Up The Beach
Sand City Brewing Co. - North

Undated can as this was yet another beer that I traded for ages ago but couldn't remember where or when. This was on par with the other beers and was quite easy to drink, as this also held up well over time. Incredibly smooth because of the dry-hopping, I enjoyed this beer and how easily it went down!

Not a bad pour to this as the hue was golden, topped with enough webbed head as that quickly settled down. Most of the lacing left behind was along a thin collar near the top of my glass as there was a big section along the back of my pint glass about halfway down. Funky earthiness, dank weed, wet grass, and deep tropical fruit were in the nose. An outdoorsy taste, deep fruitiness, and subtle caramel stickiness melded together on the palate as this felt quite heavy for a beer that was relatively light in consistency. Lots of bread and dough in the taste made this cloying as a lot of body and stickiness lingered on the palate long after the final sip went down.

Plenty of booze here to but with a taste that was so different than what I was accustomed to, that was the last thing that I noticed about this beer. Fans of these breweries will want to give this a go but it's certainly not typical like their usual fare. That had me intrigued and held my attention until the end, which is what a good beer should do. This was one of them as it was another well-crafted and interesting option from Sand City!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collab with Horus Aged Ales, double dry hopped with Galaxy, Citra, and Vic Secret... 11/15 canning...

Sand City doesn't get the attention that Other Half gets, but I'm telling you, their beers are at that level - definitely have their own character - it's almost like they're somewhere between Other Half and SingleCut - I can't put my finger on it, but there's something very distinct about them - I'm almost thinking its the water? The yeast? I dunno.

Anyways... I know this is gonna sound negative, but it wasn't: first impression was caramel and buttered popcorn - I know, weird, and technically not what you want in beer - forget it - transitioned into this mild, muted, earthy, musky, musty fruit thing... Bitterness was moderate, with just hints of sweetness, smooth but gripping the tongue... Subtly complex and very compelling... My descriptors are failing me, but this beer did not... Another elite brew...

 

Pours hazy golden with a nice white head. Very light lacing. Aroma of tangerine and grapefruit. Tastes follows the nose with lemon, orange peel, fresh cut grass, floral hops, light caramel and tones of graham cracker. Great collaboration.

 

 

A: On the hazier and lighter side of the NEIPA spectrum. Murky without being muddy, bright gold with yellow tones. Finger of frothy head could've retained itself better, but lacing was pleasant.

S: Ahh Sand City + Galaxy = magic. Immediately reminiscent of their ONE series--actually, very reminiscent of the recent re-brew of OG ONE, but with an additional layer added by the Vic Secret hops. Overripe pineapple, white grape, lemon zest, flowers, and spiced green tea. Like most Sand City DIPAs, the bready, toasty, almost caramelized grain malt bill is evident, and it compliments the fruitiness quite well. The earthy and citrus notes are a bit more prevalent than the tropical fruits, even as it warms.

T: Big flavor follows through on the promise of the aroma. Similar melange of tropical fruit flesh, grape juice, citrus zest, herbal tea, and caramelized grains. But there's an additional layer of earthiness that must be coming from the Vic Secret. It's comes in strong about halfway through the sip and lingers hard on the aftertaste. It's like spicy pine, grassy herbs and vegetables. There's something very bitter almost savory about it, like licking raw kale that's been lightly sprinkled with salt.

M: A bit thin (esp when cold) and lacking the weight to match its flavor intensity. Kinda reminds me of the NEIPAs I first encountered 2-3 years ago in that sense. Carbonation is on the lower side, so it doesn't coat the mouth as some of their other DIPAs have done. Offers substantial grainy sweetness mid-taste, but that big punch of grassy, herbal, almost savory bitterness really cleans up any residual sugar and leaves the beer finishing surprisingly clean. As a result of the thinner body and assertive bitterness, this is oddly drinkable and could easily be mistaken for a beer at 6-7% ABV.

O: This is a pleasant DIPA that serves as a nice change of pace from some of the super sweet n creamy DIPAs that have been dominating the style as of late. It packs enough bitterness to satisfy west coast IPA lovers with the aromatic and flavor profiles of some of Sand City's best hoppy beers. While I prefer the thicker, heavier bodied NEIPAs, my biggest detraction from this beer is the somewhat savory aftertaste, which, while not totally unpleasant, is confusing and a bit clashing, IMO. But the front-end of the taste, along with the aroma, are wonderful, so I can't knock it too much! And time may even improve this one further, so looking forward to a revisit in a few weeks!