Roadmap
Bearded Iris Brewing

Canned 1/12/21 / consumed 3/12/21: Made with Citra, African Queen & Mosaic hops. Prominent nose of sweet lemon citrus; Hazy yellow hue with skimpy head but retained lace; Medium mouthfeel with soft carbonation; taste is of sweet lemon, but has a bit of throat burn (-). Grassy bitterness balances well and transcends to a dry finish with a back throat quench that asks for another sip.

 

Can courtesy of Jasonja1474.

 

16 oz can, dated 9/21/20.
Bearded Iris Teku.
Purchased at The Filling Station in Nashville TN.

What a gorgeous, juicy body. Just thick and creamy, glowing dark blonde, tall creamy cap, lots of lace. It doesn't get much better than this.

Wow, this aroma is awesome. Definitely different than any New England style IPA I've smelled before, but it's really inviting. Some new hops here I'm sure. It's very zesty. Lots of pineapple. Lemongrass. Pear? Some grapefruit wine. Some salt, some lime, like a margarita. Beautiful dank notes. It's hard to describe in entirety but it's marvelous.

Flavor is apricot, grapefruit rind, muscat, lychee, pepper, bitter raw cranberry, and dry grass. Very slight cannabis. The dry grass takes over completely at the end which adds unneeded harshness to the profile.

Feel is juicy and light, with some medium creaminess and a medium body, some resin, lots of alcohol heat - you feel all 8% of this beer. Drying finish with lots of clinging resins.

Overall, while it is very good, it is several levels below the Escape Artist I had just previously, which sent me into the clouds. It's a shabbier BIBCO release but still beats the living daylights out of anything at my local grocery. I will say It is a little harsher drinking than Caption and Very Varied, two other newbies for me, but seems to have more depth and character. It'll be interesting to see how this beer develops over time.

Price paid : $15.99 / 4 pack
Would buy again if in TN : Doubtful since BIBCO has done better IPAs and literally puts them out every 96 hours.

Edit : this beer lightens up a month after the review. Very enjoyable.

 

 

 

Appearance is classic murkbomb, very bright and golden yellow. Opaque with a finger and a half of stark white foam on top. Got some dank cheese/earthy/dirty sock notes off the bat on the nose. Underneath that is some overripe fruit notes which I love, but the first whiff deducts some points. Taste is mostly the same, except the overripe fruits sit up front and the cheese/earth/dirty socks take a back seat and are definitely lighter than on the nose. The cheese/earth/dirty socks taste much better than they smell. Have I thoroughly confused everybody yet? Mouthfeel is medium bodied, possibly a hint lighter, and prickly. Good carbonation. Overall another hit by these guys, just not my favorite from them.

Type: 16-oz. can
Glass: Melvin 14-oz. Spiegelau IPA glass
From: Bill
Price: N/A
Purchased: N/A; Received April 4, 2019
Consumed: April 8, 2019
Reviewed as: New England Double / Imperial IPA
Misc.: Canned on Feb. 12, 2019

Thanks, Bill!

Got this one from Bill on a recent work trip. Was excited as it would be my first Bearded Iris beer that wasn’t a collab (had a Modern Times collab before). Their website called it, “Who’s to say where it’ll take you exactly, but this new DIPA seeks a bold explorer. Unfurl african queen + citra + mosaic hops to chart a course through mysterious mountains of black currant and gooseberry, quiet forests of lemongrass and bubblegum & an invigorating oasis of soft, ripe citrus fruit.” Pretty sure I’d never had African Queen, but was looking forward to this beer.

Poured a golden semi-hazy color with 2-to-3 fingers of frothy white head. Lots of bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Perfect layered spiderweb foamy lacing. Perfect retention. (Sight - 5.00)

Smelled big whiffs of Mosaic, particularly bubblegum and grass. Also melon, lemon, lime, pine, stone fruit, buttered bread, floral and rose blossom. Mosaic still leading the way in the can too. (Smell - 4.25)

Tasted almost as good as the nose. Got Mosaic, bubblegum, stone fruit, grass, melon, lime, lemon, floral, rose blossom and light Citra. That 7.9 pct. was well hidden. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Dry finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Really enjoyable overall. Excellent really. (Overall - 4.25)

4.20 | 94 | A-

 

 

 

 

Poured much clearer than I'm accustomed to with BI hops(not bad at all, just different). Foggy golden with a finger of white head.
Smells of citrus, blueberry, some tropical notes.
Taste is more berry upfront with the citrus lingering in the background. Some ripe stone fruits and a hint of spiciness.
Medium body with good carb levels. Well balanced with a slightly dry finish.
Overall another tasty one from BI.

 

Fresh can poured into a snifter. Moderately hazy golden color - looks more like a classic DIPA. There was a medium-sized white head that settled slowly into a resilient cap. Great aroma with big berry, orange, and tropical notes. The taste was more on the citrus side with much less Mosaic presence. Kind of unexpected - almost lemon-lime like with faint earthy notes. A clean and dry finish, slightly warm from the alcohol. Overall nice, but I found the flavor slightly lacking.