Tokyo Smoke
Aslin Beer Company

First beer from Aslin. No canning date, so not sure how old this was. Poured into a tulip glass with a thick foamy head that slowly dissipated to a persistent creamy ring. Opaque and deep yellow.
Nose was very fruity with a hint of malt. I was searching for the smoke but did not detect any.
Palate follows the nose profile very strongly. Dominated by tangerine, papaya and melon. The mid-palate reveals a hints of coconut and malt. Apricot and resin lead into the long finish. No trace of smoke but I think that was a good thing, it would not have enhanced this beer.
This is a 5.5% beer with a really smooth profile, which makes it a great session beer. It might not satisfy the hop heads but I would have this in my fridge any day.

 

 

A: A two finger soft and billowy cream-tan head fits perfectly within the confines of the spiegelau glass without breaching. Beneath, a murky, tarnished orange-gold colored body with a slow movement of carbonation. The capping stood steadfast and strong, leaving behind large meaty lace patches on the glass walls. Love the coloring.

S: Green melon first on the nose, very peach scents follow, with a small tart helping of pineapple. Very wet, whirlpool forward, juicy and fruit cup-esque. Some bright citrusy-lemon highlights with a more then adequate strength that was clean and crisp. An easy 4.0 from me, with some warming and pleasant pine oils with settling.

T: Very piney first sip, resinous, blending with some semi-dry citrus hop leaves. Dry orange and slight grassy tones, more west coast then the NE aroma. The flavor is softly hopped, with fresh and sharp clean rice and barley malts and citrus pine mixing well. Dried spruce, orange peel and a small grassiness towards the finish. Semi-dried peaches round out.

M: Nice full malt body and mouthful, good carbonation and slightly parchy from the dry hopping, feathery citrus tickles the tongue.

O: Overall I felt a slight disappointed that I didn't pick up any smoky aspect, maybe a tad with warming with some dried woodiness, but was expecting something per name. Would of been nice, a smokey rice ipa. A solid ipa none the less with high B markings. Strong visual and nice fruity nose with a good crisp malt backbone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Pale yellow, slightly turbid and definitely opaque looking but not too dull in color. Classic bleach white large forming three finger tall head, very bubbly and lots of retention and sticky looking lace.

Classic touching new age NEIPA nose. Juicy hinting sweetness, and a hop angle of tropical like pineapple and melon notes. Bit of a chalky like malt outline possibly, but also some deep earth and dare it be?? Smoke?? Yeah.. Just a touch… bring that dank earth goodness.

Very unexpected palate. Real nice simple body, which doesn't bring the big juice character, but is simply supportive. Mid palate hop experience gets a little less fruity and more earthy. Touches some mild herbal bitterness, but a bigger dank and somewhat resin like flavor. Very spicy aftertaste, nearly black pepper like heat in the finish. Some later touches of very light pineapple, but a real nice light bodied earthy and simple heat on the hop angle.

Fun IPA. Interesting mix.

 

This is a seven day old IPA from Aslin (well, according to the release info on their social media, as there's no date on the can itself... which frustrates me immensely) featuring the cool hop combination of Galaxy, Mosaic, and Sabro. I have had some great beers from Aslin, but some have also been a bit under par. Really hoping this one falls into the former category, but I will try not to get my hopes up too much.

The pour is a typical but nice looking NEIPA profile with a completely-opaque body of orange-pineapple juice looking beer topped with a modest, retentive head of eggshell-white foam that measures about a finger-and-a-half at its highest point. Decent legs and consistent, thin lacing as it receded down to a tiny ring. Not bad looking, but it's not overly impressive or anything.

The combination of these three hops gives off a unique bouquet of melon, apricot, tangelo/tangerine, and coconut, with a light passion fruit and pineapple note that seems delicate and dialed-in. I like that it doesn't feel too complex, but that could also have to do with what I assume is a simple grain bill (I only really pick up a slight crackery malt in this, for sure). At only 5.5%, this is actually lower strength than a couple of the "APAs" I've had recently from the likes of Three Floyds, which is amusing, but I think the ABVs in these hoppy styles can get a little weird at times, especially looking at more old-school vs. new-school scene desires. The brewery does say this has a "bright, creamy body" that is "flavorful without any heaviness," so that should be interesting to think about as I sip.

Snappy Mosaic upfront with a big bite of dankness and tangerine, melding with melon, passion fruit, light bitterness, and smooth oat-laden creaminess in the finish. Some slight pine and a bit of coconut from the Sabro, especially as it warms, give off a decent amount of complexity for the size of the beer. I will say that this is, indeed, a creamy beer that doesn't have much, if any, heaviness to it, and I think they certainly achieved what they were going for here. It feels like the most "everyday drinker" IPA I've had from Aslin yet, and I appreciate that. A lot going on, but it's never too much at once. Respectable stuff. Would drink again!