Elevation
Vocation Brewery

Vocation Brewery "Elevation"
440 ml can coded "1108 29 JUN 23 01454" and sampled on 3 DEC 22
10€ @ Aeternum Beer Shop, Roma, IT

Notes via stream of consciousness: This NEIPA is brewed with fresh coconut and Sabro and Talus hops to a strength of 6.2% ABV. A rough pour into a Nonic pint glass has delivered a hazy golden body with a bit of an orange sheen beneath an inch and a half of pillowy off-white foam. The aroma has a citrusy, apricot, and piney combination right off the bat but let's see what else is there once the head dies down a bit. ... ... OK, I've now got about a finger's width or less of foam and I'm smelling some nectarine, delicate summer flowers, tangerine, and just an edge of something herbal and/or woody. On to the taste then... ... ... it's quite different than what I thought it would be with a charge of apricot, nectarine, wood, and mint coming through. The mint and cedar-like woodiness is what spins it for me and I now recall that from other beers that I've tasted with Sabro hops. It's a little candyish with the fruit, flowers, and a delicate note of coconut giving it an almost cream-like sweetness. That's followed by the woody, herbal, and spicy notes though so it's immediately balanced, and almost to a fault. It's a little bit of a whiplash beer with so many different notes going on. It's fruity and woody/minty then sweetish and creamy and immediately back to the wood and herbs but without the fruit. There's even more going on though but I can't quite recall what exactly it is that I'm semi-remembering. Let me go back to the beginning and see if I can find anything else in it... pomelo or sweetened grapefruit, or even a grapefruit hard candy... a touch of pineapple... ... ... sandalwood... ... ... vanilla, and those creamy peach gummy candies, I forget what they're called (were they just "rings"?)... ... ... ... that's it, that's all I've got - no wait!!! It's strawberry! It's like a strawberry cream candy or ice cream. Interesting. It seemed a bit harsh at the beginning but now that I've worked halfway through it I'm finding it softer. The cedar, sandalwood, herbs, and clearer mint are still there but the creamy and candy-like fruitiness is now on top. I guess that's mainly because it's warmed up a bit. It's a weird ride I have to say, but I like it. The bitterness is moderate but the woody spiciness and herbs are enough to dry it in the end. I'm left with dry cedar, soft pine, and some herbs lingering. In the mouth it's medium bodied on the lower end but seemingly fuller with a lot of extra proteins which reminds me that I haven't mentioned the malt. There's clearly a good bit of oats in the grain bill as I can taste them, but there's probably some wheat as well. It's lightly sweet, oat-like, and bready. Lychee ~ I just though of lychee, and also the guava flavored hard candy that I get at the Asian market, they're both in there. This is a very interesting beer that's actually kind of