Mesmerizer
Bearded Iris Brewing

Continuing to mesmerize us with clever hop combinations, Bearded Iris turns to the trio of Citra, Nelson Sauvin and Meridian hops for a taste that will keep all of us hop-heads under their spell.

Brewed in the New England style and to imperial strength, Mesmerizer pours a standard burnish gold and with a pastel tone before luring in the senses with a bevy of fruit perfumes that bridge citrus, tropical, herbal, peppery grasses, citrus and wine-like character. Comforting though in its taste, the familiar maltiness of starchy pastry, poundcake and honey layer upon the tongue with cereal-like effects.

As the malts patiently allow the hop flavors to permeate its early dominance, the radiance of the hops start to share flavors of orange and lemon with a pink grapefruit zeal. Then come more tropical influences of passionfruit, mango, pineapple and green papaya. With a slight winey tone to close, a taste of dark berry, vinous fruit and fresh herb step in to balance the malts and give the session a hop-charged tilt.

Full bodied but spicy enough to generate a sense of refreshment and drinkability, the imperial hazy ale finishes spicy, sprucy, surprisingly bitter and with a rounded character of gin-like botanicals, sassafras, tea and lemongrass. Bearded Irish has always tried to bring a sense of bitterness for balance to keep their IPA tasting like that of conventional IPA while also embracing hoppy trends. This beer is simply an extension of that legacy.

 

3-week-old can poured into a tulip. I love Citra and Nelson hops (separate and combined), but have no idea what Meridian hops are, so I'm curious where this one is going to take me.

Pours surprisingly clear, opaque but not hazy in the glass. (Given BI's sweetspot and pictures of the beer on their website, I was expecting the usual hazy appearance.) Pale gold coloring with a thin head of tightly-compact bubbles, nice stickiness to the edge of the glass, and solid lacing. Looks West Coast to me.

Wow, really interesting mélange of fruits hits the nose before I even get to the glass. Big red berry, dark grape, ripe orange, pineapple, mango, passionfruit, plum, and a delightful pop of Hawaiian Punch. A little grassy and herbal, but not dank or weedy. Crackery malt. A little honeysuckle and clover. Really lovely aroma profile. Given the smell and the look, I honestly have no idea what's to come.

Taste is equally unique but not nearly as harmonious and a little perplexing. Many of the same fruit notes are present, but on the tongue it's much more muddled and overripe. Citrus, berry medley, tropical fruits, stone fruit -- it's all there, but it comes together as a nondescript fruit punch that really longs for an identity. Multiple tugs in, I will say, each sip is different. Halfway through the glass I start to get a wonderful tea leaf and botanical vibe. The next sip is very bready with some pithy grapefruit. Then the muddled, overripe fruit sets in again and the beer starts to feel a little overly sweet. That dovetails into a rosé/Riesling wave (thank you, Nelson), which is then followed by a heavy lemon-lime and stone fruit stage. I'm realizing that the sweetness is quite similar to a big, hoppy, malty, resiny West Coast IPA, but there are so many fruit notes at play it comes off as overripe fruit. With that in mind, I appreciate the nuances a lot more. And while it isn't my favorite taste profile, it is fascinating and very complex. I definitely recommend trying it for the journey alone. And it's certainly (dangerously) easy drinking for a 10% IIIPA. First beer of the night, this one would probably have me making odd faces. But a couple beers in, I'd probably be forcing others to try it. The older I get, the more beer becomes linked to experiences, and this one could make for some fun sharing.

Feel is hazy NE but in a WC wrapper. Coating and chewy, but not sticky. Perhaps given the IIIPA categorization, that's a negative. Medium+ bodied. Nicely carbonated. Silky smooth. Zero heat whatsover. I really like the feel, but it's not what you would normally expect from a beer this big.

I often criticize BI for being so singularly focused (hazies) when I know they can brew fantastic beers in other categories. Kudos to them for creating a beer that has me totally perplexed and is very different than anything else I've had from them before.