Serpent of the Stars
Great Notion Brewing

 

One of the more solid offerings of late from GN, who seem to be spitting out unique hazy IPA variants twice a week. Not complaining here, but some of them haven't been outstanding (which is my usual GN experience). This one is very good though, glowing golden pour from the 16oz can is capped with a dense cap of immense rocky white foam. Juicy and fruity throughout, lots of tropical fruit and floral notes with strong pineapple juice and Dole Whip aromas and flavors, landing somewhere between an Orange Julius and a milkshake IPA...there is also citrus, melon, stone fruit, floral notes, doughy wheat, very juicy but with a touch of some nice present bitterness, lots of juicy mango, grapefruit...pretty explosively hoppy yet clean and enjoyable on the palate. This is a winner GN!

 

 

among the best uses of a thiolized yeast strain i have yet encountered, i expect these strains to take off in an insane way in the next year or so as word gets out, easy enough to use, unlocking a whole new range of aromas and flavors, even from old news hops, and with this hop combination of citra, riwaka, and nectaron, it absolutely pops. pale almost white colored beer, looks wheaty and minimal, not even that much body or starchy haze for these guys, who have been known to do some pretty milky ones. good head on it from the tap too, looks soft and approachable. aroma hits so hard, it almost fills the room, sliced peaches at peak ripeness, lemon zest without the tang, and something exotic and herbal, maybe light vanilla, mandarin oranges from the can, super soft and sexy somehow in its intensity, and for anyone asking about what thiols are in terms of sensory, this is it! the taste is everything the nose is, just slightly less vibrant and intense, still stupidly fresh, the citra explodes, like more citra than citra, and the riwaka is what defines this for me, kiwi fruit, honeydew, fresh orchids and wildflowers, just so awesome, crazy to be both intense and delicate, so rare for hops, but here we are. the ferment is clean, which is kind of strange for a beer that gets so much from the yeast, but it appears here as just an agent for the hops to explode, no real profile of its own thats appreciable in the taste. nice creamed up body, enough carbonation, lasting hop finish but not a bitter one. really impressive, ultra modern, and among the best of their hoppy stuff i have ever had! this is the future.