My Friend, My Friend
The Virginia Beer Company

This one isn't retired. The 16 oz can I bought was canned in September 2025. The design on the can is exactly the same as the Beer Advocate photo. Poured from a 16 oz. can into a pint glass, this beer featured a pale. straw yellow color that was quite hazy. The foamy head started out medium sized, faded to small and then presented good retention. There were many complete rings of lacing on the glass. The most outstanding feature of this beer was the aroma. There was a fairly intense tropical fruit smell, mostly passion fruit, that got your attention right off. Taste included tropical fruit but there was a fair amount of grapefruit too. The aroma/taste package was quite impressive!! Mouthfeel was juicy, somewhat bitter and crisp. A very enjoyable IPA.

Yowza! Was pretty excited to find this one at Ocelot in the Dulles area. Ocelot puts out some great IPA's and I've enjoyed the ones I've sampled at VBC when visiting Williamsburg. In true collab spirit, this was quite the blend of the best of both breweries. Really full-bodied for a beer of this gravity, with a beautiful orange hue that spoke of citrus. Bright hop flavors, easy drinking, and clean-finishing. Wish I'd scored some cans!

Color is a cloudy golden yellow with a decent amount of very slightly off-white head that is fizzy and very carbonated. Head mellows quickly leaving just a light ring around the glass. Aroma is juicy with grapefruit and orange and very effervescent. Taste is relatively light with lots of fresh orange on the palate. Malt takes a back seat yet remains slightly present to offset the orange juice feel and taste. Finish is clean with a bit of citrusy carbonation and tingly feel at the end. nice beer !