Juice Invader - Pineapple
Great Notion Brewing

Recently when I was there most of the beers were heavily fruited with a lot of hops to give them the fruit flavor, some even added fruit. I know these styles are popular now so really can't blame them.

 

2024-03-31
16oz can shared in sample glasses.

Pours hazy pale yellow, small head. Head is coarse, settles slowly. Smell is pineapple for sure, very juicy, a little resin.

Taste is much more pine-bitter than expected. Pineapple juice is more in the background.

Mouthfeel is light and dry. Pretty good, better than expected.

 

 

Pours out that classic bright golden hazy, very hazy from the 16oz can with two-fingers of white head. Juicy pineapple and tropical fruits abound on the nose with that familiar zingy spritzer character I get from a lot of Southern Hemisphere/NZ hops. Very juicy upfront with the pineapple character, but also aggressively yeasty and chalky in the finish and mouthfeel, the dry hopping seems a bit over top. Not quite as well-executed as other GN hazy beers.

i have not had the original juice invader, but this is tasty, even if the pineapple is only subtle in it, i think thats fine, keeps it from being too sweet and it lets the hops still do their thing, no need to overrun this pleasant hop profile with a bunch of juice, its juicy on its own already it seems, hence the name. real cloudy and thick from the tap, a murk bomb for sure, with a soft inch of pure white head, a pale yellow color that would be lighter if this didnt have so much body, and a strong nose of fresh citrus and even apricot, fruity all the way, some pineapple there too, but its fruitiness from hops first, ripe tangerine, key lime, and lemon zest, along with a little mango or melon character, summery in that way, the right amount of sweetness left to balance some of the bitterness this has, although that aspect remains pretty light. the flavor follows the nose, most of the pineapple is on the swallow where the hops peak, some pine to this and it is faintly green to me, but not problematic. peach and apricot notes, lime leaf, light coconut, quite tropical but it kind of all hits at once. the front half or more of this is mostly grain to me, wheaty to my palate but maybe some oats too, full and creamy, and this gets slightly filling in volume because of it. overall an excellent hop profile and a tasteful dosing of the pineapple element so it doesnt take over the beer. this is modern and good, could be a little lighter to drink than it is, but my wife and i both dug this. good to see so much great notion around in idaho now!

On-draught @ Great Notion PDX:

C+ / ABOVE AVERAGE

 

 

 

Very cloudy straw appearance with nice white head that dissipates slowly. Aroma is a prominent pineapple. Taste is also a pleasant prominent smooth pineapple.

 

 

 

Canned 9/4/19. Brewed with Galaxy hops and you guessed it, pineapple.
L: Gorgeous vibrant hazy yellow. From the pour, about 2 fingers of a bubbly white cap formed and retained quite nicely. Lacing moderately coats the edge of the glass.
S: Tons of pineapple. In fact, pineapple is what I mostly smell. Hints of orange, grapefruit and lemon and a touch of grass but man, it smells like a Disneyland dole whip.
T: Taste is great as well. Pineapple initially with a lemony finish, translating to a lemongrassy aftertaste with lingering notes of pineapple, grapefruit and mango. The pineapple is dominant, but it doesn't seem to cut down the integrity of the galaxy hop profile much either, which is something I am admiring.
F: Medium in body but light in weight. It is soft and borderline silky smooth. Carbonation is moderate adding proper fizzle on the tongue. No booze.
O: If you're a fan of pineapple, I'd say go for it. It is more pineapple-forward than anything else. That said, it doesn't lose the IPA-based foundation to a degree that I've heard others complain about. The smell is honestly fantastic as well. Can't go wrong with hoppy pineapple juice. Plus, the abv is in my preferential range. I am very glad to try, and would drink again. Cheers!

 

 

On tap at Great Notion
Look - 4.5 - soft opaque yellow. Small head.
Smell - 4.5 - nice rosy pineapple aroma with some underlying hops
Taste - 4.25 - nice fruity pineapple along with Galaxy hops. little dank.
Feel - 4.25 - light body, low carbonation
Overall - 4.25