Strange Claw
Cerebral Brewing

 

B- / WORTHY

A 16 fl. oz. can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.

Appearance: A hazy pale yellow to gold colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quite quickly but left lots of nice lacing.

Aroma: Tropical mango, citrusy grapefruit pith and rind with a touch of orange flesh.

Taste: Lightly dank, sweet and bitter. Peach gummy candy, pineapple and citrus peel.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: Solid and very nice IPA.

This is yet another IPA from Cerebral, who seems to make a lot of these lately. But this is a nice combination of Citra and Columbus hops, and the beer is a bit hazy but not quite as fruity as a New-England style IPA (their Rare Trait is that one in their lineup). I would drink this one again even though I'm not a huge IPA fan. Balanced and not bitter at all, this blend makes this beer work.

 

 

 

Type: 16-oz. can
Glass: Clear 16-oz. Bruges beer glass
From: ucsbmullet on Beer Advocate
Price: N/A
Purchased: N/A; Received on Sept. 22, 2017
Consumed: Sept. 28, 2017
Reviewed as: New England IPA
Misc.: Can read 6.3 pct. ABV; Canned on Sept. 21, 2017 at 10:15 a.m. MT

Thanks, Nick!

Was psyched to get this from Nick on a recent trip to Colorado Springs. Pretty sure he picked it up the day I got it (Sept. 22). Online, the description for this one was, “Brewed with a bend of pale, pilsner and wheat malt with a touch of crystal malt and hopped with an immense amount of Citra and Columbus.”

Poured a pale-to-gold hazy color with 1-to-2 fingers of fizzy white head. A few light bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Very good spotty lacing. Below average retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled those Citra and earthy Columbus hops up front. Also pineapple, dank resin, white pepper, sugary orange blossom, floral, spoiled orange peel, juicy mango and stone fruit. Very sweet, but missing something overall. Can helped it out more with juicy orange, guava, mango and papaya coming in. (Smell - 3.75)

First thought on the taste was that it was bigger than 6.3 pct. ABV. I like tasting hops in my New England Style beers and not just juice and I was getting some hops here. Got pulpy orange juice, pineapple, white pepper, almost Chinook like for me, earthy Columbus, dry-hopped Citra, dank resin, sugary orange blossom, floral, bitter orange peel, Sprite, mango rind and stone fruit. Tasted much stronger than the 6.3 pct. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Oily-to-creamy texture. Average carbonation. Long, bitter finish. (Feel - 4.00)

A couple of these categories could’ve gone a few different ways, but I thought this was very good overall for the NE style. (Overall - 4.00)

3.90 | 88 | B+

 

 

 

One if my favorites from Cerebral. This was a beautiful fruit bomb. I'd love to see this one more often from these guys. Probably top ten NEIPAs in the state.

 

 

Fantastic juicy NE IPA...balanced malt backbone...cloudy...juicy...delicious.

a hazy ipa and better than some of their others. i like the use of different grains in here, the pils malt gives it a certain lightness while the wheat fluffs it up a bit for the hops, its interesting for being so light, and is also flavorful for being so dry, a neat canvass for the hops. it presents itself as mostly dry hopped, the aroma is juicy and fruity and fresh, and the flavor is lighter, without a lot of bitterness, almost more of a pale than an ipa as we know them. i think it lacks a little refinement though, especially compared to their other hoppy stuff. the hazy aspect is a bit much, the beer feels thick and it seems not quite finished fermenting. the hops lose a little of their punch to that, but their flavor and aroma are still great. pineapple and orange peel is what i pick up the most, some oils, very fresh. carbonation could be picked up a little bit too. this is a nice kick at the can for this type of beer, and i suspect as they brew this again it will improve in overall quality. very high on these guys right now.

edit: the cans of this they released are far better than this was the first time around at the brewery. the carbonation issues have been resolved and it seems a little more cleaned up and professional. fresh hops throughout, great beer! raising a few scores to reflect the evolution.

On tap at the brewery. Cloudy yellow appearance, good head. Aroma and flavor are both hoppy and yet fleeting. I think with some time to dial this in they could have something good here.