Never-Ending Maze
Ocelot Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

From the growler, it pours a light golden amber with a small head. A lovely scent of hops tickles the nose. The same hops caress the tongue as you enjoy the beer. Yum!

 

 

Fresh growler fill, poured into an Adroit Theory tulip. Beautiful, golden color with minor haze. Large white head with staying power. Aroma was somewhat sweet, with some citrus and earthy notes (maybe a bit of pineapple). Flavor was dominated by Citra and Nelson. I'm not a Nelson fan, but the earthy dankness i get from it was well used and balanced by the fruitier hops. Mouthfeel was on point, good carbonation level. Ocelot continues to churn out the best hoppy pales in the area.

Growler filled today poured into a stein (cus I felt like it)
L: Translucent yellow, similar to a pilsner, with a nice two fingers of soapy head.
S: Primarily dank elements (onion, pepper) with some aroma of grapefruit and lemon in the background. Also some bready and pilsner like aromatics .
T: Upfront there is a mix of onion, pepper, and herbal notes. This is followed by a little bready malt flavor and then full mouth bitterness. Can definitely tell there is Nelson and Columbus in this as it has the dank and peppery notes I associate with those hops; not getting much citra tho.
F: Pretty light bodied. Very drinkable but not much going on in the feel.
Overall a pretty good IPA which is very drinkable. In my opinion one of the better IPAs from them and better then most IPAs available in NOVA.

 

 

 

 

 

These guys know how to brew a hoppy pale, that much can be said. This is a great showcase of hoppy simplicity at its finest. Vaguely funky, extremely fruity, and nice bitterness on the back end, coupled with a relatively creamy mouthfeel make for what might be the best nova ipa I've ever had (including home which I thought was a tad bit overrated). Thanks ocelot!

 

 

 

New Double IPA from Ocelot. Primarily Citra and Nelson but smaller amounts of Mandarina, Amarillo, and Columbus)

Look: Ocelot makes pretty beer. This pours a hazy, but bright orange with hints of yellow when held up to the light. Big white head that drops to a ring. Lots of lacing.

Aroma: Hop aroma leans juicy and dank. Lots of bright citrus juice and peel. Some tropical fruit as well. The dank, green character persists with each whiff. Pale, sweet malt starts to show itself as well.

Flavor: Opens again with lots of juicy orange citrus. Green hop character moves in immediately. I always have trouble characterizing this. It's a sort of pine and dank type combination. It plays pretty well with the citrus qualities here, not a big fan of it on its own. Toward the finish, pale sweet malt joins in again to balance everything with a sort of mild sugar cookie sweetness. Finish is long and fairly dry. Not overly bitter.

Feel: Beer is medium carbed. Enough to lift off the palate but still provides some body. Bitterness is pleasant but fairly subdued for a beer of this style. Finishes about medium in length with some lingering citrus and resin on the palate.

Overall: A very nice Double IPA. Better than most anything on the market, but not even the best Ocelot Double IPA. More kudos to Ocelot