Mosaic Oatsplosion
Central State Brewing

I'm constantly disappointed with the reviews that Central State beers get. CSB is my favorite IN brewery, but I have a feeling that people are surprised when they crack one of these open and get a huge whiff of brett. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it's not readily apparent that this is a Belgian-inspired IPA from the front portion of the label (which just says "Oat India Pale Ale Dry Hopped w/ Mosaic").

I only say this because their beer is consistently delicious, so theorizing that people might be surprised by the style is just my personal rationalization for why their flagships rarely seem to crack 4.00 on BA. Same goes for this beer, which is phenomenal: gorgeous, slightly hazy with a frothy white head; huge funky/grassy/lemony aroma; a palate that's balanced right on the edge of drying Mosaic hops, funk, and juicy lemon rind/mandarin orange hazy IPA flavor; substantial mouthfeel but supreme drinkability. Can't beat it. I never tend to believe the BA ratings that are formulated by less than 10 reviews, and this is a perfect example of why (at the time of writing, this beer has 3 reviews with an average rating of 3.59).

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass; no can dating, but was just release. Pours fairly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, blueberry, citrus peel/zest, green pepper, pine, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate oat/pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, blueberry, citrus peel/zest, green pepper, pine, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, blueberry, citrus peel/zest, green pepper, pine, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate oat/pale malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero lingering hop astringency after the finish. Moderate increasing dryness from bitterness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is an awesome IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate oat/pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Very vibrant, dank, earthy, and fairly juicy hop complexity; nice bready malt/oat backbone, with no residual sweetness. Liked this more than the base beer. Not as soft on mouthfeel, and more dank/earthy/resinous overall. Awesome mosaic showcase as expected. A really enjoyable offering.