Stacked Diamonds
Marsh Island Brewing

 

 

Poured from a tallboy can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dull hazed golden pour with thick fluffy white head. Decent lacing.

S: Mango, coconut, and light citrus.

T.F: Fruity... tropical mango, pineapple, tangerine, and coconut. Some sweetness up front... minimal hop bite. Juicy... smooth and sticky on the tongue. Medium bodied.

O: Another solid IPA from Marsh Island, and on-par with their other offerings. Quality flavor and easy drinking.

I believe this is my very first beer from Marsh Island, and it's an IPA clocking in at 7% ABV... seems like a pretty logical place to start with a new brewery, I think. The Untappd entry for this one says it is a stronger version of another beer of theirs (Emerger 5) brewed with "more oats and more hops," including Mosaic, Enigma, and Sabro. I've been seeing Sabro in a ton of IPAs recently, so it seems like it may be the current hop du jour. I will say I expect this to be coconut-forward now that I am aware this varietal is used in the recipe, as it tends to overpower other hops at times.

The pour here is kind of unsightly, not gonna lie... it's a pale and very cloudy, almost "milky" looking with no depth or highlights to it even when held to direct light. The head is decent, building up to like two fingers before settling at a quarter-finger with some alright lace and good legs. Wisps of foam on the surface as well... not bad really, but I don't like the color much and the head is just fine.

The scent right upfront is tangerine, coconut, some light grassiness, tangy lemon, and some light orange creamsicle. Hm, yeah, this uses Sabro alright, but the Mosaic is definitely pushing some fun deviations with its moderate dank undertone and slight berry element. I'm getting a lot of oats and cereal-like grain qualities here which are hard to overlook, however. Perhaps this wasn't dry-hopped enough to punch through the increased oat use they claim in the description of the beer?

A bit of pine and melon on the tongue, following through with a wheaty chew in the middle. Enigma pops here with some wine-like musty notes, a touch of minerality/chalk, and red berry-like juicy notes. Alright this is actually growing on me a bit. The Sabro kind of weaves in and out, which is good, as it can be distracting if it's used in a heavy-handed manner, but it does demonstrate some of its trademark coconut here and there along with sugared pineapple and sliced mango. I think Enigma and Sabro might be one of my favorite recent hop combos if this beer is any indication. I still think this could be dry-hopped slightly more aggressively, but that's personal preference. Feel oscillates between chewy and oddly-thin which is frustrating. It feels like the earlier part of the palate is a touch watery, but the hops linger a little in the finish and the oats in concert with them give off a little hop burn or a similar feeling I don't love. Overall, though, this is a fun little beer and I'd say it's worth a shot if you like these new-school hops; just don't expect to have your mind blown.

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 5/20/2020. Pours a very attractive hazy orange yellow with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves scattered lace all over the sides of the glass, with nice retention. 4.5

Smell coconut, pineapple, mango, peach, and apricot really solid. 4

Taste follows coconut, peach, pineapple, mango, and apricot I am assuming they used either Sabro or Cashmere to get that hint of coconut. Nice and refreshing. 4.25

Mouthfeel is about medium, soft gentle carbonation, sticky not dry, and at 7% drinks very easy. 4.25

Overall this is another very nice NEIPA from this brewery. A very under the radar brewery from Maine. 4.25

16oz undated can.

Pours clear gold with a chill haze. Retention and lacing are moderate. Melons, pears, and light lime in the nose. Light bodied with a thinnish mouthfeel. Pears with honeydew on the palate. Finishes with zero malt, minimal bitterness, and lingering pear.