Mood Ring - Strawberries
Bearded Iris Brewing

 

 

Love means a lot of different things to different people. And if you have a certain love for hops the Bearded irish has a beer to put you in that certain mood. Laced with strawberries, their hazy Imperial IPA will have the senses seduced in no time flat.

Mood Ring Strawberry pours with a turbid berry-red appearance while crowning with a sturdy ivory froth. Rich, ripe and racy to the senses, the scent leads with a tropical and citrus hop blend. But the radiant strawberry additions are dominant with the scent of fresh picked summer berries. Sweeter and more succulent, the early palate opens with fruit sweetness, fresh dough and a notion of pulled candy.

Richness stews on the middle palate even as the sweetness gradually fades and the fruit quickly gain command of the tastebuds. A full strawberry flavor is juicy and vibrant, seeming cranberry-like and of soft redcurrant and rhubarb from sip to sip. but the brightness of fruit additions subside to allow the passionfruit, pineapple, orange and grapefruit character of hops to pull from the berries and dive into a peppery bitterness of chive and berry skins and seeds.

Medium full on the late palate, the ale's rich fruitiness has the senses feeling a heftier feel than is actual present. But the crisp and refreshing finish also seems lighter with the strawberry tartness and the hop's piquantly bite lingers in a medium long afterglow.

 

 

 

Pours a hazy orange with a slight reddish tint, fine, soapy head.

Smell is juicy with notes of wild strawberries, pineapple and some sweet vanilla.

Taste is sweet and juicy with notes of strawberries, wild strawberries, pineapple and a hint of tartness. Very mild bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium, soft and well carbonated.

Overall, a nice fruited IPA, maybe lacking a little bite.

Poured from a 16 oz can into a pint glass.
L - Poured a hazy orange color with a fluffy white head.
S - Smells of citrus and strawberries.
T - Taste matches the smell, very citrusy with a nice strawberry flavor on the finish.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Outstanding IPA.

 

Canned 3/21/18; drank 3/29/18 @ the Yarchives.

Opaque orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a big, bright white head; frothy lace.

Strawberry jam & mild orange citrus notes in the nose.

Soft, medium mouthfeel.

Strawberry jam & mild orange citrus flavors up front; mild cream & faint dry grass notes on the finish.

Holy strawberries, this is one of the better fruited "milkshake" IPA's I've ever had. Fruit forward, bold & unique. I'd have another!!

 

16 oz. can. Hazy pale orange. Smells of lactose, some citrus, and a fruitiness I guess I'd accept as strawberry. Tastes of citrus up front, then lactose sweetness, and finally a tart strawberry flavor. Finish is creamy and fruity. Medium body. Not bad.

 

 

 

Super fresh can, thanks richj1970

As this can't be reviewed to style as IIPA I am going to just give a stream of consciousness of impressions as I drink

Thick turbid tan with reddish cast, after a moment or two it gets a bare cap, and looks still. Really thick fruity aroma that is all about strawberry pie and grapefruit custard, sweet and tart, fruity and a bit of citrus pith in there. Taste is an explosion of STRAWBERRY and also citrus notes, and eventually vanilla shows up as it warms and turns this into a IIPA milkshake, which is just delicious. Rating to style this chewy soft mouthfeel would probably get dinged heavily, but it is a thick overpowering frame for a taste and finish that is clean, powerful, and works. Great beer for those not stuck in a rut of sameness and open to new extreme flavors in a beer that is anything but traditional

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16 oz can poured into a snifter. Unlike their other variants to date, this one is yellow with a tinge of pink. A modest white head that faded fast. The aroma was fresh strawberries with vanilla and a hint of citrusy hops. Bright strawberry flavor that tasted authentic. It was not over the top and then allowed grapefruit and tropical fruit notes to come through. Faint vanilla. The feel was soft with vanilla and milk sugar on the finish. Bigger than medium bodied with a creamy but not quite milkshake feel. My favorite of the Mood Ring variants thus far.

 

Tasted in a pint glass from draft at the Bearded Iris Brewing tap room on March 25, 2018. Canned 03/21/18. Don’t let the color fool you. This Mood Ring variant packs 30% more groovy fruit power and just as much creamy vanilla softness. Recommended.

Poured from 16 oz can dated 3/21/2018.

A: Cloudy pale yellow with a distinct reddish tint. Smallish one finger white head with relatively short retention and moderate lacing.

S: Pineapple, mango, strawberries. Floral hops.

T: Ripe strawberry, pineapple juice, mangos.

M: Medium body with average carbonation. Soft, creamy mouthfeel.

O: Excellent DIPA. Sometimes adding additional flavors gets in the way, but it works here.

 

Original Review (opened a Mar. 21 can on Mar. 28; gave it a 3.88 rating)
Poured from can into tulip pint glass
A: Hazy almost opaque body, golden with a slight tinge of pink rose, head on pour was just right after a vigorous pour, quarter inch and held nicely
S: A decent bit of citrus, some lime—definitely a Citra hopped beer. Not particularly dank like some of the “juicier” IIPAs. Faint strawberry aroma comes through, but I don’t think I would have noticed it if I hadn’t been looking for it.
T: Citrus, grapefruit, and pine needle come forward most. The Strawberry is very faint and soft, which is mellowed by the vanilla. Flavor intensifies slightly into a very subtle tart, but not overly sour, finish (I think that’s the lactose).
Mf: slightly oil-like on the palate with a drier finish than their previous IIPAs. The “hop burn” is mild but noticeable.
O: A tasty IIPA, but honestly would have liked a little more tart and strawberry and juicyness as that’s what I expected before drinking it.

Updated Review (opened a can filled on Mar. 21, 2018):
Poured from can into tulip pint glass
A: Hazy almost opaque body, golden with a slight tinge of pink rose, head on pour was just right after a vigorous pour, quarter inch and held nicely
S: A decent bit of citrus, some lime—definitely a Citra hopped beer. Not particularly dank like some of the “juicier” IIPAs. Faint strawberry aroma comes through, but I don’t think I would have noticed it if I hadn’t been looking for it.
T: Citrus, grapefruit, and pine needle come forward most. The Strawberry is comes through on the midpalate and finishes soft, mellowed by the vanilla. Flavor intensifies slightly into a very subtle tart, but not sour, finish (I think that’s the lactose).
Mf: carbonation is perfect, not too bubbly; slightly oil-like with a juicy finish.
O: A tasty IIPA. This is the beer I was hoping for.

Reviewer's note: I have two theories as to why I liked this beer so much more on the second tasting
(1) this beer benefitted from some time mellowing in the can (about 4 weeks) OR
(2) the first can I opened was from a skunked batch