Hyperfresh
Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales

 

 

 

i dont come here to drink ipa, i come here to drink wild beer, and so while i like this one a lot, and think it is something quite unique, i am also looking for a little more wild yeast to it, a little more sour, a little more funk. this has some wild element to it, but it comes across more as a cultured saison yeast strain than anything fully wild, and the hops are bold enough to sort of steamroll any real significant yeast subtleties. hazy and heady, its an active and a pretty pour. the nose has some tropical hops to it, fresh pineapple and citrus for me, a little pine in the taste, hearty and very fresh. the bitterness isnt too much in the finish, which it almost smells like it will be, but it stops itself short of being too intense in that regard, instead its fruity and oily and botanical. richer feeling malt base, starchy and almost creamy, which is where i pick up some of the yeasts, light brett perhaps, new but there, accenting this in a neat way but not quite making it seem real wild. a longer fermentation before the dry hop might develop this more, but i like the finishing flavor complexion a lot. its nice to come in here and see new beers on tap all the time, these guys are doing great work across a range of styles now!

I sadly did not really get any wet hop flavor on this one :'(

Draft-only release at Black Project on September 19th. Certainly had the look of a NE-style IPA, as it looked like orange juice. I wanted to like it more, but it burned a little bit on the back end, and was a little tough to get through a full pint on its own. Judging by the announcement, it won't last very long, but I think this one might have benefited from another week or two to settle.