Van Beer
Great Notion Brewing

Can poured into a Mountain Rambler Brewery pint glass

A: Pours hazy golden yellow with a frothy off white head that settles to a firm layer and laces nicely.

S: Ripe tropical and stone fruit + strawberry, juicy citrus, a touch resinous, faint grassy herbal notes, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

T: Opens with a quick resinous hit, followed by juicy tropical and stone fruit mixed with citrus, pineapple, Meyer lemon, apricot, strawberry, passion fruit, peach, lime, guava, and grapefruit, underlying slightly dank herbal notes, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation, super soft on the palate.

O: I've been wanting to get my hands on this one for a little while, in no small part due to the super rad can art. When it comes to the liquid in the can, it's not what I expected, in a good way. Strata can be quite pungent and assertive, and that's how I'm used to encountering it. Here, after the opening salvo up front, it's quite gentle, really showing off some of the more rarely seen flavors it can bring. As another reviewer said, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a touch of Citra singing back up, but if it really is 100% Strata, they did a great job showing off everything it has to offer. I wouldn't mind a little more of the classic in your face notes, but I'd love to crush a can of this by the loading dock, or just about anywhere.

 

16oz can from Brewers Haven. Hazy yellow pour, white frothy head recedes to thin coating. Aroma is fragrant, fruity, citrus, floral, minty. Taste comes in with a bracing zesty bitterness that instantly tingles the palate, a bit too much possibly (my palate may be affected by the flu I'm recovering from). Dry, chalky feel, grapefruit, pineapple with a really quick finish, except for the lingering buzz on the tongue.

 

16oz can, this batch is supremely fresh to my market; pours hazy yellow into a snifter. The nose is wild and tropical and exotic…strawberry coconut and passion fruit, fairly weed-y as well. Fresh tropical fruit on the palate too, coconut bordering on pineapple and pina colada, maybe tangerine…tart tropical fruitiness. Smooth body, effervescent and moderately bitter as well. Good stuff.

 

really dope can art on this one, and another yummy hazy from these guys, well refined but perhaps less distinctive on the hop side than their most memorable hoppy beer. still, this is fresh, flavorful, and not heavy and messy in terms of body and over the top haze. not too dense looking or feeling, and i appreciate that. this has the creamy wheaty texture without being filling. the hops are all strata and its pretty evident, although i could be convinced there is some citra in here in support. the hops come with waves of green melon, green tea, jasmine, guava, meyer lemon, and lime leaf, super fresh, nothing green or onion-like, and the grain is flavorful but dry in here too, so there is nice balance. clearly its got a big dry hop on it, but most of what i get in terms of aroma is also there in the flavor, pungent and juicy to me, with low bitterness but not none. as it warms i get more lemon, a raw coconut note, and even a faint floral honey aspect, only slightly green but not in the overdosed way. smooth and fluffy feeling rather than weighty, aided by high carbonation and an almost can conditioned vibe. some oily slickness from the hops but it doesnt linger, and this opens up a lot as i drink on it. great hazy, modern and well refined, nothing forced, and a great showcase of the strata hop overall if you are still out of the loop on this awesome varietal! very nicely done, i could have a number of these!

edit: liked this even more the second time around and am raising the flavor score a bit, its juicy and fresh, high saturation without a burn, and while yeah it might not be radical, its awfully yummy, almost southern hemisphere to me now, kiwi fruit and key limes, very dynamic, crazy fruity without being cloying, quicker than i remember on the palate, just enough bitterness, and i am thankful that there are a few more cans in my in laws beer fridge! real drinkable.

Pours a creamy yellow orange with a finger and a half of foamy head that slowly settles to a thick cap with strata of lacing. Aroma of citrus and pineapple. Taste follows nose. Smooth and creamy.

Canned on 3/17/23.

I've had juice invader and thought it was pretty good. Had magnetic west and thought it was just ok. This 'Van Beer" is pretty weak IMO. Super weak! Almost no aroma. Looks watery, mouthful is watery. I felt better mouthfuls from seltzers or cheap malt liqueurs tbh. Taste is faint chalky tropical. This beer is def. missing the mark big time. Horribly made beer. At least the art work on the can is nice. Probably won't be spending any more money on Great Notion for a Great Long While!

Blurring the distinction between New England IPA and hazy American IPA, the contents of a pint can now rest in a clear Imperial pint glass. Thankfully, there was none of the ridiculous starchy white foam presented by too many modern IPAs. Actually, there was almost no head at all and it didn't last. The color of the brew is dull lemon-yellow and it's opaque. The aroma seems to be blunted citrus hops, but maybe that's influenced by the eyes. Despite the lack of a head, it drinks zesty enough. There's no notice of barley malt, but the body is acceptable. The dominant taste is of citrus-like hops, but they're not astringent, nor overly bitter. This is a rather pleasant pint of ale. The body being a bit toward the light side is a great compliment for the citrusy character to the flavor. There's just enough even bitterness and it's not close to being sweet, to make this one really good Hazy IPA. With a 7.4% ABV, nicely incorporated, by the way, it's fortunate that it's only mid-range in strength. That way, another can replace the first, which went down almost too quickly. This brewery seems consistently good across various styles.