TiHKAL
Ascension Brewing Company

 

 

A - Pours a murky burnt orange with a one finger creamy white head. Heavy amount of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is tangeirne, orange, guava and peach.

T - The taste is tangerine, peach, orange, guava, grapefruit, lemon zest and bitter hops.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a nice soft finish.

O - Pretty solid NEPA. Bright tropical fruits with a lingering bitter finish.

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, no can dating. Pours opaquely hazy deep golden/orange/green/amber color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, woody, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough,, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and sticky/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an awesome NEIPA. All around great omplexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Apparently a rotating dry hopped series, this feels like all Galaxy. Very juicy, vibrant, dank, and earthy balanced hop complexity; with a nice balancing wheat/oat/malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness from lingering resin dryness. A really enjoyable offering. A bit more bitter/resinous/drying than expected, but still very well made for the style.

 

16oz can, willi becher. Darker copper body, hazy and unfiltered. One finger white head, lots of lacing. Smell is a bit of astringent oxidation, pulpy grapefruit and a bit of citrusy lemon, touch of caramel. Flavour is problematically oxidized, has this astringent zesty finish to it. A bit of grapefruit and lemon zest. Mouthfeel is lighter medium bodied, good carbonation, but ultimately the bit of cardboardy and zesty finish is too bothersome to finish.