Allocated
2SP Brewing Company

2SP Brewing Co. / Tonewood Brewing "Allocated"
16 fl. oz. can, "CANNED ON 12/12/18 11:34 637-639"
$4.99 @ Roger Wilco, Pennsauken, NJ

Noes via stream of consciousness: Double IPA with Oats? OK. It's poured a cloudy golden body with visible particulate in suspension including some larger, dark chunks that appear to be yeast. The head is a finger-thick cap of white foam but it seems to be steadily dropping before me. That's OK, it's still way ahead of so many mass market golden lagers out there that immediately dissipate. The aroma is hoppy with orange, berries, peach, and a little bit of spiciness. It's not the boldest aroma but most double IPAs pack less of a punch than standards IPAs. It's nice. The head has dropped and there's a nice ring of craggy lace around the glass where it once stood. The flavor is full of peach and orange and some other citrus (mainly grapefruit), with the berry note coming in late as some pine / resin / earthiness / spiciness rise along with bitterness going into the dry, then very dry and bitter finish. Hop resins and some pineapple-like piney-ness lingers (think pineapple greens and rind). It's a little chalky as well, kind of like citrus pith. There's no lactose in here, is there? I'm going to clock it at about 50 IBUs although it doesn't quite seem like that upfront, and it even seems to be a little more in the finish - that's probably from hop bite though. In the mouth it's medium bodied and dextrinous, leaning towards medium-full. The carbonation is fine-bubbled, seemingly natural, and gently crisp. Overall it's pretty decent, but not the most finely honed beer out there, but when you add in that it's an 8.5% abv double IPA that gives it a little bit of a pass.
Review# 6,500

 

 

16 oz. can dated 12/18/18 and poured into Aslin Teku glass.

L: Beer is a hazy orange-gold. 1F+ creamy white head with good retention, lots of sticky lacing, and a cap and ring.

S: Mild citrus, largely grapefruit and orange, but not very pronounced or forward. A bit of earthiness as well.

T: Follows nose, with a solid oaty backbone. Hop and oat combination work pretty well together. Slightly earthy finish, not particularly bitter.

F: Light to moderate body, moderate carbonation. Just about the right amount of drying. Construction and balance are OK.

O: I would call this a poor man's Julius, but it costs more! The taste and feel are slightly reminiscent.

 

 

While I love just about everything I've had from Tonewood, not many IPAs from 2SP are worth repeating, and sadly this beer is no different. Poured into an imperial pint glass, has a nice soft yellow/orange color with a bit of haze. Almost no aroma to speak of, very lacking for a double ipa. Taste is a muddled mix of hops that finishes with a weird off flavor. Not exactly bitter, but reminds me of bad homebrew. Slick yet thin mouthfeel, and leaves an astringent bitterness. Regret blindly buying a 4pack of this.