Argent
Corridor Brewery & Provisions

 

Had on tap. Some there are parts of this beer that I adore, the hop combo for one is brilliant, along with the tropical smoothie haze that really brightens the beer in a juicy way. The yeast though. It just feels clunky in an otherwise streamlined hazy ipa. It brings it down and dries it out a bit. That being said still plenty of hops and fruits to make this worth your while.

 

On draft. Minisnifter glass. Lighter straw yellow body, hazy and cloudy with a one and half finger white head, fair retention and good lacing. Smell is a distinct minerality, light grapefruit hop aromatics, a bit floral, light caramel and grain. The minerality contributes more of an astringency to the flavour, which kind of overpowers the actual aromatic hops that were thrown in there. I really don't get that fruity grapefruit and citrus that the nose promises, and it's slightly more astringent but not necessarily hop bitter, if that makes sense. It seems the special yeast used in this beer doesn't play well with dry-hopping. Medium lighter bodied, solid carbonation.

32oz crowler, poured into a Corridor "Bicycle" pint glass.

The beer pours a very hazy golden amber color, orange hues with a fizzy white head that has minimal retention and yields only a spot or two of lace. The aroma is okay, very citrusy, floral, albeit a bit funky, dank pine and lots of crusty biscuit forward malt. The flavors are good, lots of pungent hops, green, grassy, floral, herbal, dank, piney, lightly citrusy and fruity but the farmhouse yeast presents itself as sweet yet funky and amplifies the grainy backbone. The mouthfeel is good, coating, thinner medium body than many hazy IPAs but lively and crisp with a dry finish.

Verdict: A good NEIPA from Corridor. The yeast profile is curious, definitely has a certain funk to it, the beer is very green and very dry, not as balanced or diverse as I'd like, but all in all, a solid IPA that is easy to drink and hits the spot for a hop fix.