Chester
Central State Brewing

Pours pale straw, hint of haze and a big bubbled thin head that is off white. The head bubbles itself out quickly leaving a tiny collar of bubbles.

Aroma is mineral and floral. Not much of the traditional hoppy smell I was expecting.

Flavor is similar to the aroma, floral layers I expect come from the honey with a mineral base that adds to the moderate level of bitterness.

The body is lighter side of medium with moderate carbonation. It does coat the tongue a bit.

A different brew. Interesting but doesn't have a lot of the typical IPA characteristics.

 

A - Clear golden body, thin head, white, with minimal lacing.

S - Strong funk, notes of Brett in the form of mild plastic and earthiness, and lemon notes.

T - Follows the nose, with strong Brett character, a melon sweetness and lemony sourness, and earthy bitter close. A hint of plastic lingers.

M - Brisk, sharp and clean.

O - Brett is the star here, lots of funk complemented by fruity, earthy hops. Good.

 

 

 

 

Pours fairly golden and light. Clear beer. Aroma-smells sticky, piney, sappy, melon, grassy, apples. Taste- fairly bitter, piney, slight citrus nice fresh hoppy presence. Mouthfeel- a little thin and slightly bubbly. Overall- this one is not quite up my alley, but the more I drink it the more it grows on me. It is fairly light in body which is nice, but a little heavy in bitterness. It really goes nicely with the food I was eating (potato tacos with onion, cilantro, and avocado salsa.)

Pours a hazy golden with modest foaming and minimal retention. Quite an interesting composition, with a definite Brett influence in the aroma and flavor profile. There's significant warning of bitterness when smelling, largely pomelo, lemongrass, and a bit of pine. The Brett contributes hay and biscuit. On the palate, the yeast is a bit tart and briny, mixing with the bitter citrus notes. Despite it being hard to find, I'm glad the wildflower honey is included; without it, who knows how bitter this could get.

Overall, I'm not a great fan of the nascent trend for "wild IPAs," but this goes down better than expected.