Cosmic Distortion
Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

 

16 oz can acclimated to 45°F and poured into a tulip glass.

Pours very hazy with light sediment, the color of apricot juice. Produces a 2.5-3 finger white head, lasting long enough and leaving healthy lacing.

Initial aroma is subtle mixed fruit juices, seemingly orange, peach, and apricot. A distinct smell of manuka honey is present behind the fruit smells, and is surprisingly strong. I can tell the alcohol is there, it's clear smelling, as is often the case, but reminds me of brandy the more I smell. I can also perhaps smell some hops, though they seem subtle. After agitating I notice the fruit fade and the alcohol grow stronger.

Initial taste before swallowing is strong caramel with a mild alcohol burn, while fruity esters hit the back of the mouth strong. After swallowing I'm hit with a powerful bitterness that lasts into the aftertaste, staying on the top of the middle and tip of the tongue. Juiciness is plentiful, sweet malt, grapefruit, and all the notes you'd expect from something with this amount of haze. Interestingly, another taste I get is a slight medical alcohol taste, and a medicinal something going on, fluoride is the closest I can come to describing it, I'm not crazy about it.

Mouthfeel is smooth and juicy, but not incredible. It's got that pulpy feeling you'd expect, and it flows well. The carbonation adds to it, frothiness is pleasing.

Overall I have to admit I don't like the overall taste. When I smelled it after drinking some it became easy to link the smell to the taste, and made the smell not good, although it was appealing before drinking. Whatever that fluoride taste was, I just couldn't get over. I feel horribly guilty whenever there's an off taste in a beer that makes me not like it but this is just not it man.

I won't buy it again, but I'll certainly continue to buy from the brewery.

 

 

Pours a hazy dark orange with a tall fluffy head and a lot of lacing.

Smells of grassy hops and tart and sweet citrus.

Tastes of sweet malt, grapefruit, orange and lemon with a slightly bitter finish.

Medium light body with light carbonation. Soft dry mouthfeel.

This is a very drinkable mild mannered and nuanced brew.

Pours a nice pale gold color with medium haze, lots of bubbles and very persistent lace. Smells of mango and bready malt up front with a lot in the back -- lemon, orange, key lime pie, more. Taste is a little sweet and winey up front, and then you remember it's an 8.0%, so of course it is. And it does hide that high alcohol rather well on successive sips when the citrus and especially banana bread comes out. Pleasant finish, a little sweet & sour. Love the packaging! Psychedelic rock & roll, baby.

Overall this is a very fine beer, but like most Imperials and DIPAs, I feel like it could be even better if that ABV was dialed back a bit, which would fade the sweet bready/winey elements.

 

 

 

Overall a really tasty brew.

 

 

 

 

A: cloudy; medium gold in color; 1+ finger finely pored ivory head that receded to a skim cap; very nice lacing;

S: lemon first, then orange;

T: orange and pineapple balanced from start to finish; mild bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish; soft;

O: OK, but not memorable;

Pours a beautiful very cloudy bright gold color with a one finger white dense head. Aroma is floral and lightly sweet with pineapple, tangerine and banana bread notes (that's just what I get, probably the papaya notes). The flavor is distinctly away from citrus-y flavors, with a warm, ester-ish lead that simmers down into a papaya/tangerine finish. Hard to pin down these flavors but it is very tasty and pleasant. Feel is very soft and very effervescent. There is a bit of an alcohol burn in this one but I don't seem to mind it too much (I'm not a fan of that in general).

This is very good and not a run of the mill NEIPA in terms of flavor profile, though in feel it is very much so. Well worth a try if you happen to see one on the shelves. You will not likely be disappointed..

 

Pours hazy, orange brown in color with 1/4 inch head. Taste is a fruit salad bouquet highlighted by mango and papaya. Medium body, slightly bitter with low carbonation. Easily the best Mighty Squirrel beer that I have had. Loads of unique fruit flavor. Would certainly get this again.

 

Drinking from a tulip, canned 3.26.20, consumed 4.12.20

*I have had this beer about 20 - 30 times and some of my commentary will reflect past experience in addition to my current tasting

L: varies with batch and age, this one is a little over 2 weeks old and on the brighter golden-yellow side. Note that some batches, often older cans, lean darker toward tan-gold. All are quite turbid as expected for the style. White semi-fluffy 1" head after aggressive pour. Head half life in my glass was short-lived at about 2 min.

S: unique. This beer drew me in and made me a believer in MS. But the taste really echoes and amplifies the nose. Dark tropical fruit, zesty citrus, and bready malt character. A slow deep draw as it warms reveals a candy "pop" note not unlike pink Starburst.

T: Peach and papaya, some spicy white pepper on the finish, strong malt presence and bready/honey sweetness throughout. Alcohol is detectable but not overtly present. Perhaps mild melon and passionfruit character and piney and floral notes as well. This beer is really tasty and something else going down.

F: solid bready chew and full bodied, very nice

O: buy a fresh four pack and try it, or get it on tap at the brewery - I recommend this beer as I think it stands up well to many of the DIPA offerings from top-rated New England breweries. It has an interesting complexity and nice balance of unique hop character - both floral and peppery but also juicy and tropical - complemented by a potent malt backbone.