Valley of Ripeness
Magnify Brewing Company

Picked this up at Magnify when it was released, never having had this before. Peak of Ripeness is one of my favorite beers from them but this one didn't quite measure up to it. Sure, it was slick and smooth with a great appearance but the flavors took quite a while to come out as this beer warmed up, as it also took me a while to warm up to it. Had I not read this beer's description, I would have not known that this was quite similar to it's similarly-named offspring...

Like so many of their other beers that I've had recently, the pour was the best attribute of this. A dark amber hue was topped off by plenty of head and quite the rings of lacing along the back half of my pint glass. Not a strong aroma to this as there were hints of onion, grass, yeast, and tropical fruit that were quite mellow. A earthy, dank feel of pine and forest came through as I sipped this and it warmed up, but I never really became fully accustomed to it. The onion came through strong in the taste as the spice was quite heavy and nearly overpowered everything else that was here, with a bit of sweet orange cream coming in at the end to save the day.

Not a lot of booze in this one, which was great as any more would have dragged this down. The carbonation was light and the mouthfeel was balanced but lacking in any discernible malt. Haven't had a lot of beer with appropriately-named Enigma hops as they're still a bit of a mystery to me. Not one of Magnify's best or worst, this one was different but may rub a few of their fans the wrong way in the end...

 

 

 

 

I love Peak Of Ripeness so I had a good feeling about this one and I was not disappointed. Fantastic beer, bursting with flavor and smooth. One of Magnify's best and IMO one of the best IPA's brewed in NJ. Well done

Picked this up yesterday

L-Big 3 fingered head with great retention......color is on the lighter side of orange juice......somewhat murky, lacing is thick

S-Tropical and citrus hops.......passion fruit, orange, lemon, lime, mango, pineapple

T-Follows nose........tropical / citrus hops come through first.......followed by slight cracker taste........slight bitter finish that has some lemon peel and pine

F-Low carbonation.........soft, creamy...........less than medium body

O-solid offering but I prefer Peak of Ripeness

I had this on draught at the brewery the day after its release. It pours a cloudy, gold yellow color with a foamy, milk-white head and lacing that thinly-coated the inside of the glass. The nose is fragrant with lemon, lime, onion, and pine needles. The taste opens with notes of sweet fruit but quickly takes on an interesting taste of cracker. I'm not familiar with Enigma hops but they may account for this interesting taste. There isn't any discernible bitterness but it finishes with a slight pepper. The taste isn't like a southern, malty IPA but rather is crisp and like a cracker. This ale has a pleasing mouth feel, nicely crisp with a medium body and moderate carbonation. Its 6.5% ABV allows for easy drinking. Overall, I found this a delightful American IPA. The cracker notes and temperate ABV give it an almost Marzen quality. I hope that Magnify brews this one again.