, but still quite drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 oz serving tasted in shaker pint glass from draft at O'Toole's on September 19, 2017. Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a one pint can on July 21, 2020.