White IPA Comet
Cloudwater Brew Co.

 

330ml bottle into a conical 2/3 pint glass. Paid £3.60 for a single bottle.

Pours a hazy, pale golden-straw coloured body with plenty of fine, lively carbonation and a moderate amount of suspended sediment visible towards the bottom half of the glass. A thick, foamy, two-finger in height, white head with fantastic retention slowly reduces to a dense cap, leaving behind plenty of sticky, soapy lace. 

Zesty lemon and grapefruit peels comprise the majority of the hop-forward nose. A vague, light tropical fruitiness is faintly perceptible underneath, while moderately bitter floral notes of grass, hay, spice and pine become apparent on the back end. Taste roughly follows suit. Upfront, semi-sweet citrusy lemon and yellow grapefruit-like hop profiles lead into a mildly sweet and bready mid-palate, comprised mainly of grainy pale malts and some lightly fluffy wheat. A subtle, faintly tropical and general tangy fruit-like impression follows, but only hints of banana stand out as perceptible before being replaced by a gentle hop bitterness. In the mouth, a light body and lively carbonation feels smooth, crisp and refreshing, despite being a little thin. Lightly grassy, spicy and resinous hop profiles join lingering lemony and grapefruit citric peels on the end to finish quick, clean, and dry, providing a pleasant low-bitterness and enough gentle astringency to encourage another sip.

Overall this is a good beer. It’s clean, crisp, refreshing and well crafted. The hop, malt and yeast profiles are subtle and delicate, but equally well balanced, overall containing enough complexity to maintain interest without effecting drinkability. As a concept for the summer, I like the idea of combining the hop character of a zesty IPA with the refreshing wheat base of a Belgian Wit, and if they are all as good as this, I wouldn’t mind trying more of the style. Recommended.