Solar Baby
2SP Brewing Company

Nice balance for a pale ale that is towing the line with being a NEIPA.

2SP Brewing Co. "SolarBaby"
16 fl. oz. can coded "03/22/2024 10:39:42 2294-95". Sampled on 06/12/2024
$4.99 @ Total Wine & More, Claymont, DE

Notes via stream of consciousness: Galaxy hopped and brewed with honey! It's poured a very hazy golden orange colored body beneath a short head of white foam. In the nose I'm finding floral character, grassiness, a blend of citrus, pungent hop resins or "dankness", and some berry. On to the taste... The honey is clear, and I think I'm getting everything in the aroma as well... um yes, I think so. I'm not getting berry, it's more like passionfruit. There's also some peach, and the citrus is like mandarins and soft pomelo. Ahh, there's a hint of pineapple as well. The malt is sweetish and basic, and the bitterness is firm leaving it with a drop of sweet malt lingering amidst resinous hops in the finish. It's medium bodied and crisp in the mouth which is pretty standard for a pale ale of 5.5% ABV. I like this! It's tropically fruity, "dank", and also sweetish with a dollop of honey. Everything works together and it's nicely balanced between sweet and bitter. Nicely done.
Review #9,005

 

 

 

On tap at brewery:
Pours that dirty pale orange yellow that looks unappealing. The foamy to creamy white head makes up for it a tad, and the nice lacing gets me over 3.

Nose is citrus and pineapple hidden behind a should of pine and cut wet grass.

The taste has that session IPA herbal/grassy/pine bitterness on a grainy malt base. The fruit notes come from the sides, more citrus than tropical to me. They aren't really allowed to shine as my palate is very distracted by the green hop bitterness, which lingers as a piney resin.

Medium carbonation, fair body, boldly bitter and fairly dry.

I see the APA (that it is classified as here) people say this is like, but this comes across as more bitter in flavor and therefore finds a way to resemble some session IPAs I've had (even though it is a bit more full in feel).

 

 

 

Pours a foggy, hazy orange with light penetrating through the foggy edge of the beer. Not wholesomely opaque, but refreshingly dense. Head foams up to two fingers in height and stark white in color. Head retention is good with great lacing left behind. Peach and apricot punch through an otherwise straw, wheat, and piney aroma. Flavor profile opens up to fresh peaches and apricots. Straw, and pine finish the flavor profile steering this beer from a somewhat sugary, citrus opening, to an earthy, bitter finish. Mouth feel is fizzy with a medium thickness. It starts to smooth out as the beer warms. Overall, this beer has plenty of flavor, with an interesting mash-up of notes and qualities. While it isn't delectably smooth and bitter free, it certainly presents a flavorful array of notes that keeps each sip interesting. Drinks more like a pale ale than a pale ale hopped up like an IPA.

Served in a 12oz snifter.

 

 

Pint on draft. A hazy straw color with a small white head. Nose has some pale malts, honey, hops are a little tropical, floral, some resin. Taste is citrus, some tropical hops, touch of pine, pale malts, honey. Smooth, light to medium body. A solid pale ale with honey, was hoping the galaxy hops would be more up front, but it is truly hopped like a pale ale not an IPA.